Milestones

On Monday our family went to the NC State Fair. Lance and I had our first taste of “letting go” this year: Brooke met up with her friends midday, and Lanelle spent most of the day with her friend, Jaclyn. Meanwhile, the boys and parents watched a really neat BMX/FMX show, walked the midway and exhibits, and I even won a bear from the guy who guesses your age. He guessed 7 years too young!! You can see more pictures of our day here

I can’t explain to you how much fun I had just being with my family. We didn’t spend a lot of money on rides or entertainment, but of course, we HAD to sample fair food! But the best part of the whole day was just playing together.

Now, I’m counting the days to some milestones.

First, this Sunday I will have the privilege of being part of the orchestra for a special evening of praise at our church. Our worship pastor had vocal surgery this summer, and we all prayed diligently that his incredible voice would be restored and not harmed. God was truly gracious in answering that prayer. David is a talented musician who has a beautiful heart for serving the Lord. Over the years, he’s written a good deal of music, and this will be an evening of sharing those songs. In addition, our new orchestra director, Gary Hallquist, arranged the choir and orchestra music for these songs. It is amazing to be in the presence of such God-given talent, and it’s even more amazing that I get to share the platform with them every weekend. We will be doing a live recording that evening, and when it becomes available, I’ll share a link where you can order the CD.

Of course, the next milestones will be my pre-op visit on Monday, and my surgery on Tuesday. I will update you as soon as I’m feeling up to returning to the computer, probably just a couple of days after surgery. The results of the pathology report should come back within a week of surgery, and I will know for certain whether the tumor was cancerous or benign.

Psalm 112:1,7–8

Hallelujah! Happy is the man who fears the Lord, taking great delight in His commandments. He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord. His heart is assured; he will not fear. In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

Because of the prayers of my friends and my hope in the Lord, the last several days have been full of peace about my upcoming surgery. I’m just not afraid! I know, both from past experience, and from scriptures like Psalm 112, that God can be trusted. I am equally convinced that God has a bigger plan than just my personal comfort or well-being. He desires to proclaim His great name and His glory through this particular trial, and I count it a privilege to be on His team.

I am praying that as you watch the unfolding events in our family’s journey through this current “fire,” you will catch a glimpse of the incredible God we serve, and how He lovingly cares for His own.

I have three specific prayer requests this week.

1. Pray that I do not get sick this week so that I will not have to reschedule surgery. I can tell that the tumor has increased in size, and I’m just ready to bid the thing goodbye.
2. Continue to pray that the nerve branch that controls my mouth is protected, so that I may continue to play my clarinet. I seriously want to whoop it up after surgery and send you a picture of my puckered up lips!
3. Please pray that I will be the person who is described in Psalm 112, so that others may see what a Great God we serve and desire to know Him also.