Project 365, Week 35

Life. Wow. 

This week there is lots of Amanda as she got settled into her first week back at Summit. And our household walked through another chemo week and other opportunities to trust God when our eyes cannot see. 

August 24

The empty bedroom down the hall. 😢

But she checked in, all dressed up and ready to report for her first day of work. It made me laugh because I was with Avery at the office and saw they were twining 300 miles apart.

This was a tough day of praying and waiting and trying to stay busy and distracted. It a weighty honor to bear one another's burdens.

August 25

Amanda's corner office with a view.

We took a sliver of time out to celebrate God's mercy and to grieve loss. Bearing one another's burdens.

My sister hosted a blessing night...a chance for the people in Renna's life to speak truth and blessing over her and to call out the good and beautiful things in her. Renna is the last to finish homeschooling through 8th grade and to move on to a high school. Six children my sister has homeschool over these many years. She is a wonder.

August 26

I have never been able to just wake up and go headlong into the day. Always I have needed to get up early. to move my body, to sit slowly with a cup of coffee. To read my Bible and talk to my Jesus, to remind myself and to sing of his love and goodness and might, to get out in nature to witness the sunrise or listen to the leaves rustling or the birds chirping or notice the different shades of green in the grass.

(This would be embarrassing except that I'm 50 years old and am growing more immune to embarrassment with each passing year). The fact that I do these things does not mean I'm a super star. It means I'm super sinful and fickle. In no time, I can construct my own little kingdom where I am the center and the ruler. I begin to "tweak" my theology to make it more pleasing and containable, I am prone to despair. My defaults are selfishness, impatience, judgey-ness.  My mental health starts to get off-balance. Not a formula, if I do this then I'll get a certain result, more a rhythm and way of life that tends towards the right direction.

On ordinary days when I need to be loving to my family, on treatment days when I head into the valley and all of life in-between...I require a lot of work!

Treatment #50. 

August 27

Every other week Amy faithfully loads our refrigerator with enough food to get us through the week. And sometimes she puts flowers on my nightstand. So much love and devotion.

August 28

No picture

August 29

Shaun's morning check-in picture from the lake.

August 30

Amanda's roommate from last year arrived on campus and they were SO happy to be reunited. Shayla is an RA this year and Amanda is an intern, but they are still in the same dorm which means they'll share lots of late nights together.