Christmas Break

What a week!



~Went to Handel's "Messiah" for the first time.

~Whirlwhind trip to Loma Linda-somewhere around 38 hours. (So good to see some of you!)

~Met and befriended two Army Rangers on a plane. (More to come on that)

~Had a white Christmas for the first time in my life!

~Learned how to drive a stick shift

Safe

Thoughts from my God journal:

November 4, 2010

The stress had left me feeling vulnerable; maybe even a bit achey.

I wanted to be held. I wanted to have arms wrapped around me, with a my head against a strong chest, curled up.
Safe. Secure.

I went to grab this [my God journal], but grabbed my Bible instead. "Weird," I thought. So I went to the shelf for this journal, but decided that maybe God wanted to talk to me, instead of me talking to Him. Psalms 139 came to mind; one of my favorites. So I opened up to it.

I got to verse 5:

"You hem me in--behind and before;
You have laid your hand upon me."

I read a cross reference too.


"...but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him." [Psalms 32:10]

And You were/are waiting for me--Big arms to envelope and surround me. With hands to hold mine.

I felt You.

Safe. Secure.

True Freedom

I'm a pretty patriotic person, in fact, it's almost genetic in my family. My grandma, who's half Swedish, remembers her father telling her, "Mary Lou, you are full-blooded American." A good melting pot mentality and something to be proud of, to be sure. Although we have our problems and are far from perfect, I'm proud to be a full-blooded American.

I love John Wayne western and war movies. I love going to baseball games. I love visiting state parks. I love fireworks and wearing patriotic colors on the 4th. I love America!

For the first part of the holiday weekend, I went home. At church this week, my brother spoke. He had our veterans stand and say what branch of the military there served in and what war. He taught the 1st Amendment and talked about the freedoms we appreciate as Americans.

Be honest with yourself and think about the last time you were thankful for freedom speech, of the press, assembly, to petition? These are part of our first Amendment rights along with freedom of Religion.

He made the point that, American freedom is really just taking away the consequences. We always have a choice.

Daniel had a choice. Go against the king, break the law to pray. He wasn't free to worship. But he did.

Joseph had a choice. To obey his mistress. He was a slave with no freedom. But he said "no."

Reformers didn't have a choice but to recant. But they didn't. And many burned. Lois De Berquin was such a man. He was a French knight that found against the Catholic church and was burned at the stake for standing against the church, making him the first Protestant French martyr.


True freedom, isn't an American luxury. It doesn't come from a country, our Constitution, or Ammendments, but from the Lord.

"...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Cor 3:17B

Oklahoma!

I love road trips. I love doing new things. And the Fisher Family Farm had it all.
I could write about all the cool things that we did and how excited I was to to be there, to experience a place that I had heard so much about, to fall in love with a family whose passion for God, family, and hard-work is inspiring. But to be honest, you just have to experience it for yourself. That being said let me share a few things that I got to do:

Pick, Shuck, & Cut Corn












Chased and Branded Cows








Enjoyed the Pond








Hanging out at the Farm







And for the Grand Finale--the play "Oklahoma!" and the Oklahoma 2 Step







Thank you Fisher Family



PS-I hit my 46th State!

In the Mood

Last night Tyler and I went to a big band concert. The Glen Miller Band was fantastic! I couldn't stop smiling! After intermission, Tyler and I both agreed that we couldn't stay in our seats.

So we danced.



The announcer had said that people were welcome to dance on the sides and in the front, but nobody had taken her up on the offer.

Until us.

Tyler and I bounced up to the front and started dancing, figuring that we would be joined by the masses. We were mistaken--we were truly the only takers! The second song that we danced to they put the spotlight on us.

I haven't done something so gutsy in awhile. And you know what? It felt good. Really, really good.

SNOW DAY!

Today it snowed. And it was A-Mazing!

Finally!

So, on Tuesday, December 1 I got the good news. 2 months and 4 days since the incident AND 5 Doctor visits later,I got "released" from my hand surgeon!
Now, it's been getting better, slowly but surely. I could type, change dirty diapers at work, and even play the piano a little. But now, it's official--I'm free! My pinky is still a little swollen and you can still see where my pins were, but I'm thrilled.
I've learned a lot through this entire experience. I've learned how it is to be a patient. It's really different swapping sides in the healthcare world. I'm used to being the one passing meds, educating, comforting, and mostly scrambling to get everything done. Now, I was the one taking medication, asking questions, hurting, and feeling lost.
I can tell you, that my compassion has grown leaps and bounds.

Bad things happen. We can get jumbled up, stressed out, put down, pink slipped, sleep deprived, and stretched till we snap.
But one thing always remains the same. God. He's there. He's constant. He's listening. He cares. He wants to know our soul.

Sometimes, it takes a good "down & out" for me to stop running around in my little productive circles and take the time to look up, take a deep breath, and give it up.

"Be still." Right, God. Keep reminding me.

I've learned another lesson. I wonder how many more times I'll have to learn it?