OceanicThai

We have had several visits with Rosie thus far. It has been pretty shocking to see how fast and dramtic the cancer has affected her. It is heartbreaking to see her so racked with pain and unable to do the things she loves to do. The everyday and mundane tasks of life have become impossible for her, and I believe it is exceedingly frustrating for her to be in this position. Rosie has always been very independent and self-reliant, a rock for other people to lean and depend on. Being a nurse she was the one comforting and ministering to other people hurting and in need. She worked for years on the oncology ward, the cancer ward. Now she is finding herself on the "other side" and I can imagine it is very difficult for her to be in this position. And for Rosie, as a woman who had so much love and care for other people, I have to wonder if it is difficult to give up that role and let others do the caring. For those beautiful people who are the "givers" rather tha...

I never imagined running would be one of my favorite things to do...in the past it was usually at the very bottom, meaning I hated it with a passion. I liked gyms, weight lifting, Nautilus machines. I started running in Thailand because there was no gym available and I wanted to excercise. In 2009 I decided I wanted to run more than a couple of miles, when I got my first MP3 player. Previously, my favorite kinds of music were classical, Van Gelis, Tangerine Dream, Seal, Kate Bush, and a few Christian bands like Jars of Clay. Once I started running it all changed. I started listening to bands with a harder beat to help me keep going when I started feeling the pain of longer runs. And to block out my labored breathing! I've added roughly a mile per month and this month I will be going for 11 miles. I have been training for a June half-marathon in Phuket, Thailand, but of course that had to be cancelled. So I found a new half-marathon in Fair Oaks, California, May 1st, along t...

It's like a strange dream, being back in the U.S. Kennedy is with his mother at the doctor's office this morning learning what exactly she has and the prognosis. It was very hard to leave Thailand, even though we know we need to be here with Kennedy's mom. We trust what God is doing in our lives, though, and we know this is where we are supposed to be. Our last few weeks were a blur of packing and saying goodbye to the ones we love. I was surprised how often I found myself weeping, and how hard it was to leave. I remember how hard it was to leave the U.S. over 10 years ago, and I never imagined it would be so hard to leave Thailand to come back. Of course we plan to go back, but nothing is certain, and we gave up our home before we came back this time. Every step of the process of leaving was filled with the mercy of God. We are amazed at His love and provision day by day, moment by moment. I am so grateful for how smoothly everything went, and for the great support ...