Whew...that's life.

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. "
~ Ferris Bueller

The last couple months, our family life has been in somewhat of a challenging predicament. It has not been anything that is bizarre, or unheard of…but typically all these events do not come at the exact same time in anyone’s life. Kind of the perfect storm, or extremely unlucky to have a hurricane, tornado, and earthquake all happen at the same time. But because of all the craziness in it all, there have been some phenomenal learnings, experiences, and growth we have been able to share. I don’t think any one of us tried to make something good out of a bad situation…we simply embraced it, and reaped the rewards that subsequently came gushing out. And for that, I am thankful and grateful.

It all started in March when my mom’s breast cancer relapsed after being in remission for 14 years. My mom is amazing and even after being diagnosed again, she acts like it’s just another cold. She had a mastectomy and was back at work a couple days later. She schedules her chemotherapy on Thursday after school, so she can be at work again on Monday. She shows up to work no matter how bad she is feeling…it simply amazes me and makes me proud as well as feel a bit wimpy. But through it all, she has come out the other side with a smile and the faith that God has a plan. And that plan she knows is a good one. My mom even scheduled her operation so that she could be ready for my dad’s surgery shortly after.

So my young and youthful dad found out that he had an aneurysm on his aorta and needed to have his chest cracked open to remove/fix it. The surgeon suggested my dad stop smoking to help in the recovery and preparation process. Uh, stop smoking? My dad has been smoking since he was 18 years old and he will be 80 this month! (For those of you that have trouble with math, that is 62 years he has been smoking). But as of January 1st, he stopped and got through this very invasive process and is now doing very well. His next doctor appointment is in one year. That’s pretty neat.

Well, that takes care of my family…now how about Jessi’s side? Jessi’s dad had back surgery that was necessary to relieve some severe back pain that he had been suffering from for the past year. It was planned that he would have discs fused, but when the surgeon got in there, they cleaned it up and hoped that would do the trick. The recovery was a little tough and now VERY frustrating because the surgery was not as successful as they hoped. So after over a month of recovery, it has been determined that he will have to go back and have the discs fused anyway. This is so frustrating. He is putting himself into traction to relieve the pain…using chairs, tables, tree branches…anything. I cannot imagine how frustrating this would be, but he always seems to be game for a visit and have smile on his face and an interest in our lives.

Then, the next week, Jessi went to visit her grandma in Seattle (Jessi’s dad’s mom) since she has not seen her for quite some time. Grandma Elaine has suffered a few strokes over the past years but continues to grace us all with her positive spirit and desire to connect with family.

Whew, I thought we were out of the forest, but as I went out to 6th grade Camp at Camp Lutherhaven, I ended up getting the stomach flu the first night and Jessi came and rescued me. That seems like pretty small potatoes compared to open heart surgery, cancer, back surgeries, etc. But just a short week later, when I was riding my new Orbea Ordu that I just finished building that afternoon, I ended up getting hit by a car. Crap! As I tumbled and watched the car slow to a stop, and my bike tumble away from me, I thought, “perfect!” Kind of like the Alanis Morissette song “Ironic.” I don’t think there is a line in there that says, “It’s like a brand new bike that gets run over by a car…it’s your first ride back, followed by a separated shoulder…” But I think it would fit into the song perfectly.

Though the last couple months have been filled with what some people would think of as misfortunes, disasters, and bad luck, we have really learned a lot about family, friendships, and relationships. There have been some phenomenal moments that have made both Jessi and I take a step back and look at differently…better. Through it all we have delivered MANY meals to our family members which has resulted in spending quality time with them as well and helping out with their needs.

In creating the meals, not only have I learned a little about cooking and preparing food, Jessi and I have found an activity that we enjoy doing together. However, I don’t think I really “cook,” I cut and clean and take an occasional unauthorized taste. Jessi has been very patient with me when I ask her how to cut an onion…or how small ‘dice’ is and ‘chop.’ No matter what I do, when I ask her if it is right, she says it’s “perfect.” I wonder if it really is :)

Emma has also jumped in and has been passionate about being involved in the food preparation process as well. I have also found out that Emma knows just about everyone that works at Fred Meyer. Does not surprise me, but fun to hang out with a celebrity when I shop. Another advantage to shopping with Emma is that she knows where everything is and “runs” to get it. She is amazing if you did not know that already. It’s been a month of some great family time that has opened so many new doors of activities we never thought to be ‘fun.’