A Sudden Goodbye

Upon my arrival at work on Wednesday, I was informed that a coworker, Larry, had died during the night.  I was stunned!  I spoke with Larry on Tuesday and nothing seemed to be amiss.  He was smiling and friendly, as he always.  Yet Larry, at 54 years of age, had suffered a massive heart attack and passed away without any warning.

Larry was a “salt-of-the-earth” guy.  The kind of man the world could use more of.  Larry did everything with a smile.  In fact, Larry received an award in May entitled, “We couldn’t do it without you.”  His nominator wrote that Larry was “flexible support with a smile.” 

Outside of work, Larry was supportive and helpful to those around him.  He donated time to tutor at-risk children and volunteered with hospice.  He taught Sunday school and VBS at his church, where he also served as chairman of the deacon board.

I will miss seeing Larry’s smiling face at work each day and our frequent chats.  However, I take great comfort in knowing that Larry is in Heaven.  Larry did not make it to Heaven because he was a wonderful man, although he was.  And Larry isn’t in Heaven because he was kind to those in need or faithful in church attendance.  Rather, Larry is in Heaven because Jesus Christ loved Larry (and you and me) so much that He died on a wooden cross to pay the penalty for our sins.  Larry believed that and invited Jesus Christ into his heart.  Larry accepted Jesus’s free gift of salvation. This gift is available to all who will call on the name of Jesus.

When Larry left work on Tuesday evening, he had every intention of coming back to work Wednesday morning.  He was looking forward to many years left on earth.  I don’t think Larry had any thought that Tuesday would be his last day on earth.  Fortunately, Larry was prepared for death when it came. 

If today turns out to be your last day on earth, are you prepared to enter eternity?  If not, I urge you to accept Jesus’s free gift of salvation today.  None of us are promised tomorrow.

Celebrating 30 years in 15 days: Days 13 and 14–Moose and Caribou and Bears, Oh My!

 

For days as we traveled around Alaska, we had watched for moose.  We had seen lots of evidence of moose in the area (moose droppings) but no moose.  That all ended as soon as we arrived in Denali.  As we drove into the park we were greeted by a moose at the entrance.  We stopped the car and headed a bit nearer for a better look, staying a safe distance away–we thought.  A ranger alerted us that we were in fact to close for comfort and warned us to stay at least 75 feet away.

We were greeted by this moose upon our arrival in Denali.
 
Susan and the first moose of our trip.

After a few minutes of munching on shrubs, the moose wandered off and we continued our trip into Denali.  We were expecting to see wildlife as we drove the 15-miles that tourists are allowed to travel into the park; however, nothing prepared us for the sight of a grizzly bear walking down the road toward us.  Steve stopped the car and took pictures as the bear meandered by the car.  He was nearly close enough that Steve could have reached out the window and petted him as he walked by.  We held our breath and prayed that he wouldn’t decide to attack the rental car.  Fortunately, he had no interest in us and kept going on his way.

Grizzly bear walking down the road toward us.
We had a close encounter with this grizzly bear.
 

We continued on our way but didn’t get far before we saw more cars stopped.  In the field were three caribou.

Caribou in Denali
 
 

On our way out of the park we passed a couple more moose.  After seeing so much wildlife on our own, we weren’t certain that we really needed to get up at 4:30 in the morning for our 8-hour tour which started at 5 a.m.  But thankfully we did get up and go on the tour.  During our tour we saw several more bears and caribou as well as Dall sheep, Arctic hare, and a marmot.  It would have been perfect had our bus not broken down. We ended up sitting for nearly 2 hours until another bus could be dispatched to rescue us.  It was a long day, but all-in-all it was a wonderful day spent in a great nature preserve.

This Dall sheep seem to want to hitch a ride on our tour bus.
Another sighting of a grizzly bear.
 
Mt. McKinley, as viewed from Denali National Park 30 miles away.
 

Celebrating 30 years in 15 days: Days 11 and 12–Talkeetna

After two days in Seward we  headed north to Talkeetna, passing through Anchorage on the way.  The drive from Seward to Anchorage was beautiful, with waterfalls, rivers, and amazing views everywhere we looked.

Upon arrival in Talkeetna, we took a plane flight for a better view of Mt. McKinley.  Steve was permitted to ride in the co-pilot’s seat.  Our plane landed on the Kahiltna Glacier near Mt. Foraker and dropped off supplies for climbers preparing to ascend Mt. McKinley.  The glacial ice showing through the snow was a brilliant blue.

Brilliant glacial ice
Base camp for climbers preparing to ascend Mt. McKinley.

Talkeetna was my favorite of all the towns we visited.  It was filled with locally-owned shops and restaurants. I enjoyed shopping for handmade items created by local residents.  Among my purchases were a seal skin thimble, salmnberry jam, and a birchbark candle.  We ate at The Roadhouse, which was featured in an episode of ‘Man versus Food.’

Steve's blueberry pancake was larger than his plate.
Sunrise at Talkeetna, about 3 a.m.
We stayed at the beautiful Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge.

Celebrating 30 years in 15 days: Days 9 and 10–Seward

Our cruise ended in Seward, Alaska.  While there we visited Exit Glacier, went on a dog sled ride at Iditaride Dog Sleds, and toured Resurrection Bay.  While hiking up the mountain to get close to the Glacier, we encountered a jack rabbit and saw evidence that moose were in the area.  Unfortunately, we did not see a moose in Seward.

Me at Exit Glacier, Seward, Alaska.

Mitch Seavey, winner of the 2004 Iditarod, trains dogs in Seward and owns  Iditaride Dog Sled Rides.  I first heard of Mitch when his nephew and nieces were my students at Fredericksburg Christian High School.  It was neat to visit their training facility and, we had a blast being pulled on a wheeled 6-person cart by a team of their racing dogs.  Afterwards we got to play with the puppies.

Iditaride Dog Sleds, Seward, Alaska
View from the dog cart
Steve and me on the dog sled
 
The puppies were adorable.
 
Our tour of Resurrection Bay took place on a chilly day.  The animals were out in full force, however.  We saw several mountain goats, including two mothers with twin babies, puffins, dolphins, a sea otter, and numerous sea lions on the rocks.  We lunched on grilled salmon and king crab.
 
Sea lions in Resurrection Bay
Mountain goat and twin babies

Celebrating 30 years in 15 days: Days 6 – 8–Juneau, Skagway, and Hubbard Glacier

Cruising the Inside Passage, there were magnificant sights everywhere we looked.  Whether  it was the snow-capped mountains on both shores or humpback whales swimming passed the ship, I could not help but thank God for His wondrous creation. 

Inside Passage between Icy Point Strait and Juneau

In Juneau we went to a salmon bake in a beautiful, remote setting.  The salmon grilled on the open fire pit was delicious.  The waterfall and river were stunning. 

 

This was our view at the salmon bake.
 
 
 
Waterfall in Juneau

 

   We also took a tram ride and were greeted with incredible views.  We ended our day in Juneau by visiting Mendenhall Glacier.  What a glorious day in Alaska’s capital city!
Mendenhall Glacier
 
Skagway was exactly what I envisioned when I thought of a typical small Alaskan town.  The town flourished during the gold rush days.  Today it boasts a year-round population of 902.  We spent the morning roaming through shops owned by the local residents.  In the afternoon we took a van tour through the mountains and into Canada.  We passed more hundreds of waterfalls.
 
Skagway
 

Steve and I at the Canadian-Alaska border near Skagway
 
There aren’t words to describe the immensity of Hubbard Glacier.  We were several miles from the glacier when we began to pass the large chunks of ice that had broken from it.  The captain brought our ship to within 2 miles of the massive glacier.  Even from that distance, it was impressive.  It was impossible to get a feel for how far away we were or of the glacier’s massive size.  A ship’s officer told me that the portion of the glacier visible above the water was twice the height of our 12 -deck ship.
 
Chunks of ice from the Hubbard Glacier
 
Hubbard Glacier

Celebrating 30 years in 15 days: Day 5–Whales, Whales, Whales

Whales at Icy Point Strait, Alaska

We spent Day 5 of our 30th anniversary trip at Icy Point Strait.  We visited the fishing village of Hoonah and ate fresh snow crab before embarking on a whale watching trip. What a glorious day!  As you can see from Steve’s pictures, the ship captain knew where to find whales.

 
We spotted whales by looking for the spray from their blow holes.

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Two whales surface together.

 

Celebrating 30 years in 15 days–Days 2 – 4: Inside Passage and Ketchikan

The cruise got underway on a beautiful clear Friday afternoon 10 days ago.  We sailed out of Vancouver and headed north toward Ketchikan.  Steve and I spent much of the first two days searching for telltale signs of whales.  We saw a few dolphins and some seals, but no whales.

 
View of Vancouver from the ship

 

Beautiful Alaskan coastline

On Sunday we docked in Ketchikan.  We spent the morning walking around this quaint gold mining town.  We ate fresh king crab for lunch before taking in the Lumber Jack show.

 
Creek Street, Ketchikan, Alaska
Me and the American lumberjack team
 

Celebrating 30 years in 15 days–Day 1: Vancouver

Steve and I are in the midst of a 15-day trip to Canada and Alaska in celebration of our 30th wedding anniversary.  So far Steve has taken 782 pictures.  I promise I won’t post them all, but I will share a few of my favorites. 

We began our trip last Thursday by flying to Vancouver, Canada, by way of Chicago.  I’ve heard horrors stories about O’Hare; however, our experience was wonderful.  We arrived 30 minutes ahead of schedule and more than our hour before boarding began for our flight to Vancouver.  We had plenty of time for the short walk to the gate and to get some breakfast.  We arrived in Vancouver shortly before noon local time.  We had a bit more than 24 hours to explore Vancouver before boarding the cruise ship that would take us to Alaska.

Vancouver skyline from our hotel room window

Vancouver is a beautiful city, with a mix of hundred-year old buildings and new, modern skyscrapers.  The city is very clean, and they take their recycling seriously.  Steve got fussed at for not properly deciphering the instructions on a series of recycling bins at the McDonald’s where we ate breakfast Friday.

After checking into the hotel, we ate lunch at an authentic Irish pub a block from our hotel, and then bought a pass for a “hop on, hop off” bus tour around the city.  Because we bought our ticket late in the afternoon, we were allowed to use it the following day.  We stayed on the bus for both of its routes Thursday, and on Friday we took the bus to Stanley Park.

River Walk at Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada

We hopped off at the first stop in Stanley Park intending to spend 30 minutes exploring the area before hopping back on and riding to the next stop.  Things do not go as planned.  We walked about half a mile downhill to visit Beaver Lake, then we decided that we did not want to walk back up the hill to catch the bus. Rather we decided to walk to the next stop.  Thirty minutes later with the stop nowhere in sight, we realized that our reasoning had been faulty.  We  eventually made it to the stop, having walked about 3 miles through the park. 

3 nurse trees growing from one stump, Stanley Park

Stanley Park is beautiful, and I highly recommend spending time there if you have an opportunity to visit Vancouver.  We were particularly intrigued by the nurse trees which root themselves in dead tree stumps.

Our hotel was located next to Canada Place where the 2010 Winter Olympics medals were handed out and about 2 blocks from the Olympic cauldron.  We visited the site and made a quick trip to the Canadian Mountie store before boarding the ship.

 

Olympic cauldron
 
 

Canadian Mountie store

We were off for our Alaskan adventure! 

 

I Thank God for My Mother

Everyday and especially on Mother’s Day, I thank God for my mother. I have learned many lessons from Mom that have served me well throughout my fifty-two years of life.

  •  The importance of education.  When I was two, my father was stationed in Okinawa for a year.  My mother moved me and my sisters, ages 4, 1, and 6 weeks, to North Carolina from California so that she could finish her college degree.  I can only imagine how challenging that year must have been for her.  The move itself was quite an adventure, as she flew across country with four preschoolers in tow.
  • The importance of family. Mom devoted herself to our family.  With nine children, including one special needs child, there was always a lot of work.  Yet it was a common occurrence for us to arrive home to the delicious aromas of home-baked bread or a made-from-scratch chocolate cake.  She made sure we had home-cooked meals, clean clothes, and her attention when we needed it.
  • A love of reading.  We had lots of books in our home, and mom liked to read to us. I can still remember her reading “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” and “That Quail Robert” to us when I was in elementary school.  My sisters and I are avid readers, and my children have inherited the love of reading as well.
  • Responsibility.  As the second of nine children, I was expected to help out with the younger children.  I was well prepared to care for my own children when the time came.
  • Dependability.  I can count on one hand, with fingers left over, the number of times I came home from school to find that mom was not there.  On one occasion, she got held up while shopping and arrived home about two minutes after we did. On the other occasion, she was at the emergency room with a younger brother who’d been injured.
  • The joy of sewing.  When we were small, mom sewed a lot of our clothes, as well as costumes.  I still remember the Red Riding Hood cape she made Jeanne and the purple floral jumper she made me when I was in first grade.  When I was in high school, she taught me to sew.  I’ve made some clothes, but my real joy has been in making costumes for my own children and uniforms for girls in my Missionettes clubs.
  • Security.  Mom came from a broken home, and she was determined that her children would have the security of parents who stuck it out through thick and thin.  She and Dad don’t always see eye-to-eye, but they’re still together and in love after 55 years of marriage. 
  • The need for a Savior.  Mom accepted Jesus as her Savior when I was about 7. She instilled in each of her children the need to know Jesus.  She taught us that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness, which can only come through the blood of Christ.

Thanks, Mom.  Happy Mother’s Day!

Unemployment, Cancer, Grandchildren, and Trusting God Through It All

Cancer and unemployment are the difficult things in my life right now, and grandchildren are the phenomenal blessings.  Through these ups and downs, I am learning to trust God and am reminded that he is with me through all the circumstances of life.

A year and a half ago, Steve and I were blessed with the news that our first grandchild was expected.  That joyful announcement came at a time when we really needed some good news.  We were approaching the first anniversary of Steve being laid off, and his parents’ health was of great concern.  The expected baby was a reminder of God’s great love for us. 

The intervening months were stressful as Steve’s unemployment stretched into a second year and his father passed away.  Whenever I felt like life was just too difficult, my spirits would be lifted be the mere thought that a baby was on the way.  Daniel’s arrival ten months ago brought great joy to our lives.  We love that little boy with all of our hearts.  We thank God daily that he is a healthy, happy child.

About six weeks ago, we learned that my sister has breast cancer. Although they caught it early and the tumor was rather small, the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and has been diagnosed as an aggressive form. Fortunately, the cancer has not spread to her organs. She is facing months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.  It will be a difficult time. I will do all that I can to support her, and I pray that she will experience God’s presence in a new and powerful way as she deals with her illness.

My sister’s cancer diagnosis, along with Steve’s continued unemployment—now well into its third year—can be a heavy burden to bear.  The past few weeks, these burdens have felt overwhelming at times. I know I have to trust God for my sister’s health and my husband’s job situation.  He is faithful to send bits of encouragement to remind me of his faithfulness.  For example, one day last week the number of page views of my blog was unexpected much higher than normal.  I was delighted.  The next day was even better, setting a record for my highest number of views in one day.  It wasn’t a big thing, and it didn’t change any of the circumstances of my life.  However, God used this small thing to remind me of his love for me and to help me feel relevant.

I called my sister today to share with her some unexpected good news Steve and I received yesterday.  She shared with me that the original diagnosis of Stage 1 cancer had been overly optimistic; after her lumpectomy, the cancer was reclassified as Stage 3.  God knew that I would receive this discouraging news today, so yesterday he sent us the good news another grandchild is on the way. 

Little Daniel will be getting a cousin in December.  The new little one is due on December 27th.  A Christmas baby to look forward to!  It doesn’t improve my sister’s health or increase my husband’s opportunities for gaining employment.  It does, however, remind us that we are blessed and have a great future ahead of us.  We will continue to trust God for the strength to face each day with grace, knowing that his love for us is immeasurable.