Our Drive to the Emerald City

I had a luscious afternoon and evening in the car on our way to the doctor's office. It was the sunniest and warmest day of our northwest spring. Everything was green...even the deserty areas that are brown for 48 weeks of the year. Brady drove, dh sat up front to supervise, Erin watched a movie, and I put on the earphones for the ipod mini. I reveled in Bach, Handel's Messiah, and various movie theme songs as we drove through wheat fields (green, black, and brown,) ranchland (you know, the kind where old westerns were filmed,) blossoming apple orchards, and bright snow-covered mountains. There's nothing like listening to the "Fawkes the Phoenix" song (from Harry Potter) and "Chariots of Fire" when traveling through a high mountain pass (I was soaring!) Babies were everywhere: frolicking little lambs, nursing foals, and lazy calves. My music/scenery combo proved pure delight for both eyes and ears. I look back now (several days later) with much gratitude for that peaceful time of rejuvination God gave me before talking to the doctor about our results.

Test results

We have results from our battery of tests. Thankfully, we received a couple of results by e-mail three weeks ago. Getting them all at once would have "put us under." Yes, the sign says no gluten. It should also say no dairy. These restrictions look to be pretty permanent as they were genetic tests. (Right now we are also on a sugar free diet; so we have lots of challenges when it comes to meals and snacks.) When our fungal problems subside we'll be able to do sugars again.

We were happy to find out that we do not have any ameba or parasites; we have normal ph readings, we do not have leaky gut syndrome. Good news.

However, our mold panel came back not so good. The doctor is recommending another test. This test involves leaving our home. If we go to a dryer climate for three weeks and we start feeling better, he believes that we have sensitivies to mold in our house. If this theory proves true, we would need to find another home. We're not sure if that would mean in Moscow or elsewhere.

Needless to say it was hard to come back to our beautiful home, in the town and neighborhood that we love, while considering these things. The last six years in this place have been such a blessing to us. We don't want to move! (And that's saying something given our track record.)

light affliction

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look at the things which are seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:17,18

Cowper Hymn - Part 3

"His purposes will ripen fast,
unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower."

"Blind unbelief is sure to err and scan his work in vain;
God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain."

There you have it. If anyone knows some verses from this hymn that I didn't post, please share them with me. I can almost smell that ham cooking. Don't overindulge on the hardboiled eggs (or the chocolate ones either.) Happy Easter!

Cowper Hymn - Part 2

"Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds you so much dread are big with mercy
and shall break in blessings on your head."

"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face."

May you be encouraged as you contemplate Jesus' death on the cross for you this Good Friday.

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

Our church bulletin each week lists the Psalms and hymns we'll be singing the next week. I often try to sit down at the piano and practice the alto part of each song. B. I. (Before illness,) the kids and I practiced together. It's a practical way to prepare ourselves for worship.

This Sunday being Easter I especially made a point to practice. After singing this week's songs I decided I wanted to memorize one of them. (I have a good deal of it memorized already, so it wasn't an overwhelming task.) Then last night, I decided I was going to post a couple of verses a day of the hymn on this blog. This morning (are you kidding, I don't get the computer until afternoon) I was reading the third Mitford book (by Jan Karon) and Father Kavanaugh recited two verses of this very hymn and asked his wife to guess who wrote it. I answered in my head before reading her answer. (That's always fun.) She had told him he couldn't recite a Wordsworth poem because he was always reciting them, so he recited something that William Cowper, a friend of Wordsworth wrote. He told her that the words often get mistaken for scripture.

Here's the first two verses of Cowper's "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" written in 1774. We sing it to a tune that was written in 1867 that has the melody in the tenor and does incredible justice to the words of the hymn:

"God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines of never failing skill He treasures up His bright designs and works His sovereign will."

Signing off for today with visions of God riding the sea and treasuring up His bright designs. God rides upon the storm...doesn't get overtaken by them (even the yeast beast kind.) I really like the bright design I experienced today with my song and bookreading. The kindnesses He continually shows me never cease to amaze me.

Thoughts on Narnia

"The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." We rented the Narnia movie while Grandma M.was here. (Brady mentioned afterwards that the two times he's seen the movie he's been with a grandma!) We had watched it with Grandma Ruth before Christmas in California. (I think those "grandma to the rescue" visits might have been teensy drops from Lucy's healing potion.) It is even more thought provoking to watch the movie right before Easter. Our hymns and prayers through this Lenten season have been filled with renewed thanksgiving at what Christ did for us. Aslan's sacrifice in the movie is a fine picture to illustrate that wondrous deed.



Fighting the good fight of faith. The ugly creatures that waged battle against the friends of Aslan aren't strangers to any Christians. On a more personal level, as I've traveled through this long illness with my children I must admit I felt more like Peter at the beginning of it all - fighting determinedly with a courageous, yet somewhat naive faith - trying not to let anything stop me. But now after a year and a half, I seem to be more like Edmund who was injured in battle: He wants to live, but knows that he has a serious injury...he can't help himself, he's dependent on something outside of him. It's faith, but not as glittery...this faith has been worn and tried, it's strong, but yet humbled.



Being forgiven.In Edmund's sorrow for his wrongdoings he receives Aslan's love. It doesn't get any better than this.



Queen Lucy Don't you just love her?








Go rent the movie and have a glorious Easter.

Things to do when you're too tired to....

go to church, have people over, go for a walk; and when you just can't face reading another book or watching another movie:

1) Have someone get on the computer and find old movie and television tunes to download. Play "name that tune."

2) While you're on the couch, have someone bring you your purse. Clean out the old receipts, kleenixes, and lists.

3) Write postcards to long lost friends.

4) Play some piano tunes from the beginning of an old Thompson 2nd grade book with the piano's "mute" pedal on.

5) Go outside and walk around your yard a couple of times. Sit down. Look at the clouds. Take off your shoes and socks. Pull up a dried plant from the ground and watch an earthworm dig its way back underground.

I would have liked to add playing the card game "War" on to this list, but Erin and I tried that and we not only got bored...even when we named each of our wars...but we also got dizzy from all the numbers flashing before our eyes.

Got any more ideas for me? Our next doctor appointment is in 10 days; pray that the doctor will know what to do after getting all of our test results back, and that I won't need them.

Spring Cleaning!

I've been away for good reason. My mother-in-law is here this week to do some spring cleaning. She does all the cleaning and I am trying to do some of the sorting. I'm a bit behind in my job, so the kitchen looks a little (okay, a LOT) like a tornado hit it. I just couldn't let the pantry get put back together without some tossing and reorganizing. It might take me a few days to do my part, but then I'll be able to say that my kitchen is CLEAN! Grandma's spring cleaning has been good "spring tonic" for all of us.