A Spirit of Appreciation

"When gratitude is simply a duty, we discharge it by making a list and checking off boxes, It doesn't accomplish much. But when gratitude becomes a spirit of appreciation, and we allow ourselves to feel the thankfulness for more than a few seconds, it prepares our hearts for connection with God. I think this is one of the reasons we are so often encouraged to enter God's presence with gratitude and praise. It isn't an obligation so much as an invitation to come relationally ready to meet with someone we enjoy." ~Marcus Warner, "A Deeper Walk" 

Lately, our lives have overflowed with reasons to be grateful. I taught my last "Technique Tuesday" for the high school orchestra. Although seeing the students only two or three times a month has been quite different from working with them every day, I savor every opportunity to interact with these amazing musicians.

Katherine finished her ceramics class at ASU Beebe. She drove every Tuesday and Thursday evening and stretched her comfort zone. The result? We have some of her beautiful and creative pieces of art to enjoy! 

My little backyard garden is taking off. I'm trying to hold things loosely, but I do look forward to watching all of the little zucchini, tomatoes, beans, and peppers grow as the Lord works His creative wonders.

Hannah's Graduation

We are super proud of Hannah! The reason we made the road trip to Austin was to celebrate her MA graduation.

The last three years brought more challenges than she anticipated, but she hung in there and finished.

These three have accumulated four masters degrees. So, they invented a little "masters handshake". Benjamin and Hannah will be moving to Kansas City this summer for Benjamin to begin his next degree at UMKC

 

Road Trip to Austin, TX

We set out early on a Saturday morning to drive to Austin. We haven't made this long of a road trip in a very long time!

Our Air BnB was near the Pemberton Heights Trail, a cute little path nestled alongside a creek.

My morning Jesus and coffee looked a little different from a 6th floor apartment, but it was still a lovely way to begin the day.

Antioch, Georgetown, recently partnered with the Lavukal translation project, and we were thrilled to finally be close enough to visit the church and to say thank you.

Sarah stayed with us in Austin and brought her own prayer cards. She hopes to be back in the Solomon Islands early next year serving with Pioneer Bible Translators in EthnoArts.

On My Bookshelf

I just finished reading "A Deeper Walk" by Marcus Warner on my Kindle App. I love how he uses acronyms to make his practical tips easier to remember. We may have to purchase this one! 

My new audiobook is "Tattoos on the Heart" by Gregory Boyle. I've listened to the introduction and the first chapter, and I think I'm going to love this book, which is full of compassion and real-life stories about gangs in Los Angeles.

 

Day 10 of 40

Our last day together, we decided to splurge and walk over to Common Grounds Coffee House for brunch. Their mission statement: To build a culture and atmosphere of inclusion by employing individuals with disabilities, empowering them and helping them to achieve their full potential, while creating a memorable coffee experience for our customers and guests. The barista made my latte at exactly the right temperature, 190 degrees. As we paid for our order, a regular came in behind us. The barista knew the guy's order without having to be told. The food was scrumptious. The walk to and from the restaurant was filled with historic, one of a kind buildings. Fabulous way to begin the day together. 

The main hallway of the Air BnB displayed paintings by artists from Missouri. This one, named "Eating Up the Lights", caught my eye. The website has a detailed description of the process, but the last few sentences made me catch my breath: "A long procession of marker lights would highlight the safest path through an otherwise hazardous and unpredictable river. With confidence in his lead crew, the boat's pilot would gently advance into the darkness toward this path of lights."

 

What a beautiful analogy of how the Lord leads us through a hazardous and unpredictable life river with a path of lights so we can gently and safely advance.

On the way home, we paused to hike outside Poplar Bluff on the easy Wolf Creek Trail. Getting the blood circulating again felt good. The honeysuckle was in full bloom, perfuming the air along the rain washed trail. We did bring some Missouri ticks home with us, and now I've stocked the van with bug spray for the next time we invest in our marriage along the trails!

 

Day 9 of 40

We're history nerds, so Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, seemed like the perfect place for us to explore together. We utilized Aaron's willingness to donate plasma to stay in a beautiful old building, the Dr. Hertich House, built around 1850.

Breakfast on the patio gave us more opportunities to talk through some books that we've been reading and to enjoy a relaxed start to the day.

The Modoc Ferry took us across the Mississippi River 

and reminded us of all the boat travel we do when we are in the Solomon Islands.

The day was absolutely gorgeous. A slight breeze. Blue skies. Perfect for making memories together.

Our first stop was a big WIN.

Fort de Chartres reminded us of our visits to Castillo de San Marcos.

Climbing around on the walls took us back to our college days when we explored the walls and towers of Lucerne. As we continue to build on the foundation of our friendship and strengthen our secure attachment with each other, our marriage slowly grows into a strong, tall shelter. Playing together is one of the things that adds bricks to the legacy we are slowly creating.

Trusting that the Lord is the One actively and intentionally laying those bricks is the mortar that cements us and protects us from growing self absorbed. Even with all of our differences.

The other places we tried to visit in Illinois either weren't open or were just disappointing. Fort Kaskaskia had beautiful trees and an old graveyard that had been moved to save it from the encroaching Mississippi River. The Pierre Menard home was closed, despite the posted hours.

So we consoled ourselves with ice cream once we got back across the Mississippi River. Sara's Ice Cream makes an incredible brownie sundae!

Day 8 of 40

An overseas trip, Easter, and the season of orchestra concerts made us press pause on celebrating our forty years of friendship, but we are back at it again! Aaron and I snatched a weekend away to explore some of our favorite things.

We stopped at a coffee shop in Walnut Ridge to stretch our legs. The Post Bakery and Bistro is nestled in a historic post office. The owners kept much of the original fixtures and layout, so this place is a dream come true for lovers of old buildings! Make sure you visit the restroom to see the charming sink that fits in the corner. A tiny prayer room is nestled in the middle of the restaurant, too. One downside, they don't serve any decaf. So I didn't get any coffee here :(

We've learned to stop and stretch often, and we enjoy finding hiking trails along our route. We stopped at the lovely Sam A. Baker State Park and soaked up the Shut-In Trail and Mudlick Loop to allow our bodies to limber up after so many hours in the van. We surprised some deer at the beginning of the trail.

The gentle hike was just what we needed. An opportunity to chat and also to slow down and soak up the beauty that God created. Sometimes it takes a while to reconnect and to talk about deep, hard things. Road trips and walks through the woods make space for that essential part of our friendship.

Life With the Life-Giver

"The problem is that as soon as we have framed life with the life-giver as a discipline or duty, it begins to feel like a discipline or duty. That is to say, it feels like something we have to do, not something we get to do." ~Will Acuff, "No Elevator to Everest"

One of the best things about having cancer? It helped me look at life with new lenses of gratitude. Of remember that I GET to do lots of things, even things that take discipline. I can have a garden with more variety this year because I can devote more time to trying new things. Two kinds of zucchini are currently flourishing in a backyard raised bed.

Riding my bike again has brought me great joy and another way to move my body. During chemo, the side effects of the medicine kept me close to home, so the bike was not a good option. But now I GET to ride my bicycle and enjoy our beautiful hometown. This time of year, families of geese often stroll across my bike route, reminding me of "Make Way for Ducklings".

Working fewer hours with orchestra and having more energy gives me opportunities to volunteer, and I really enjoyed playing my cello for one of the elementary school's field day. The librarian is the mom of one of my cello students, so we collaborated with music and literature. I brought Katherine's first cello, a sturdy little half size, and the students loved trying it out. The Life-Giver on keeps giving!

First Weekend in May

The first weekend in May was full of good things! 

We love the Conard family. Making memories together is one of our favorite things to do. For years, the wives have been encouraging the husbands to take an "iron sharpens iron" retreat together. Finally, they were able to find a free weekend. They rode on the beautiful mountain bike trails of northwest Arkansas and filled each other's tanks. These people are always giving, pouring out to serve each person who crosses their path.

While Aaron was gone, I went to the Tadpole Trot as part of our hometown's Toadsuck Daze.

Some cousins of mine were running, and so were some friends I met from my gym family.

Katherine's youth group held a spaghetti fundraiser, and she and I made a strawberry trifle with sweet local strawberries. I love this time of year!

It was a delicious labor of love, used a dozen eggs (egg whites for the angel food cake and a dozen yolks for the pudding), and took us most of Saturday to put together.

Sunday after church, the bowl quickly emptied and helped raise money for church camp.

Building Joy at the End of April

 "The idea behind building joy is to grow our capacity to live with gratitude even when times are hard. Getting your brain in a state of appreciation for five minutes just two or three times each day can make a significant difference in your outlook on life." 

~Marcus Warner, "A Deeper Walk"

So many good things to appreciate at the end of April! The final high school orchestra concert lined up all of the seniors across the stage. What a great bunch of students.

I went back to CARTI for a follow up appointment with my radiation oncologist. Everything is healing on schedule (two years for the radiation site to be back to "normal"), and I will continue once a year appointments for five years with this doctor.

More joy is exploding in my little raised beds right now. The bush beans are so happy and growing tall, it won't be long before flowers begin to bloom and we have baby beans :)

Music and Muscles

Recently, Katherine and I came home from the gym and she wanted to practice a cello sonata with me. Except this time she was on the piano and I was on the cello. Role reversal!

Aaron snuck behind us and took a video while we worked on the Chopin. I love having a gym buddy and a music buddy all rolled up into one amazing daughter.

 

Considering the Needs of Others

"Those who trust God to meet their needs are free to consider the needs of others." 

~Robert Thune, The Gospel Centered Community 

We've been trying to get some trees cut down in our back yard. Some are dead, some are leaning precariously toward the house. We don't have the equipment or the knowledge to do the work ourselves. Our next-door neighbor helped us with a tree and huge limb that had broken but not fallen to the ground.

My dad offered to bring his chainsaw and his muscles to get another tree down, but when he arrived, he wasn't sure he had the skills. A few minutes later, an old friend called him and asked what he was doing. When my dad shared where he was, the friend, who happens to cut trees as a side hustle, offered to come over and bring his equipment and wisdom. And he wouldn't take payment (but I did give him lunch!).

Together, the guys were able to get a couple of trees down and cut for firewood, and our backyard feels much safer now. Our friend's willingness to trust God's provision for himself freed him to meet our needs. This day was a sweet reminder to me of how I don't have to live with a scarcity mindset, perfect timing, as always!

Raspberries Loading

 

Our raspberry trellis is like a portal to another world.

"All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom." Psalm 145:10-12