Incredible Sweetness

Thanks for your prayers for our trip. We are safely home again, with hearts full of luminous memories.

I can't find words to express what the past weekend did for my soul. The thrill of seeing Lisa achieve her graduate school dream. The sheer fun of visiting with many of her friends at the open house celebration at her home. It's a very small condo, yet thirty or more of us felt so comfortable that the party lasted 2 1/2 hours longer than announced! Her circle is very diverse--a tribute to her, I think. Even better was celebrating Mother's Day with all three daughters (Sue, Karin and Lisa), all of them so expressive of their love. Sue's husband Jeff and my Chuck were also there, and loving notes came from Keith and the children.

Sunday evening we walked the two blocks from Lisa's home to the National Gallery of Art for an outstanding piano concert (Schubert, Debussy and Chopin). Another soul feast! And Sunday morning's worship service still rings in my mind. All the beautiful hymns and Scriptures. The vicar spoke about the high importance of the Bible for our daily lives. The anthem for the offertory was "Still, Still with Thee" by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The final stanza says, "So shall it be at last in that bright morning, When the soul waketh, and life's shadows flee; O in that hour, fairer than daylight dawning, Shall rise the glorious thought, I am with Thee." That attitude is the commitment of my heart. But to be honest, after the incredible sweetness of family love and cultural beauty this past weekend, my heart also cries out, "No! Not for a long while yet! Please, I don't want to leave!" (For one thing, I so much want to be here three years from now to watch Karin graduate from law school. In fact, a whole string of important milestones line up for coming years. Nevertheless, God knows best.)

I'll work at the office tomorrow morning, and in the afternoon I'll go in for a blood test. I know it's only a number, and God's purposes can't be changed by chemo or lack of it. Still, this test feels very important, and I can't tell you how grateful I am for those who are praying for the CA 125 to drop below 15. We'll probably get the results on Friday.

Love to you all,
Carol