The New Normal

I’ve written about that a lot. 

It’s the way life begins again after all of the pieces of your broken world settle down around you and you slowly learn to navigate around the new landmarks of your life. It usually seems way too soon, but in God’s perfect timing it never really is.

I had to find a new normal when my parents felt the call to serve God as missionaries when I was 9. 

And again when I graduated high school and came back stateside for college. Oh – and the biggest adjustment – when I got my goose. I always said that I found him in a Happy Meal – but really, He was a gift from God that got me off a downward train and got me chasing Him.

Cancer diagnosis and treatment left me with a new normal – a life with a few more aches and pains and a strong awareness of just how fragile I really am, and just how strong, dependably loving, and personal God is.

And now.

I’m beginning a new normal. Life with a Grammy Up There instead of a grammy down here.

 We used to call her Close Grammy because she lived here in Massachusetts. Mom’s mom, Faraway Grammy, lived in Illinois, a two-days drive from us. We visited her on holidays, and saw her on Sundays. Then when we moved to Africa, we’d sometimes stay at her house when we came home.

After the goose was born, she really was a close Grammy, always making sure my house was clean and filling BJs shopping carts with diapers for me. We had supper at her house every Wednesday night before AWANA and sat with her at church…

Sigh. I’m going to miss her. But I’m smiling as I type this. Because I’m just making the connection. She’s beginning her new normal, too. And I can only imagine what it’s like. Tea time in the library with the King of Kings. Long walks in the garden with her mother. Maybe a dance or two with Grampa before settling into a comfy chair with a good puzzle. All in the presence of her loving Creator. LIFE will be Good!

What do you see when you think of Heaven?

Happy Thanksgiving

There's so much to be thankful for this year!

First, of course, that Grammy's been set free.

Second, that the goose has grown into such a gentleman. This morning he went over to Grammy's, packed another bag of books and brought them home. Now he's off running errands for his dad before he joins them for Thanksgiving dinner.

Third, family -- Mom and Dad are home for a time. The house is full of voices and laughter and deep theological discussions again -- so much better than the quiet droning of the tv.

We also had an unexpected invitation to dinner to replace our anticipated last minute scramble to create our own little thanksgiving feast.

Fourth, the books. Grammy loved the written word as much as I do,  and now that she doesn't need her books anymore, they're merging with my own. Two of the four walls in my library will now be lined with books...

And fifth, my friends. So many have stepped up with encouraging words, offers of help, and an edible fruit arrangement. One drove out to Wenham to bring my son home, another visited me late at night by Grammy's bedside with physical and spiritual nourishment, another sat with me at home and baked gluten-free cookies while I waited for my Mom and Dad.

Oh, Abba -- thank You for the blessings You shower down upon us daily. Keep my eyes open to see You working. Keep my heart open to let You work through me for others. Keep being You in a world that needs You so badly.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You coming?

I'm on a bench, watching the sun set and thinking about life and death.
I've been here before.
This is the bench I sat upon on my 5th celemourn of breast cancer. My thoughts and feelings were very similar then -- sadness over how much I'd lost, joy over how much I've gained. Peace at knowing that come whatever may, it is well with my soul.

My grandmother died today. And by 'died' I mean slipped into something comfortable and radiant, put on a jeweled crown, and ran into the thrown room of God, skipping like a schoolgirl and breathless in anticipation.

By now, she's got Grampa all caught up on the last ten years and had a cup of tea with her mom.
But even that joyous thought fades compared to the true Joy -- she has finally looked into the eyes of the Savior Who gave up all He had to die a sinner's death on a cross and secure her passage Home. She has heard the voice of the One she's listened to and obeyed for almost a century.
Even the excruciating pain that first brought her to the hospital is less than a fly buzzing past your ear in comparison with that.
That's the Joy.
There is no sadness whatsoever in that.

The sadness is for us still here. God left a huge hole when He took her home. That hole will slowly fill. But it will be painful for years. So I'm selfishly sad for me. And for my Dad. He got the call four days ago in a little town up north in West Africa. He and Mom drove hours on a motorcycle on a bumpy dirt road. Then a car ride, and a plane ride -- rushing halfway across the world only to find that she died two hours before they got home.
They missed saying, "See you later."
But that pain, too, will fade.
Because they will see her later.
And I will, too.
Will you?

Grammy would want me to ask. Grammy would want me to make sure you know about her loving Savior and the Hope He died to give you.
This road is bumpy -- she'd be the first to tell you that. And she'd also tell you that leaning on Jesus won't make it any less bumpy. We don't choose to follow Him because He makes life good. We follow Him because He is good.
Sometimes life is lousy.
Sometimes it hurts way too much.
But He is still good. And leaning on Him is the only way to get Home at the end of the bumpy road.

If you don't know for sure that you'll be meeting us in Heaven at the end of your journey, send me a message. I'll hook you up with a Savior.