2017 Walk-Run-Ride for Life

It's that time of year again - time for the annual Walk-Run-Ride for Life, an even which helps raise funds for our local Crisis Pregnancy Center. Here is the link to my fundraising page - sponsor me! OR, scroll down the page a little bit and see the whole "Lutherans for Life" team. They need sponsors, too. OR, you can join our team and participate! The folks at the Assist Pregnancy Center do such good and important work, we are happy to partner with them. So click on the link and help us out! THANKS!

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my father's 93rd birthday. Quite a milestone. Will it be his last? Only God knows. He's been in the hospital a lot this year, but right now is doing pretty well. Here's a couple pictures from our celebration yesterday.

You can see my father in the lower right. Going around the table counter-clockwise from there is my brother and his wife from Florida, my son, daughter #2 (daughter #1 couldn't make it up from school, though she tried!), my sister, my niece, her son, and her husband (also from Florida), and finally my wife. We were hoping for two more, another niece and her husband, but they couldn't get off from work in time. Even though my father doesn't do great with crowds anymore, he seemed to have a good time and enjoy having everyone there.

This picture was taken just a moment too late - it is my father meeting his great-grandson for the very first time. Just a few seconds before this, his great-grandson was looking up at him and staring at him as he was looking down - priceless! 

Sadly, my father will probably forget all this ever happened today. But we have learned to live in the moment with him and enjoy each moment as it comes. And each day that God gives.

The Rack

Remember that Medieval torture device called the rack?

That's what I feel like these days! No, I'm not being tortured, but I do feel like I'm being pulled in four different directions: family, church, school, and district. All need my time right now. You see, my father is back in the hospital again. He was only home for a week or so before needing to return, and hasn't bounced back so far. I also should be studying for my school exams, and with everything else going on am falling behind. Problems in my district need my attention - more attention than I have been giving them. And then my church responsibilities - both the ongoing, regular ones, but also the special ones that crop up, like now having to help organize and fund raise for Bishop Omolo's trip from Kenya in May and June. So with those four things, I feel like each limb is being pulled in a different direction. Two limbs is great. Three I can deal with. Four is tough.

But I have a great family. My youngest is so understanding at all the upset with grandpa in the hospital and my wife and I being there so much. My sister came down to help last night, and that's a big help! My wife is amazing at all she does. My church has been incredibly understanding and has allowed my some reduction in my schedule to study for school. But the busyness, coupled with the emotional, creates a weariness . . .

One day at a time.