One Minute Off and Other Firsts

We’ve just finished what many along the way have termed the “road trip of a lifetime.”

Most said such because of the historical sites we were privileged to see. Some who called it that were rangers working for the National Park Service, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year and hosts millions annually to famous sites where America’s future was shaped. To stand with my children on Jamestown soil, in numerous battlefields of the revolutionary and civil wars, on the floors of today’s house of representatives and of Independence Hall where the paths to our freedom have been discussed, debated and decided, and to tour the capitol of our nation, brought our studies of American history to life. We were moved, amazed, awed and impacted together.

Yet, friends and family members brought even deeper enjoyment to our three week journey.

It was a journey of firsts! First time for the kids and Geoff to meet some of my relatives; for the kids and I to meet some of Geoff’s relatives; to see my College friends Geoff and the kids hadn’t known; be with former New Hope missionaries we’d never seen in their homes this side of the globe and to experience together 24 states in this great union.

Thank you to those who have continued to support us while we’ve been stateside. Your faithfulness to us through prayer and finances enabled us to take this social, historical and educational tour!!!!

We ended our longest road trip to date on Sunday and as we set off from Illinois headed to Denver, Geoff predicted we’d arrive at his parents home at 8:15 p.m. There were times during road work delays and thunderstorms that we all wondered if his time would hold true, but we entered the driveway at 8:16 p.m. He called the arrival time of a 16-hour road trip only one minute off from the actual! I think he's superman!

We realized our kids had NEVER had bubblegum! We remedied that on this trip!

Visiting with the Mitchell's in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Sweet!!!

We went a little bit off the main trail and spent an evening with cousins I hadn't seen for a bazillion years. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them and they certainly know how to host!

We all signed a piece of the copper that will be applied to the USS Constitution as it is refitted during its current dry dock session in Boston, MA. The kids were enthralled at the USS Constitution Museum and the ship itself.

Making our way towards Lexington and Concord we were pleasantly surprised to find Louis May Alcott's Orchard Home in Massachusetts.

You know you're getting old when you're nephew and his family take you out to dinner and not only pay for it, but also treat you with specialty coffees and other gifts to take back with you to Africa!!! I am so proud of Seth and his wife Delilah and their son Judah. I praise God for His work in their life.

Acacia and I pose with our ancestor's statue in Haverhill, MA. Story goes that she took matters and a hatchet into her own hands and gave her captors a dose of their own medicine when she scalped them. Don't mess with the women in our family!

Geoff gets his inner gangsta on at Faneuil Hall in Boston during some African American street performers' antics. He was chosen to be a part of the program complete with dancing and lots of humor at the "rich white man's" expense.

Toby was sincerely loved on and treasured by Sonya Hoover. It was fun to watch her follow him around.

The Britthoo school members revisited! Being with the Hoover's in PA was therapy.

The boys car was full of fun on the way to the Hershey Chocolate Tour!

Our Sunday dinner with the Hoover family was a Rolex fest in which everyone played a part and we all ate well. Geoff and Saraiah put together the Rolex's, while Sheldon fried the eggs, Acacia and Hosanna rolled out the chapatis for Toby and Hadassah to fry while Kevin, Mindi and I cut veggies. Yum.

Hosanna and Acacia rolled out the Chapatis for our Sunday dinner.

Creek Stomping in PA with the Hoovers kept the kids smiling for a LONG time!

Hoover and Britton family kids at the Hershey Tour

Toby and Acacia driving the boat on the Duck Tour in Boston

Everybody pose before we take the Duck plunge! It was a great tour of Boston!

Selfie with "Josiah Quincy" our tour guide on the Freedom Trail in Boston. I highly recommend taking one of these walking tours. He shared so much history and did it in an interactive format.

At Independence Hall in Philadelphia. George Washington's chair is in the far right of the picture. The chair of the "Rising Sun" so called by Benjamin Franklin for the sun rising on our freedoms.

In Washington DC we walked!!!!!!!! Literally between 8 and 10 miles one day! And while our feet were overwhelmed with ache, our hearts and minds were taken with the sacrifices made on behalf of our lives and freedom.

Geoff, his cousins and aunt in Fredericksburg, VA. They were sweet hosts and it was great to catch up.

Our favorite pose--the selfie! In Washington DC near the Washington monument.

And . . . a selfie at the White House. This is as close as they were letting anyone get on the day we were there.

The boys investigate one of the Yorktown, VA battlefields. The site of a decisive battle in the Revolutionary War.

The Liberty Bell was an inspiration to us all.

Toby was  so excited (as you can see) for this Lincoln Memorial selfie.

Silence at the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  We were in awe.

The chamber in the capitol building where early congress debated and decided our futures. The book on the desk signifies Charles Sumner's position in the room. We have never forgotten his story from our studies. Sometimes the debate on slavery became so heated that violence broke out. It deeply impacted us knowing that he was beaten so badly as he defended abolition that he was debilitated for four years.

The kids at the desk of one of our Colorado Representatives.

Acacia in front of the words for the Gettysburg Address which she memorized three years ago.

The Washington Mall was a fun walk!

We connected with my YWAM Switzerland roommate, Elizabeth, and her husband in Alexandria, VA. She and I found a lot of common ground as we discussed the happenings of the years we've spent apart. Neither one of us felt very good the night we visited, but it didn't matter--we loved catching up!

A peculiar road side site in the Montgomery, AL area.

Feeding the ducks and turtles at Linda and Jan's was a favorite activity.

At Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Wanda gave us a tremendous tour and we loved being with Jan and Linda as were heard about the triumphs of the civil rights movement.

It was moving to seeing this original Confederate Flag in Montgomery, AL, at the First White House of the Confederacy.

Uncle Jan brought us teriyaki grasshoppers from Japan!

The Triggs. Loved seeing my dear Pepperdine friend and her family in SC!

In the cockpit of the C130. Our private tour was beyond our wildest imaginations! Thanks Uncle Jan!

In Alabama we ATE and ATE and ATE and it was Good! Linda is a wonderful sister and fantastic cook!

Love the bathroom sign at the BBQ restaurant!

Yup. He wore this shirt on purpose for eating BBQ!!!!

Posing with the staff at Champ's BBQ

Uh, Oh! somebody is in trouble in the south!

With my childhood friend, Mark Crawford, and his family in Nashville, TN, who fed us well and treated us to an enjoyable evening.

Checking Kevin's bullseye

Geocaching! it made the road trip an adventure.

We are now in the throes of the final couple of weeks of our stay stateside. It has been rich and full. We fly on July 5th and will sleep in our home in Uganda on the 7th.

728b "There is beyond the azure blue"

Every morning here this week in Malibu I have arisen at the 5 o'clock hour to briskly hike the gorgeous, and at that time of the day, quiet Pepperdine hills. Each new day has held its own unique splendor. Today my eyes and heart were mesmerized by the magnificent view in a way that surprised me.

Descending down the hill just beyond the law school the vast expanse of God's beautifully created waters was laid out before my eyes. Suddenly the Spirit brought a comparison of waters. Yes, this is an absolutely pristine and inarguably moving view, but for the first time in my life my mind didn't remain fixed on this view alone, but brought to memory Lake Victoria on the shore of New Hope's Musana Camps site in Uganda. The sloping, rolling hills spilling into the deep blue waters of the Malibu coast being compared to the view of a lake? It was an outrageous comparison, but in no way ridiculous.

Personal experiences on the hills above both of these these bodies of water are powerful elements in the make-up of my life. Very different times and seasons, to be sure, but their significance in steering the course of my life adds to their beauty. Pepperdine and the Malibu coast, being a part of my early years on this earth has been held in my heart for more than thirty years as the best view on God's hand-crafted spherical habitat. No longer. For beauty is more than what the eye can provide.

Real beauty is responding to God's providencial hand that has brought you to view his handiwork and what it then requires of you. Lake Victoria and the Pacific Ocean have been catalysts for movement in my life. I still live everyday by the scripture adopted by Pepperdine for their motto, "Freely you have received, freely give." Freely from God's hand I have received gifts and opportunities, what have I done with them?

Thankfully I listened intently to my Father God in the early 80s here at Pepperdine and thankfully I am still listening today when my journey with Him takes me to the shores of Lake Victoria. Mistakes and blunders all, He sees my heart to love and serve Him and showers mercy and grace in the process of healing me from the fallout of my missteps. I have received life, been afforded opportunities and given abilities. Regardless of where in the world I am, or what in this world I am gazing upon, may I offer up to Him a beautiful response.

Let's Begin with a Dr. Seuss Rhyme . . .

Do You have a Friend Like Mine?

I have a friend. You need one, too. Do you have one? I hope you do. 

I can’t get enough of her. She is real. She is raw. She is hungry.

She immediately brings a smile. Loud, holding your sides, laughter. Then tears and a deep breath at the passionate grasping for life full-on amidst the pain. She definitely knows the pain. The pain of addiction, divorce, abuse, estranged children, poverty.

My friend is misunderstood, even mocked and derided by those who should know better. They fail to see that we all are no better. 

I wish you could meet my friend. Then you’d know exactly who she is. Why? Because she lets you know her. She doesn’t hide. Equally exposed is all her passion for Jesus alongside her struggles to say faithful to the Lord she loves.

There is never a question of who you’re dealing with. Honest, open, forthright with her failures and celebration of minuscule steps to victory. 

After we’d known each other for a few years she told me that when we first met she hated me. I was shocked and confused. Prejudice. Her ethnic group doesn’t like my ethnic group. Wow. She’d been indoctrinated and it took awhile to release preconceived assumptions. Jesus opened our eyes to each other and gave us a friendship that blasts away cultural, economic, ethnic, social and continental barriers.

Yes, we live continents apart. Yes,I only see her every few years. Yes, our most recent hiatus was more than six years! No, separation hasn’t distanced us in the least.

I saw her this month—oh, the blessed, abundant yield of furlough is best known in good friends! 

I was at a church event. We were all sitting respectfully and attentively in our seats when I saw her across the room. I saw her seeing me. We both wanted to jump out of our chairs and run across the room to each other, but we couldn’t disrupt the program. We looked at each other and pointed and smiled and tears welled with floods of emotion for a dear soul. Finally, when there was a break in the proceedings I jumped up and ran over to her. As if nothing else was going on around us we locked in a hug then broke away to see the face of our friend and then hugged again. She immediately began catching me up on her recent six years of turmoil and then we abruptly returned to our seats and the program. 

It was hard for me to sit still. At the final amen I beelined for her and the next hour was awash with laughter, exhortation, tears, confession, hallelujahs and prayer. Others broke in for a hug and a quick exchange, but I couldn’t get enough of my friend’s heart.

In the time it’s taken for my sons to grow to our shoulders and beyond and the oldest’s voice to change, her husband left her and her daughter brought her three grand children, but no son-in-law. Yet, standing face to face with intense gaze, time melted away. Time doesn’t change the ability to relate to the core of your friend—the deepest part many only let God see—if even Him. Sadly, some think they can even hide from their creator.

Is it scary for you to be that kind of friend with another? To be that honest? With others? With yourself? With God? Do not be afraid.  

When you reveal the depths to another, speak the truth in love—even while encumbered by your failures, the victory of His forgiveness shines through honesty. 

And, passion for Jesus strips away the desire to hide. A passion like hers is rare. Many easily tire of her. But, I’d much rather be in the presence of one unashamed to speak of her difficulties and brokenness along her way to surrender than a hundred waxed-over, polished people who present themselves as able to carry life-giving water on their own.

As I’ve watched her grow in her relationship with Jesus over the years I am brought to remembrance of Jesus’ statement, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” The meaning of Jesus’ words comes together powerfully in the life of my friend. She knows she has no righteousness to match the religious people. Hers is of a different sort. 

When Jesus said, “Exceed” he didn’t mean do all that they do and go beyond it to an even higher self-righteous post. He meant be of a righteousness totally different than what man tries to accomplish on his own. He meant realize your righteousness comes from God alone and there is nothing you can do to better it. He meant exceed not by doing more but by surrendering to live in the righteousness of Jesus which is infinitely more powerful than any “right” of man, because Jesus secured it by His blood.

My friend knows this in her very core. And when I saw her face to face this month I was shaken again to the reality that I can do nothing on my own. It is Christ Jesus in me that is my real life. 

Pray for her, would you? And for us, we all need to humbly realize He is our life. We can not make it on our own—most especially when we think we can.

Snippets of weird and wonderful observations on American life

We landed in Denver on January 9th and so have been here for two weeks. Geoff and I are off to another land already. Saturday January 23rd we travel to Mendocino, California for a minister/missionaries retreat week at a lighthouse. It should prove to be a restful and insightful week. We are definitely looking forward to it.

With two weeks in Denver already having flown by I decided I'd share some observations.

Though we're not in Rome anymore I have had "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." swimming around in my head. A more grounded statement could be argued from Paul's perspective, "Be all things to all people." Of course his ultimate goal was in saving souls, whereas the previous statement is mostly geared at fitting in. Now, in Denver, we find ourselves doing as the Denver Brittons do . . . Watching Wheel of Fortune every night. Obviously this is not qualified as an activity geared at saving souls, nor is it our effort to simply fit in. But, this is an activity already in place in this household when we arrived and so we participate.

I have to admit, it is nice to switch off the brain (though some of those puzzles can be quite challenging :) ). The other night we watched one of the contestants win a weeklong trip to Italy and the prize was valued at three times the amount we spent on our 18 day Italian holiday. My observation? What on earth could cost more than three times the amount we spent for less than twice as long as our stay?  Truthfully? We lacked nothing. We toured Florence, Venice, Soriano and Rome. Every day was rich, full, invigorating, insightful, beautiful, historical and yummy.

Watching Wheel of Fortune has renewed my observation that the world's system produces an insatiable hunger for more, but less is always delivered. With God we are dealt abundant blessings, always.

WHY do people arriving at the gym (to exercise) spend extra time vying for that closer parking space? No less than five people were lined up for a closer space last week. Are we NOT there to exercise people? Just park and walk for crying out loud!

The nearby liquor store is advertising a rewards program for frequent buyers. Is this the epitome of health in the land of often obsessive attention to Both healthy eating and safety?

The DJ on the Christian radio station the other day shared how a friend recently panicked when she arrived at a job interview because she realized she'd forgotten to put on perfume before she left home. THIS is a problem to panic over? Her solution? Smear the car air freshener all over herself. Yessssss, this is a picture of maturity.

And in a bit of a confusing twist I saw an AARP ad the other day in which they proudly highlighted quite a few of their "poster children." Members of AARP who have started new careers at age 50. WAIT? Isn't AARP for the retired person????? Those "go-getters" aren't retired, how can AARP claim them?

Today Geoff and I passed a High School on the left and on the immediate right was a Planned Parenthood office. Coincidence? I think not. Just as a candidate's posters can't be within 100 feet of the polling place on Election Day, there ought to be some sort of law that a Planned Parenthood business should be placed roughly a billion miles from a high school.

We are being inundated by all the updates in technology in place since we were here in 2013. We hear the Islamic call to prayer often while in Uganda. Today we passed a Mosque and realized we NEVER hear the call to prayer here. We wondered if the silence was due to a "call to prayer" App because, despite the silence, there were MANY cars in the parking lot on this holy Friday.

A few days ago Toby couldn't contain his excitement regarding a planned trip to Sonic--the fast food restaurant. Wednesday featured 50 cent corn dogs and he wanted to make sure he also could get tater tots. He was so exuberant about it I smiled and told him that I love him for his joy over such things. He sported a defensive tone, "but we might live in Uganda for a very long time so whenever we're here we should capsize on these things." I laughed. Of course he meant capitalize. But, since capsize is to turn oneself upside down, that's a pretty good description of what tater tots and corn dogs might do to you!

Enjoy life and stay healthy, friends.

To the unknown god

Settling into this furlough with some time on my hands almost seems foreign.  In Uganda, I rarely find enough time in the day to sit and ponder, but now that we have somewhat of a routine here in Denver I find that there are many things to think about.  As a family we are going through a process of evaluating where we are now and setting some goals for 2016 and beyond.  But, as we look at where we are going we can’t help think about where we are.

Finding your bearings regarding which way to go requires you to know where you are.  The fancy technology out there, GPS, google maps, smart phones all require you to have a starting point or they really can’t help you.  So where are we? To add to the musing, really knowing where I am requires that I think about where I have been. Where and how far have I come?

From the beginning God has encouraged his people to remember.  He set the rainbow in the sky to help us remember (Gen 9:14-17), as the Israelites left Egypt (Ex 13:3) he set precepts to cause them to remember and when Joseph was in prison the butler's failure to remember to mention Joseph's plight left Joseph in prison for an additional two years (Gen 40:23). We, the Brittons, don’t want to fail to remember where we have come from and what God has done in our lives.  

Of course, as I think back over the past ten years and the process of God orchestrating our move to Uganda, I am reminded of so many people He involved and numerous things He did. God opened doors, brought sermons, did miracles and set things in order to lead us to Africa. There were the people who prayed, those who prophesied, those who gave sacrificially, encouraged, and offered advice. It has been a fantastic journey and not for one minute regrettable! But, more than just feeling good about what we have seen and done, I am increasingly grateful for HIM. “The one in whom we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

We understand as the apostle Paul did, and even before HIM Epimenides, the Greek prophet from the 7th century, B.C., that there is one God above all others. The One that is good, Who loves and cares for us in the midst of our failures to do good. He shines His face upon us, a broken and selfish people, and calls us His offspring. Paul addressed the men of Athens drawing their attention to the fact that this “unknown” god they worshiped and that Epimenides wrote about was actually the One True God.  Elohim, creator of all and the one that determines the times and boundaries of our dwelling places. He directs our paths, leads us into all truth and cares for all our needs along the way.

Knowing where we are going must begin with remembering that the One true God knows us and invites us to know Him. How else can we move forward into our destiny? As we have taught our kids, this is the beginning of all things because in the beginning there was God and all things originate with HIM. So even as we think about goals for 2016 we can’t leave God out; He is the beginning point. Remember that truth.

These pictures were taken on Palatine Hill in Ancient Rome. It was an ancient altar to an unknown God from around the 1st century BC.

Mary, Kevin, Acacia, Toby. 

The Forum, Rome, at the base of Palatine Hill.

Se7en Wonders of The World

Se7en Wonders of the World

For the following quote, I cannot give credit where it is due because I don’t know where it originated (maybe in my brain, but it’s a bit too clever for that possibility!) 

Because these words are recorded in the notebook I keep in my purse for that “just in case I need it” moment, I assume I wrote it down along our many world travels out there somewhere. 

Maybe if I kept myself a bit more organized I’d know, but let’s not talk about organization. I am up to my eyeballs in organization exercises and all manner of matter is still creatively escaping my ability to fully categorize nine years of accumulation. Getting ready for furlough, they say, is a perfect time to organize and clean out--so it is, but the stuff seems to be winning at this point in the contest.

Ok, enough of that foray into my lack of domestic administrative prowess. As I was making a grocery list (a nod to my attempt to bring order) the other day I saw the true definition of the Seven Wonders of the World neatly sketched on the last page of the notebook. 

7 Wonders of The World
To See
Hear
Taste
Touch
Feel
Laugh
Love

I read them and I paused. I needed to be reminded of this truth especially because our fast-paced days have been swept along with the swirl of end-of-year events, special meals with friends, extra meetings, Christmas pantomimes, graduations, school closings and the packing, cleaning and boxing up I’ve already mentioned. In addition, the end of this particular year is seemingly culminating a season of good-byes we’ve had to say over the past few months. We said good-bye to the Anderson’s this morning and last week we said good-bye at our staff party to other fellow servants that are moving to other ministry/educational opportunities. There was a special good-bye to Aunt Constance during the church service this morning. And we will say more in the next few days.

Kevin, Tiegan, Toby and Kynan as the Anderson's left this morning

The older kids caught some laughs together before the Anderson's left.

Kynan and Kevin getting in some final goofing around.

The older, older kids: Tal, Keith Geoff and Tim

And so, in this very busy, emotional period, I hope to daily harness these seven wonders.

Millie Akoth receives a certificate of recognition at the S4 banquet

To see the wonders of God in the people around me: the secondary 4 level girls who descended upon our house Friday morning as they gussied themselves up for their graduation banquet--where has the time flown? Some of them used to run around our compound singing and playing, others have been seen in my kitchen numerous times over the years making messes which turned into cakes. Now they are the new Investment Year class and soon they will fly off to University or other courses.

Toby, Wilbur and Joel share in the joy of Wilbur finishing S4

To Hear the Okoth kids next door as they sing at the VERY top of their lungs for the hundredth time, “Bless the Lord, O My Soul!” To hear the young David Family kids returning from Sunday school with excitement, or coming over to call our kids for a jackfruit feast. To Hear the discos, that seem to be rampant during the holiday season blaring boom-boom-boom at 3 a.m. . . . oh, wait, that’s not good auditory stimulus . . .

To Taste and savor lovingly prepared matooke, g-nut sauce, meat, rice, chapatis, irish potatoes and Stoney soda almost everyday this past week as we’ve walked through numerous special events together. Realizing that though we might have eaten the same thing everyday, at least we ATE which is more than many in the world can say. And, in just two and a half weeks these foods will not be available for my taste buds to experience until the end of next summer! Also, pineapples and mangoes are coming back into season and we ate our first mango of the season this morning. mmmmmm

To Touch with loving embrace those who have served here with us. To Touch Jaaja’s grandkids and Sam’s niece and nephew who run to us with arms wide open and a broad smile. To Touch the widower who is missing his wife, and the single, very tired mom of eight with another on the way, to Touch Elizabeth, the 3-year-old prayer warrior who prayed for me everyday I was gone in California for treatment and now says every time I see her, “Aunt Mary, hold me now,” to which I reply with open arms, so thankful to be healed and able to pick her up! Yes, don’t forget to touch.

To Feel the tears begin to roll when thinking about how life brings changes we never expected. So, yes, in a sad way to feel, but also the tears of joy when older kids in David Family receive the awards for being the best representatives of manhood and womanhood among all the kids in the schools and families.

Ronald receives his certificate for being the best representative of manhood among the students 

Sam receives a certificate of recognition for being a prefect at the school

To Laugh until it hurts with good friends. That is a definite wonder--how can a simple gut laugh feel SOOOoooooo good? I don’t know, but thanks God for thinking that up and creating it perfectly!

To Love. To love so much that it hurts a LOT when you say good-bye. Because when you don’t give into love there is a numbness that takes over instead of a cleansing cry. Teach us to LOVE MORE, our Father. Teach us.  

The Muwanguzi and Britton kids laughing together after our Pizza feast!

The Muwanguzi and Britton heads enjoying the time together at our Pizza feast!

An impending furlough always brings contemplation on where we’ve been and where we’re going; whom we’ve served with and who is moving on; what we’ve done and what the future holds. 

After dinner games included Bananagrams and Pictureka

I hope to keep a heightened awareness of the 7 Wonders of the World and engage them. 

Lots of gut laughs on the banangrams side of the table!

A tradition we are happy to uphold is getting together with the Muwanguzi family before we venture off on a furlough. They were our first neighbors here at New Hope and we always have huge laughs and great fun when we're together. We had our usual Pizza Feast again this year!!! It could be said that making enough pizza for this crowd is the 8th wonder!!!!!

I am reminded of Augustine’s God-given wisdom which mused, “Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.”

Might I add that we also pass by each other without wonder. Forgive us Lord. Enrich our days as we choose to live in daily engagement of the 7 wonders you have instilled in us. 

"You are loved."

I have been in California, and more significantly, not in Uganda for 21 days. "They" say that if you wish to establish a new habit, give it 21 days and it will be yours.

 I'm thinking I like the habit of: convenience--what do I need or want? It is nearby, usually within walking distance; understanding everything people are saying as they pass me by (for the most part); drinking frequent cups of amazing coffee and other sweet beverages😉; laughing with my sisters and mom, eating oodles of Mexican fare; driving, in which the majority of fellow traffic participants are following the rules, or at least staying in the lines (!)--there are lines on the road, hallelujah!; taking walks every morning on a lengthy path accompanied by fall colors, towering trees, turkeys, winding streams, woodpeckers and birdsong; and last, but most important, receiving numerous chiropractic treatments which are aiding me in the healing process. Yes, I could get used to this!!!!

BUT, and everybody has a big . . . No, I won't say it.

But, I have all of these wonderful, habit-forming treats without my family. And that, my friends, is an overwhelming drawback.

I am surrounded by people, but I get lonely. I am smiling as I receive my grande decaf americano, but feeling sad that I am not sipping it with MY people. It is impossible to thoroughly enjoy that masterpiece of a burger without my 14 year-old Toby who would be going on and on about how it is the BEST burger he ever had. Shopping is not as enjoyable without my 12 year-old Acacia. She has a knack for finding gorgeous, hot pink shoes. Odd instances are missing Kevin's added take on the event, complete with funny voices and facial expressions. It is silent in my evenings without Sam talking about basketball or something else from his day. And mostly I miss Geoff. I guess this is one of those "worse" times in the "for better or worse" I confessed before hundreds.

However, I won't lie to you. I was ready for a break. A break from Uganda, from the seemingly relentless demands. Not sure I could accurately analyze why, but I was BEYOND ready.

Was it the chronic pain of the last few months? Walking the long and difficult cancer care road with Ketty? The stress and stolen time from our lives due to others' pungent discontent? Observing how the process of adoption for three different and all very dear friends hits road block after road block? The extra steps it takes there just to live daily life? The increase in good-byes that we've said lately to so many?

Yes. All of the above and certainly more that lurk below my radar.

Not too long after I arrived in Roseville for treatment, I was walking on the trail near the house where I am staying. I had walked about a mile and was contemplating many of the things I mentioned above. I was trying, but failing, to not let sadness overcome me.

The rising sun burned my eyes as I attempted to view the tree tops, so I turned my gaze to the path. A very tangible reminder of why I am blessed, even in all these things, was chalked onto the trail in front of me. "You are loved."

My God loves me. My family loves me. My friends love me. And God Himself had orchestrated for me this time in Roseville.

On the days when the pain is intense, I remember, I am loved. He is good, all the time. Even now when I get lonely and sad, or cry because the pain isn't completely gone yet, I am comforted by remembering that I am loved.

And He added blessing upon blessing for me this past weekend.

Last Wednesday I left Roseville and drove 20 minutes north to Lincoln where I spent time with my dear, dear friend Pat. She had flown out from Texas to visit me and two other friends. I have know her for 33 years. We talked and talked, prayed and laughed and shared previously untold stories from our lives. Her friend in Lincoln turned out to be the mother of someone who was in my same class at Pepperdine, and I had met her a number of times before. We fell easily into conversation.

On Thursday Pat and I drove two more hours north to the small town of Magalia, where we stayed with her good friends of more than 50 years! I also knew the wife of this couple as she had hosted Geoff and I for a private tour and wine tasting at Mondavi vineyards years ago when we were first dating. The weekend was rich with conversation, good food, laughter, encouragement and perspective. While I was with these ladies I celebrated my 52nd birthday away from my family, but I was not alone. Their love and wisdom, stories and friendship filled me and reminded me again that I am loved.

There was a sign placed in the bathroom Pat and I shared, "write your hurts in the sand, carve your blessings in stone." I'll never forget that, but might fail to follow through with its instruction. I hope that even through my current and future pains I will let the hurts go and make monuments to every blessing.

I have another 10 days before I see Geoff and the kids again. I also have 9 days to swim in my recently reacquired habits, and I intend to thoroughly soak in as much as possible.

As you remember, please pray for my healing, and more importantly my attitude during the process. I tend toward impatience and discouragement. Pray for Geoff who is holding down the entire fort and then some. Pray for the kids as they navigate days without mom's presence. Thanks.

"You are loved."