Seasons Change

For those of you that know me well, you know that the fall is my ABSOLUTE favorite time of year :)  Maybe it's that my birthday falls in October, bringing with it that giddy feeling that the holidays are just around the corner.  Perhaps it's the reminder of the smell of burning leaves out in the country fields of my little hometown in Indiana.  The warm autumn sun that sparkles in the bright blue sky fades into the crisp, cold and grey clouds of November.  It's as if all the world goes down for a nice, long nap, accompanied by blankets, football games, sweaters, and hot chocolate.  The changing of the seasons is such a reminder of God's faithfulness to bring it about each and every year.

My days of radiation are coming to an end...only 5 more treatments!!!  Other than my skin having some burning issues from the radiation beams and my body feeling more of the pressing fatigue, the treatments are going very well.  I noticed after the first couple of weeks that by the end of the day, I was becoming more exhausted.  Now it's just earlier in the day that the fatigue is hitting.  I'm doing a lot as well, which I'm sure contributes to it.  However, there seem to be no complications with my tissue expanders, and my left arm is showing no signs of lymphodema.  I'm so grateful that even with these treatments, I'm able to enjoy so much of normal life again!

Really, we've just been soaking in the days of fall around here, and it's been glorious :)  School is going well for the kids, and we're busy.  A.J.'s football and Hailey's volleyball seasons will wrap up next week, and it will be good to have more time to settle in together at home as the weather gets cold.  We've enjoyed apple picking; and a couple of weeks ago, we visited our very favorite farm, Young's Dairy.  The tradition began 13 years ago when Bryan and I were just a couple of college kids, and we long for the cool October Saturdays to arrive so that we can pick pumpkins and enjoy the delicious ice cream from the dairy farm.  We love it!!

We also enjoyed our church's Missions Conference this past weekend, along with a fantastic Andrew Peterson concert!  Our church supports over 50 missionaries that are bringing the gospel to areas all over the world, and it was such an inspiration to hear several of their stories of the mission field.  I love that our church has such a huge desire to bring the beautiful hope of Christ to even the darkest of nations.  And Andrew Peterson just added to the encouragement of the weekend...his music is like balm to the weariest of souls...  

Today was our little guy, Landon's 6th birthday!!  Oh, how I love this kid so much.  A great illustration for his energy level...he was swinging at the park today (very, very high, I might add!) and decided at the peak of his swing to jump.  Instead of landing on his feet, he just curled up and hit the ground in a little clump.  It was UGLY, and I was pretty sure we'd be heading for the hospital.  Landon, however, seemed basically unfazed and went on to the next challenge, telling me that he actually "meant to do that."  He's full throttle all day long, and yet his heart is beautifully sensitive as well.  He gets "joy" so easily, and he teaches me what it means to swim in the deep end of life.  We went to the park today to meet up with his cousins and some buddies, and it was a really great day!!

Thank you, as always, for continuing to love us through the ups and downs of this journey.  These are good days, and I'm delighted to be feeling so much better!  Part of that joy is fueled by the gentle reminder that all has not been well.  Routines are resuming, yet it's a new normal we're adjusting to now.  Some of that is difficult, although much is welcomed.  Our eyes are wider to even the smallest details of life, and our hands are more open to God's sovereignty in those details.  We've been shaped and molded in countless ways, many that we probably don't even recognize at the moment.  Yet, through it all, God has been so very faithful.  I long to breathe deep these days that feel so much more precious in light of our suffering.  You can pray that we continue to maintain an eternal perspective and that my heart, as always, remains anchored in the One who provides joy abundant.