Time flies and stuff happens - An Update

I can't believe my most recent post was in August! That seems like a million years ago. So much has happened - some of it mundane - just nuisance stuff, some of it frightening, or even right down gut wrenching.



In September my sis and I flew to California to spend some time with Dick's wife, Nancy. We were there for a week, including the time she was off work for Labor Day. We had a great time visiting with Nancy and all their kids' families. It seemed weird that Dick wasn't there, and their house has been totally rearranged with new furniture, flooring, and the like - NOTHING is the same. We understand why that might be helpful for Nancy to move on, but it felt really weird and hurt just a little. The time flew by and before we knew it it was time to get back on the plane and head home. Next time we'll plan to stay a little longer.



In October Darrell had laser eye surgery to correct a "wrinkled" macula. His vision had deteriorated to the point where he could hardly see at all out of that one eye. The surgery was a quickie outpatient thing that caused only minor discomfort for a day or two. Since then, his vision has recovered almost to that of a teenager. Now his "good" eye is the weaker one, and he would like the doctor to agree to do the same surgery on the other eye. But there are no wrinkles to smooth out there, so no-can-do! Isn't it fabulous that they can do all this stuff to make our lives better. At least that holds true for SOME things, speaking from a medical standpoint. With some other things, not so much!



With November came Thanksgiving. For many years (mostly since our kids are married with in-laws) we have scheduled our Thanksgiving dinner for the weekend immediately after Thanksgiving. That way there's no fuss about whose folks we ate with last year, etc., etc. It's just easier that way. There were 25 of us for dinner this year. I was one happy mama, with all my kids and grandkids under our roof. We had far too much food (would you believe 9 pies) and had a wonderful time together.



The first couple of weeks in December have been something to remember. After days of sub-freezing temperatures, our water pipes froze and we had no running water in the house for a whole week. We have a well, and the pipes froze between the pumphouse and the house. I learned that you can (sorta!) bathe using only a half gallon of water, but I have to add that I can't heartily recommend it. The first thing we did when the pipes thawed was to run a deep, hot bath - it felt heavenly after a week of "spit baths." Yuck!



The second thing that December brought was the news that our youngest grandson, Trask (age 7), has some serious vision problems that gave us a pretty good scare. At first we were told he faced probable total blindness. He now has been diagnosed with amblyopia (lazy eye), which if left untreated can cause significant life-long vision loss, and nystagmus (you'll have to Google that one - it's complicated to explain). At any rate, the doctor who examined him is a professor at Oregon Eye Institute and they are going to take Trask on as a class project, since they have never seen this particular combination of eye diseases. He will receive low-cost cutting edge treatment through the institute for the next five years. What a blessing and a fantastic answer to our prayers concerning this little guy and his future. God is so good!



The last and far more significant December event was the loss of three climbers up on Mt. Hood, one of which was a precious young man from our church family (we attend The Bridge Church in Longview). Very early Friday morning, December 11, the three close friends, two guys and a young woman, headed up Mt. Hood for a brief one-day climb. The weather was gorgeous and they planned to be back down the mountain in time to be home by evening. The young man from our church (Anthony Vietti) has been dating our pastor's daughter for almost two years and was very close to their family. When at 10:30 that night there was no word from Anthony, the pastor's family became very concerned and contacted the authorities on the mountain. They immediately began the process to search for the three climbers. They continued the search through this past Wednesday.



I hadn't turned on on my computer last Saturday to see the flurry of emails from the pastor until late in the afternoon, so we were oblivious through the day that all of this was happening. I had heard a little blurb on Saturday morning's news about three lost climbers, but they gave no details about their names, etc., and I paid only a little attention. Then when I read the emails, I realized the news reports were talking about our own Anthony and his two friends. On Saturday they found the body of Luke Gullberg, one of the young men - not Anthony. But there was no sign of him or Katie, the young woman. Indications were that Luke was probably scurrying down the mountain to go for help for either Anthony or Katie, who had likely had some sort of accident. We will never know exactly what really happened. Luke had sustained a fall, but his injuries were not what took his life. He died of hypothermia after falling, apparently numerous times. When I heard that, my heart sank, fearing the worst for Anthony & Katie, but hoping against hope to be wrong. Needless to say, Sunday morning's church service consisted of prayer, worship, tears, and more prayer. The end of the story was ultimately not what we hoped for, and they eventually were forced to call off the search due to severe weather conditions. That, along with facing the fact that Anthony and Katie were probably not able to stay alive in the snowstorms and bitter cold temperatures that prevailed.



I don't know if it's because my emotions are still a bit raw after losing my brother in March, or??? But this has hit me particularly hard. I have had trouble sleeping, waking up every hour or so. It's hard to enjoy lying in my comfy warm bed knowing that Anthony and Katie are out there somewhere up on the mountain.



A group from our church family got together last night just to lean on each other, share, eat goodies, worship and pray together. What a healing balm that was! It was awesome to hear stories of Anthony's quirks, humor, and the far-reaching influence of his Godly life. There were lots of tears (thank goodness for lotion tissues for raw, red noses!) and a good share of hilarious laughter, sharing memories of Anthony and reaffirming our faith in God's love and mercy. I have to confess to questioning God. Anthony was such a strong positive influence on the kids in our church (and in the community at large). At age 24 had SO MUCH yet to give.



But this is where the rubber meets the road, folks. This is when the depth of our faith and trust are truly tested. Do I REALLY trust that He is just, merciful and loving? I have to admit that for ever so brief a time this past week, I felt sure that I could come up with a better plan. Come on, God - what are you thinking! I keep fantasizing about those two bursting into the lodge at Timberline, red-faced, weak and frostbitten. But that isn't going to happen. So many, many people prayed (entire church services), and this time God said, "No." And I'm really OK with that now. I have been given the clarity to see that God DOES have a plan, and it's surely a far better one that I could ever come up with. Safe in the arms of Jesus! It doesn't get any better than that!!



I am SO hugely inspired by the faith and strength of the people involved who were closest to the three - the families of the climbers, and those from our church family who knew Anthony best. They are at peace, resting in the assurance that all three had totally dedicated their lives to Christian service and living 100% for Him. That, in addition to the knowledge that this life is just a vapor, quickly evaporating in the heat of our earthly trials. We know we'll all be together again when Jesus comes to take us home to heaven. Come, Lord Jesus!



I love you all so much!



Joanne