The New Normal

About 6 weeks ago my father-in-law, Steve, fell and broke his hip. He spent 3 weeks in the hospital for surgery and rehab, then was released for home care. My mother-in-law, Carole, is amazing - she's been caring for him around the clock. His hip is improving, but his degenerative neurological condition continues to progress in a downward direction making every move difficult.

Steve has been a vital, proud, strong, athletic guy his whole life, so this situation is extremely challenging for him. He used to read all day long, but now his double vision is so severe that he can't read any more. Mom or other visitors read the sports page to him, he listens to the radio a lot. He feels very blessed by his network of support and is accepting help well. We are grateful to all those outside the family that are sitting with him when we need it too.

On my days off now, I spend a lot of time helping Steve and Carole with financial issues, paperwork and care needs. I struggled with selfishness and mourned the loss of "my free time" at first. But, I've settled into offering myself in service to them, because I love them and want to bear their burdens. It's overwhelming at times, but such a privilege to serve. Our new normal is molding me into a better servant, and therefore, more like Jesus -- a good place to be.

Please pray for Steve and Carole as they walk this difficult path together. Thanks.

We Will Tell - Personal Story

Our family represents 3 generations at Grace Church -- my husband and in-laws for nearly 40 years; my daughter Sophie for 8 years; and me for 16 years (staff member for 6). Our overwhelming sentiment is that “God is doing amazing things at Grace, and we are so glad to be a part of it!”

Dana and I were neck deep in the Relocation process – from design to building to furnishing to finances. It was a labor of love to see our new facility born and now being used as a beacon of hope to our community. We not only invested considerable time and effort in the project, but also our money. For the past 5 ½ years, we’ve given generously beyond our tithe to support the building process. Why?

Why did we go out to eat minimally, continue driving our rusty 13 & 15 year old cars, and take limited or no vacations? Why did we make these & other lifestyle sacrifices? Because people matter…investing in eternity matters…investing in the lives of people we don’t even know makes ripples into eternity forever. No other investment here on earth can do that.

We took a step of faith with our faith promise and have seen God supply it in ways we never suspected – plus our cars are still running! Investing in life change brings a great return!

Long Absence

It's been a long time since I've written anything. The pace of life -- work, home, school, etc. has been very fast the past 6 or 8 weeks. Thankfully, our family broke free and spontaneously traveled to Niagara Falls last weekend. Days off converged. The weather was gorgeous. An affordable hotel room was available. Niki had a great time shooting photos and getting a change of scenery. Sophie loved staying in the hotel & eating out. Dana and I enjoyed getting out of the routine. I'd recommend driving the scenic route along the Niagara River and taking the extra time to visit the quaint town of Niagara-On-The-Lake. It is well worth it.

Our "New" Family

This is our new family -- Dana, me, Niki & Sophia. Our new daughter, Niki, has been with us now for over 3 weeks. It's gone by so fast. I was pretty scared before she arrived - wondering how I would do being the instant parent of a teen from a foreign land. We are all getting along great. Niki is very fun - full of energy, a zest for life. We've been laughing a lot - she has so many funny things to say. I admit I take life too seriously sometimes, and having Niki around has helped me & all of us lighten up. My favorite Niki quote so far is about the uniforms at Villa where she is going to school. Her comment was, "They kill the fashion!" I think she's right, but they do take the guess-work out of getting dressed in the morning.

Financial Peace University

I'm blown away by the response to the upcoming Financial Peace University! There will be at least 80 people starting the class in September. I was praying for 50 - God blew that one out of the water! It isn't too late to sign up either. If you or someone you know is interested, contact me by Tuesday, Sept. 2nd. Get ready to work hard and see your life change!

School Started

I can't believe the summer is over already and school is in session. Sophia was so nervous and didn't want to go back. She let me walk her to her class & meet her teacher. I even met the new principal which was awesome. Hopefully, all will go well at Tracy Elementary this year.

Niki, our exchange student from Greece, started school Monday at Villa. She's had a couple of days to break in to the new routine. Girls there are welcoming her and inviting her to eat lunch, etc. which is really nice to hear. A neighbor also invited her down to visit with friends this week which was awesome. We are learning that 15 year olds far from friends IM a lot -- we've even used her webcam to talk to them with her. It's been fun.

We are going to our first Prep vs McDowell game since we graduated from high school this Friday. Having a teenager opens up some fun!

How do you make extra money?

Do you want to make some extra cash to save, give or pay down debt? Dave Ramsey talks about "selling so much stuff that the kids think they are next." Last weekend our neighborhood hosted its annual block sale. It was a great time to mix and mingle with people of all kinds, wheel & deal like we were in a market stall in Casablanca, get rid of stuff that weighs us down & make some extra money. We hate the preparation, but love the results.

In years past, we've donated most of the proceeds to the Grace Relocation Fund. This year even a couple neighbors brought us things to sell & donated their portion to church ministries -- it was really generous of them. This year we gave a percentage and used the rest to prepare for Niki with gifts, supplies, food, etc.

I heard an intriguing story on Marketplace on WQLN radio the other day too (http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/08/13/change_hunters/) -- families who pick up loose change on the street. One family in NY City has found over $1,000 since the beginning of '08. Think of the good you could do with discarded pennies -- it only takes 100 to make a dollar.

How do you or could you earn some extra cash?