Merry Christmas From Our Family!

Merry Christmas from Our Family!

As I sit here on a cold Saturday morning in Boone, I am listening to the soft tapping of sleet and hoping Peter gets back safely from his run on campus.  I have two hunters in Virginia, but I hesitate to call them as they will be watching for deer.  My other two are probably being spoiled in Virginia.  I cannot wait to have everyone home tonight!

I spent many hours working on my Christmas cards last night.  If you don't get one and want one, please email me your address.  I have a huge list, but I don't have everyone on there I know.  It's vandenbergwj@charter.net.  I love to send Christmas cards, maybe because I love getting them!  As my list has grown over the years, I cannot put a personal message in each; so I have resigned myself to the picture card.  In my haste to get them printed this year, I only had a picture and Merry Christmas.  My sister took the picture at the beach this summer when we celebrated my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.  My parents eloped and were married in Boone on King Street at First Baptist Church.  They came over from Abingdon, VA.  How funny that I ended up living here, and that our family has so many ties to Boone and Appalachian.

I love reading Christmas letters.  I sometimes wish we could have done more ourselves throughout the year.  I sometimes wish my year had been like someone else's.  But I think as I get older, I appreciate more and more what HE has for me.  Just me.  Sometimes I am happy to get through a day.  And that is enough.  And I have some people that I don't know that I follow on a blog, and they help my perspective.  And then I have a lot of people that I DO know, and they help my perspective.

In one conversation earlier this year, I said to someone that I had become someone no one wished to be.  That was an honest feeling, but it was also a revelation to me.  Do I want to be the person whose life seems so perfect that everyone wished they could be like me? But the real revelation is that that is not me and not what I should strive for.  I want to be that person who cannot do things on her own, and that makes it easier for people to see what God does in my life.

 I sit here with tears in my eyes thinking of a lot (I cannot even begin to remember all right now) of the precious reminders God gives me through the people He surrounds me with.  And some of you don't even know!  When God uses you, you don't always know it.  So please don't ever give up doing His work, because it reaps benefits.  It either keeps someone like me going, or it points another to His way.

Psalm 56:8 says that God has recorded all of my wanderings and put all of my tears in a bottle.  The rest of this Psalm is about David trusting in God, and he was not afraid of what man would do to him.  I know God sees me at my worst - when I am mean, when I am sad, when I am frustrated, when I want to give up, when I wonder, when I just want things the way I want them!  But I know God cares about every single tear I cry.  He cares about all of my hopes and all of my crushed dreams.  And He loves me more than I can imagine.

Which brings us to Christmas.  So much of my life is survival upon this earth.  But when we leave, where will we go?  If we know, we can have no fear.  A way was made for us by the ONLY Son of God.  When Jesus was born, he bridged the gap sin placed between us and eternal life with God.  All we have to do is believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins - being the only perfect sacrifice (John 3:16 and John 14:6).  And then we know where we will go.  We have peace about that.  We want to share with others. This is why I celebrate Christmas, the birth of my King, my Savior, my Lord, the One Who loves me the most.

Recently, something scary happened.  And I heard Pete remark to someone that the person with the emergency knew where he was going when he died.  And though it is still awful and scary, what a difference that is.  If he had died, he would be with Jesus.  And he knows it.

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Just a quick update on our family:

Pete was called into the ministry earlier this year.  He is under the watch care of our own church.  He has already been teaching Sunday School for a long time and has added some preaching to his list.  We were sad that he participated in his first funeral recently for a dear woman who sat in front of us in church since the boys were little.  She never moved.  She was such a blessing, and we miss her; but it was so peaceful to see someone nearing her life's end who looked forward to seeing her Savior.  She did not talk much about herself but always steered conversations to Jesus.  Pete has been to the Holy Land twice this year and still loves that trip.

Andrew is a sophomore at Appalachian and runs on the varsity cross country team.  He works hard to make great grades and helps clean with Pete or keeps Sam to earn some extra money.  He continues on his infusion therapy once a week and has not had many respiratory illnesses this year.  We still continue to try to find other things to help keep him healthy, and he has a great attitude and great determination.

Peter is a freshman at Appalachian and lives in his dad's old residence hall.  He works on campus part-time and is greeted by a very happy blond boy with glasses when he makes it home.  He recently came to eat dinner with a few of his friends, and Sam was on Cloud 9 having him here.  He is running a little here and there and keeps very busy on campus.  I offer to wash his clothes, but I think he really likes doing his own laundry at school!  He still plans on majoring in business - where his dad was.

Will is a junior at Watauga High School.  He ran cross country this fall and has been busy hunting since the season began.  He has started putting up crown molding in our den and is going to make a new mantle for me soon.  He still bikes and rides whatever he can get on.  He is my worker who is always into something.  Sam just said recently that he wished Will was his twin so they could go to school together and be in the same class.

Sam is in the third grade.  He still has difficulties reading but is on a good track this year.  His diabetes is about the same, and he is very cooperative with his constant care.  He will bring an apple and his insulin pen, resigning himself to a shot when he wants to eat!  He checks his own blood sugar at school and gets everyone moving quickly when he gets low.  We are so thankful that he is around people who love him and care for him while he is at school!  He still loves Legos and Playmobil and spends hours in his room setting up scenes or putting new sets together.  He is quick to hug and tell us he loves us.

I still work at Blue Ridge Peds, and they all were on deck to help us when I had to run and get Andrew the other day when he could not see well or hardly walk.  It brought tears to see them with the wheelchair to get him, but also that they made him feel like a celebrity and not one bit bad or scared.  Before we left, almost everyone had checked on Andrew and me.  They are a great group of caring people.  We are certainly blessed with them.

Our family is so thankful for all of the wonderful friends and family God has given to us.  We wish you a Merry Christmas and hope it's the best and most meaningful yet!

Tough day...again

Today has been tough, and I am glad it’s almost time for Shark Tank!  It is rainy here and dreary, but that gives me a sense of peace tonight.  I am tired and weary.  I am frustrated and disappointed.  But most of all, I am thankful; and I have to let those feelings win.  Because even though it was tough, there were so many people helping and so many blessings.

Andrew woke up a little out of it.  He said he had trouble going to sleep and did not sleep well.  But he fell asleep two times on the way to take Sam and then for me to drop him off.  We had worked out our schedules so I could leave to go to “The Lodge” today with the girls.  Hence, the disappointment that I could not go after what happened.  I know I needed the break and the girl time and the sister time.  But I know that the bigger picture is the bigger picture.  And my sweet girls have already made some plans a little later for us, so it immediately gives me something fun to look to.

Anyway, I try not to bug Andrew, but I told him to call me if he felt bad or weird.  He had a paper to turn in, and he had a presentation.  He seemed worn out, but I decided not to worry but to watch my phone closely in case he called.  He did call.  He was talking slowly and with much effort.  He said he was feeling weird, almost like a drunk person looks.  He said that he had some double vision and could not read words off his computer.  Then he said it was weird, but his legs were not working very well.  He thought he would just take a nap before class.  I told him I would be right there.  By the time I got to him, he was not slurring his words but almost.  He was walking like Frankenstein, very jerky and trying very hard, too hard.  I hurried him right to the doctor’s office.  My sweet nurse friends took him up to the office in a wheelchair where his talking became stuttering.  They were assessing him while rolling him in, and I had run to park my car.

In the office, his blood pressure was high.  He could barely walk, and his double vision would come and go.  But he was still being a pleasant patient and smiling and talking, even joking a little, with the nurses.  So his mood was great even though he had a lot going on.

After labs and his blood pressure coming down on its own, Dr. Adams determined that he could leave.  His walking was improving at that point too.  Dr. Adams told Andrew he may have been trying to have a seizure when everything went into slow motion and confusion and his legs would not work.  But he said if it was that, it was good that it did not turn all the way into one.  And we have to look at any positive we can get!
We went to campus and printed his paper and turned it in and went to his presentation.  I was, of course, staying in the background.  At that point, I could barely keep up with him; and he was getting a little bit grumpy.  He was determined to go help at the track meet, but I told him he would not like it if something happened.  So he agreed to come home and rest.  He was worn out by then anyway.  The turnaround, though, had been amazing to watch.

His neurologist is out of town, but the one on call told Dr. Adams to tell us to watch him and call if anything else happened.  We are praying nothing does!

I know what made a huge difference today was what surrounded me.  There were so many friends who were encouraging and concerned and helpful.  They just kind of took over and quietly helped.  It made things so much easier.  And the calls and texts I got from the girls helped a lot too.  I knew people were praying for him.

We had dinner here last night, and we had six college guys and two high school guys eating.  When all of the college guys disappeared, we found them in Sam's room looking at his Legos.  Sam cannot wait for them to come back and see his Playmobil people too.  It was so nice to have them here, and we will start doing it more often.  Andrew had a good night with friends, and I am glad it was last night and not messed up by today.

Sam came home from school over 400 even though he had good numbers throughout the day.  I think he is back to a good place now.  I just always worry that strep has crept in when those numbers pop up unexpectedly!

Please pray for Andrew as he studies for exams.  He has worked so hard this semester, and he needs his brain to cooperate.  We keep praying these seizures go away and stay away.
And I am going to focus on being thankful.  I still think it’s a good idea to watch my sad movies that make me cry – just so the tears don’t come out as meanness later on!   And I know that God knows all about my fears and frustrations.  I came across this verse again this week.  Mrs. Thrasher gave it to me years ago:

“You keep track of all my sorrows.  You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book.”  Psalm 56:8

He knows how I feel, and He cares.  He collects all my tears, and this is important to Him because He loves us.

Thanks for praying.