Good news

We just got back from a late night visit to the hospital to see Kim and Jason. Things went really well today. They were able to get the entire tumor (to their knowledge) and scoped things out - lymph nodes, liver, etc. while they were in there. They took out about 60 cm. of his bowel which leaves him with like 90% of it still (v. good). Sounds like they had a terrific surgeon who really took his time and left no stone unturned. In fact, the pathologist was right there and literally examined the tumor as soon as it came out of his body. Everyone's pretty marveled at the entire situation, especially since it doesn't seem to have spread anywhere and the tumor was so massive that it's amazing he was able to eat anything in the last several weeks. Apparently it was folded in upon itself and puckered all around. Anyway, the surgery was close to three hours long but I thought that Jason looked great tonight. He briefly opened his eyes and said hello to us but we spent the rest of the time talking to Kim. We chatted some about what was going on but then shared stories about life in general and got a few great ones about the kids. Plenty of snickering and silliness.

They're such good people. We love them with a fierce love. The road ahead will be more difficult. It looks like in about 10 days to 2 weeks or so he'll begin chemo of the nastiest variety. So basically his body will heal only to be popped good and hard again. Just pray that he heals well from the surgery and can get started on the chemo as soon as humanly possible. Pray for us as we seek to encourage and help in anyway that we can and just consistently "be" there.

Can you use it in a sentence please?

So, you might remember our friends the Gallmans (and specifically Jason) are walking a very difficult road. Their oldest child, Claire is in the the 5th grade.

Let me preface this entire story by stating that Claire is one of the most gifted children I've ever met. She is both intelligent and wise beyond her years. As a preschooler she was reading on a 3rd grade level and as a kindergartener on the 8th grade level. Now as a 5th grader, I'm sure she could read laps around me. Anyway, this week Claire was in the county spelling bee. She ended up coming in 7th place despite of her huge vocabulary.

The irony of the word she went out on continues to tickle me and give me goose bumps at the same time. And as Brian said, "Holy sermon analogy, Batman." So, here's the word that this young girl whose father was diagnosed with a fist sized tumor in his small bowel just two weeks ago missed - pessimist. Isn't that unreal? What a testament to Kim and Jason's fantastic child rearing skills. Of all people, Miss Claire could be a pessimist. But it's a word that's just not in her vocabulary.

A few of my favorite things

Wish I was doing this right now...

I didn't sleep well last night and now wish I was snuggled up like this in my bed! However, it's that time of year again. The time of the year when naptims are devoted to zip, zip, clip, clip... mowing the yard!

What do a boxer, a queen, and priest have to do with one another?

They're all featured in my first lecture in a collegiate classroom today (Wednesday)! YIKES! I'm nervous. My biggest fear is that the chair of the department will show up.

Design on a dime

We did a little redecorating in February. Here are some shots of our beautiful bedroom. It had been the most neglected room in the house for a really long time and now it's my favorite.

A little piece of writing

Here's a little something I wrote to promo a special worship service we're having at our church in about a month...

I look down the hallway and see preschoolers praising. Their little arms reach out to the God who loves them; their little faces flecked with His joy. “The wise man built his house upon the rock . . .” Eternal lessons taught in a rhythmic beat, some classics just never go out of style. I glance into the Excite room and see something similar, but on a more mature and blossoming level. Here are the 1st – 5th graders who have become my community. They are not children; they are my brothers and sisters in Christ. They greet me with a smile. They know my name. As I settle into my fuzzy green chair to hear Dr. DoGood teach the Bible story of the morning, I know I’m where I need to be. Not only am I serving, I’m learning, I’m growing, and I’m a part of something much greater than myself. And I love this road on which God has placed me. Those who are traveling with me – the children, the middle and high school students, and adults – who make Excite and Parade happen every week are some of my best friends. They are the people I laugh with the most and some of the most amazing people I have ever met. They link together, arm-in-arm to serve their God and the little children that He loves so much. And while they’re serving, they have so much fun! And here’s the thing, they’re not an exclusive group. Ever excited to meet someone else interested in Children’s Ministry at CSC, they immediately fold them into the group, wanting to make them a part of this community. We invite you to get a glance inside the world of CM at CSC. On May 21st, join us for an intergenerational worship experience called Kidstuf. It will be a Sunday you don’t want to miss.

A Hunting We Will Go!

These are some assorted pictures from our Easter Egg hunt in the front yard after lunch!

Happy Easter from the Lowe Family!

This is Miss Anna and her cousin Mackenzie in our front yard after church this morning.

Almost Paradise...

Here's a picture of me, Brian, Mindy, Joel, and Julie in our cabin "Almost Paradise" from a quick jaunt to Gatlinburg a little less than a month ago. It was truly beautiful and we had a great time kicking back, shopping, playing games, watching MacGyver with no sound and creating our own dialogue, doing an old time photo, "ho-tubbing," you know... normal stuff. awww... I wanna go back! Jules, where are the other pics? :)

Heavy Heart

Our dear friends, Jason and Kim Gallman are traveling a rough road. Jason was diagnosed yesterday with a tumor in his intestinal tract the size of a fist. He is 37; they have 3 kids (5th grade, 2nd grade, K). Please pray for them.

You know it's springtime on campus when...

If anyone out there is still reading my blog, post a thought or two in the comments on this one. A lot of you either currently work on or near a college campus (or have in the recent past). I thought it would be fun to gather some thoughts of college life signs of spring. Here are a few to get you going.

You know it's springtime on campus when:

• The hotdog vendor is set up on the sidewalk
• You see more capri pants (especially those with thongs near the top eewwww.... I promise I'm not looking but it's like a train wreck).
• Students in flip flops
• People eating outside

Incredibly Infrequent

Now is the time in my blog where I say I hope to be better at posting here blah blah blah...

Anyway, sometimes life just gets in the way and you realize it's been 3,4 months since you've posted last and then the thought of posting just depresses you since there's way too much ground to cover. I think I'll launch through a series of pictures in the next few days to catch you up on life with the Lowes.

Here are a few pics from the wedding that Brian and Anna were in in March. Our dear friends Brent and Meagan (Brent was a student of mine when I worked at GUMC) got married. Brian was honored to be the Best Man and Anna did a terrific job as the flower girl.

Anna and the Groom

Happy Couples

Family Photo

Brian and Anna at the altar

Now I lay me down to sleep...

So Brian has these bizarre dreams. I'm assuming they're dreams because he's not awake and he has no recollection of them later. Anyway, about 2 years after we'd been married he began to jerk awake at night upon occasion (I would guess about every 6 months or so roughly). Many times, he was violent. I had a scratch or two to prove it in the morning. And oftentimes his dreams revolved around animals of some sort. I'm told that they're called Night Terrors because of these particular stipulations.

Needless to say, I often feel like William Shatner to his James Spader, sleeping next to him so he doesn't injury himself or turn the bed upside down. I just witnessed his first "Day Terror" of sorts. He was snoozing away in the recliner with Anna snoring on the couch (who knew she snored?!) and he jerked wide awake down out of the chair stood up, looked at a watch on his wrist that was not there and said, "I'm forgetting something I'm supposed to do today." His eyes were fully opened and he looked bewildered (I know it's cliche, but it's the best word I can think of to describe his mental state). Like his night terrors, he immediately fell back asleep after I talked to him soothingly and helped him realize (consciously or subconsciously, I'm not sure) that everything was fine. It always seems a bit (ok, a lot) unfair that he quickly returns to sleep while my heart races further on and BP spikes. I wonder if he'll remember what he's done when he wakes.

the calm before the storm...

So I'm at my office earlier than usual this morning. I have a couple of papers to grade but plenty of time to grade them. All in all, I really don't have anything that pressing to do (or at least that I could do here since there's laundry and dishes galore at home that I could be working on). It is the calm before the storm. This afternoon I'll lug home around 110 exams which I hope to have completely graded by Friday afternoon. We'll see if I really get them finished or not but I'd like to since we have a family Christmas gathering this weekend and I don't even want to think about them during that!

I had a fantastic weekend this past weekend with several friends from college. They traveled to town so we could all go to the Indiana State Museum and visit its LOTR exhibit. After that we headed to the theater to see Narnia, which was fantastic. I was amazed at how deeply Narnia touched me. I really expected it to be just another kids' fantasy sort of movie but felt it to be much more profound. I'll definitely go and see it again.

Well, I guess the two or three papers in my bag aren't going to grade themselves. I just thought I would post a little something in the few fleeting moments of calm that I have.

You're never too old to need or miss your mom

I just realized that I haven't yet updated my thoughts and answer to Anna's big question of the week last week. I'm not going to do that in this post but eventually I promise I will. The longer I'm a mother, the more I'm amazed by my child and my love for her - where did it come from? I remember being terrified only a couple of days before she was born that I would not feel love for new little baby. How can one feel love for someone they've never met before? And yet, it came perfectly naturally and my heart was filled to the top and continues to overflow. As she grows and changes and adds more to the conversation that is our small family, I am blown away by what God wants to contribute to our lives through her. She is our "Grace Given back to God," but at the same time, she is God's grace and love daily expressed to us. It's simply amazing.

Speaking of, we had to smile on Sunday as Brian unraveled a mystery that he had pondered for a couple of weeks. He had heard Anna singing "Diggy, diggy, doggy sir" and had assumed it was one of the numerous songs she had learned at school (there are songs for EVERYTHING at school - lining up, snacktime, you name it!). However, when he heard her Sunday morning after church follow it with "angels bow before Him," we realized it was "What a Mighty God We Serve." HA. Smiles for the day. We continued unraveling musical mysteries that day, as we put together the fact that she had been singing Ho, Ho, Ho goes Santa Hee, Hee, Hee Hallelujah which was really supposed to be Ho, Ho, Ho, Hosana... go figure - she still firmly holds to her Santa lyric though and will not be corrected. I guess it goes to show how non-readers hear and memorize things.

Anyway, thinking of my own daughter leads me to thoughts of my mother and the special bond we share. I had no idea how much my mom loved me until I had a child. And while I could say it was because I realized how much work a child is and how only someone who loved a child could keep up with the constant care and challenge that is parenting, it's not really that. Rather, the love that overfills my heart for Anna with every smile, giggle, hug, and kiss is the same love that my mom feels in her heart for me. It's good to really "get" that and know that. Speaking of my mom, she's currently in MS with a group from her church doing some hurricane clean up work. You can swing by her church's website http://www.fbcshelburn.com/Ministries/ and read the group's journal (written by dear 'ole ma) and see pics, too. Thus far, three days of the trip are posted.