First Friday...Experiencing the Arts in Canton

Each First Friday begins with an art workshop for children, followed by a 'Critter Parade'. Jaelyn and Addison LOVE it! This month we stopped by the new sculpture completed by Timken students and a local artist. It's a fascinating piece that captures quite a bit about Timken Company and the school.

Scott & Christina's wedding

"Lovers must not, like usurers, live for themselves alone. They must finally turn from their gaze at one another back toward the community. If they had only themselves to consider, lovers would not need to marry, but they must think of others and of other things. They say their vows to the community as much as to one another, and the community gathers around them to hear and to wish them well, on their behalf and its own. It gathers around them because it understands how necessary, how joyful, and how fearful this joining is. These lovers, pledging themselves to one another "until death", are giving themselves away, and they are joined by this as no law or contract could join them. Lovers, then, "die" into their union with one another as a soul "dies" into its union with God. And so here, at the very heart of community life, we find not something to sell as in the public market but this momentous giving. If the community cannot protect this giving, it can protect nothing. " -Wendell Berry.

Creating Garden Memories

In an attempt to create a meaningful learning experience and memory for our family, we decided to begin a small garden with my parents. Despite his chemotherapy treatments, dad is able to drive around on his 'Big Country' and provide hours of entertainment for Jaelyn and Addison. He does tire easily and has trouble breathing when it's too windy, but he still loves to be outside and is as active as possible. He was officially the CEO of the garden planting endeavor.

The site was Grandma and Grandpa Erman's garden, which unlike other childhood memories, has grown in size rather than diminish. I don't know how they took care of that vast garden throughout my entire childhood. We only planted a few rows before exhaustion set in.

Planting the onions, carrots, snap peas, and tomatoes was very romantic for us all; however, we'll see how we do with the more mundane tasks of weeding in the upcoming weeks.

British Humour

Katie turned us on to this youtube that's been keeping us laughing all day.

Recent life in Canton

A visual update as we face the much-anticipated season of summer!
















Our friends Scott & Christina are getting married...
















A recent family outing to KC Glass to watch glassblowers and their craft.















Andrew guest taught in classes at Timken High School during the all-school-read that Lynn heads up.



















The whole family frequents ROS often.


The seasons off Pentecost and Ascension in full swing at our church...















Jaelyn having a sideline drink mid-soccer game...















Addison breaksaway.















Jaelyn's new braids...















This is what happens when you tell Noah & Addison to "Smile!"

Addison Responds to the Movie We Watched Friday Night

Caleb Moves On

Caleb was my student course assistant for two years, and has gradually become a grafted-in member of the family. For the last year, he's lived in our basement, eaten with us, built amazing air-forts for the kids, improved the ball skills and math skills of both of our kids, played some amazing games of Settlers of Catan, and talked and listened and shared life. Today he moves out; he'll be moving to North Carolina where he has an apartment and a job waiting for him as a tax accountant.


Kara came from South Carolina for Caleb's graduation

a typical Caleb moment -- enthusiastic, talking

So many people to thank...

I realize as I post pictures and thoughts from Easter that there are so many other people who are on this journey with me. I want to thank so many of you who have written, called, and prayed for me, my husband and kids, and for my parents. I wish we could all spend a lazy Sunday afternoon together, talking and laughing!

Thank you for your support and love. Thanks for pursuing me even when I don't feel like answering the phone calls and emails. They ALL have meant so much.

A special thank you to my in-laws who took Jaelyn and Addison to Michigan for four days so that Andy and I could spend time re-stitching our emotional selves together. Thanks to my generous sister-in-law, Marianne, who became the Mother Theresa of the vacation by facilitating all types of adventures. They had a blast; they didn't want to come home. Andy and I had a wonderful time together; thanks to everyone there!

Happy Easter

Every year we celebrate Easter with friends from church. It's one of my favorite holiday traditions. This year was even better because our kids were celebrating with their family in Michigan, so Andy and I could concentrate on the adult conversations. And, what a blast that was! We covered a lot of ground....our love for Obama vs. our ambivalence for Clinton, the virtues of being Canadian, the tragedy of war, and many other topics not completely suitable for a family blog.

Laughing on Resurrection Sunday felt really good; this year's Lenten season was pretty rough, but it does help to journey through it all with these people. I'm really thankful for the stories that were shared and how these people have integrated their lives and stories into mine. It was a very rich day.

Jaelyn's Birthday Party

On her actual birthday, Jaelyn got breakfast in bed and the usual royal treatment, but finally yesterday we celebrated with a party.



We took Jaelyn to the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium with three friends to celebrate her birthday; all had fun.



Even Addison who on the drive north had mourned the absence of any other boys on the trip, turned to me as we ascended the staircase to the top of the waterslide and said, "This is the best Birthday Ever!" For Addison, (usually *so* attuned to fairness standards) for him to not be registering a formal complaint on his own behalf, but instead to just be entirely caught up in the joy of the moment, that means that it was really a success.

Happy 38th!

On Wednesday, March 5, we celebrated this amazing man in our lives. There will be other celebrations to come, but it was nice to have time with just the four of us.

Addison made a treasure hunt, Jaelyn chose the long, dangling streamers, and I helped drink the wine after a hectic OGT-prep day. I was excited to give Andy a piece of Michele's art. It's a great symbol to commemorate our lives at this point.

More than anything else, I'm extremely thankful for my husband. He's an amazing partner, father, friend, and artist!

Stage Four

We have officially found out that dad's lung cancer is at stage four. The cancer has spread to both lungs. Through his doctors at University Hospital in Columbus, he has been invited to take part in a clinical trial currently taking place on non-smokers who have lung cancer. That decision will be made in the next few weeks.

"Incurable, terminal disease" is not a phrase that is easy to hear. There always seem to be options in this country of plenty. It's a somber reminder of our finitude.

Thank you for your prayers.

What community means

When you are facing a Lenten season in your personal life, you really begin to understand what the Christian community is really about. The church does begin to sustain you by praying, helping, listening, encouraging, and constantly sharing. This group of people has come alongside of my family in very concrete ways since my dad's diagnosis. I'm very thankful and humbled by God's grace through them.

My dad has lung cancer...

Andy's Epiphany art is a great, symbolic way of describing life with a cancer diagnosis. Everything feels broken, fragmented....like your life needs a completely new way of being understood or framed....

I've avoided posting this information because I don't like talking about it very much. Apparently I caught more communication reticence than I believed I had from my parents; however, I've learned that many people I love want to support us and be a part of the journey with us. It's important for me to share.

Here is the short version of the story. Dad has cancer in the right lobe of his lungs; we are waiting for a confirmation that there is not cancer in the left lobe. If the left lobe is clear, he's in stage one. If the left lobe has cancer cells, he's in stage four. Pretty big difference. So, we wait...

The multiple tests have been difficult and exhausting for my dad and mom. The waiting has been psychologically wearing on everyone, but especially my parents.

Lent has an entirely different meaning to us this year. Easter feels really far away...

The end of strep?

Today (Wednesday) Jaelyn had her tonsils taken out by Dr. Smith. At this point she is on the couch feeling sad due to the pain, but she has been very brave through the entire ordeal.
We are all hoping this will bring an end to the ever-occurring strep throat infections she has had multiple times a year.

Marcia, David & Amy purchased a Webkinz leopard to stay with her throughout the surgery. Kerrie pitched in a great shirt for the leopard so that it wouldn't have to suffer the indignities of the open-back scrubs they made Jaelyn wear. Addison has tried to be a supportive brother, but he often runs from the room when Jaelyn cries because he can't stand to see her tears. We're working on that.

We don't have an interesting picture to post. Google images were just too disturbing. We try to keep this blog at a PG rating.

Thanks to all those who prayed so earnestly all day for Jaelyn and her doctors. We really depended on prayers and God's peace throughout the day.

Yes, we can!

Most of you know that I have been a bit over-the-top about Barack Obama for a long time. I read his first book last Christmas, and his story grabbed me. Since then, I've also read The Audacity of Hope. As I read it, I would randomly quote passages of it to Andy and the kids. Every time I listen to one of his speeches, I start crying. Seriously...me...I start crying! Because of a politician!

His message inspires me to keep up the everyday fight in the urban school setting when it feels like every other politician has forgotten about 'those kids'. He gives me hope for Jaelyn and Addison and other children of color. His faith encourages me....immensely...when I've been so frustrated at other 'Christian' politicians and their corporation-favoring and violence-inducing decisions.

Yeah, maybe he'll disappoint me too, but right now, I feel more idealistic about the future of our presidency than I ever have before. "Yes we can!"

You've GOT to see this video. Warning: tears of hope may follow...
http://www.dipdive.com/

Addison's Birthday

Because birthdays MATTER to me, I seem to make my children's birthdays into 'birth-seasons'. This year, Addison's birthday started with a dutch pot dinner last Sunday evening with the Leindeckers, continued to Tuesday morning's breakfast in bed, treats in schools, and in the evening, a special dinner at El Rincon with Caleb, and then finally ended with a birthday party at the College Bowl with friends from school.

And we wonder why he is acting so entitled lately....

Beyond all the chaos, I have been feeling so overwhelmed with love for my kids lately. I have always tried to hold moments with them very tightly and not wish them away, but that doesn't make any easier to watch the years fly by. They are both wonderful kids, and I love them more than I can express....

Snow People

Finding Grooves

(Cross post from inbetween.)

Last year, the year before, and now this year, we've participated in an annual ritual of tree-cutting with the same friends.



The afternoon sun was brilliant as we trekked across the hills and through the fields of a new tree farm. The quest so familiar, the terrain new and unexplored.



When you look at the faces of the kids, it's clear that we are all older, always growing, always changing. Jaelyn and Addison felt free to run and play and explore with the older kids this year more than ever. They are becoming their own selves. And looking at them helps us remember that, while time seems to be racing by for us, (wasn't it just yesterday that it was summer? and five minutes ago we were doing this last year?) in fact we are *all* always growing, always changing, radically becoming our own selves.



There are particular grooves that are ours to keep. Marcia and David deliberate on the merits of various trees (in the photo above) -- and represent a groove that defines all of these friends to some degree. We deliberate endlessly. We rarely leap and we're adept and critical distance.



Scott looks meditative and when I reviewed the photos I found myself taking the picture imprinted as a shadow across his red jacket. With a little imagination, I might be making shadow theatre: Look! An ant crawls across a bridge! Instead of holding the camera with an oddly effete pinky raised as I snap the digital shutter.



I've had thousands of conversations with Lynn. I have never seen her open her mouth this wide. This photograph, this moment is an anomaly. And Michele has just discovered my covert papparazzi-izing. The picture manages to capture her before she ducks behind a tree to hide from the greedy glare of the camera.

These particular moments, these fleeing apparitions of how we were in a particular time and place, these unique traits that interrupt our repetitive gestures are why I love rituals.



Amy and David saw together for the last few seconds before their tree let go of its ground.

It's all so familiar, these patterns, these gestures. Yet when separated by the years, the particulars of any given moment braided with the rhythms and familiarity of the return grow richer and beautiful.



Is that really my Ford Windstar in a caravan of christmas-tree bearing minivans? Was my life ever so normal? Was the light ever really that beautiful? Would we really then retire to spicy cuisine and raucous laughter in our favorite little always-too-deserted-for-comfort Thai restaurant? And wasn't that the year that Jaelyn's sore throat almost made us cancel? And the week that the kids became obsessed with monopoly? Do you remember that Marcia had just been called up for jury duty? And that I had just received a summons informing me that I was being sued? Wasn't it just before Michele put up the advent art in the sanctuary? And we cut our tree off halfway up, because the tree was too tall and the base was too scraggly?

The light and the cold and the wide blue sky.

The runny noses, the crunchy grass, and the long bushes and weeds that catch your boot when you don't expect it.



Everything is exactly the same. Everything is completely different.