You'd think....

Yes, you'd think that since I just took a trip to San Antonio, drove across part of New Mexico to Tucson, Arizona, that I wouldn't have had time to read this week. But that's not what happened. There's ALWAYS time to read! In the car as Elaine's driving, in the airport where sometimes waits are interminable, at the bus station, on the bus, on the plane.....

Steven Chance has cerebral palsy and has written several books, as well as started a ministry that ministers to people in need. His story, Searching for Normalcy, was fascinating.

Elaine and I read invincible Louisa on our way to Tucson from San Antonio. We had plenty of time, since it's about a 14 hour trip. It's the story of Louisa May Alcott - wonderful story!

Genie is a woman of Bette Ross' imagination who came to the Americas with her family, searching for peace and religious freedom. Even though it's fiction, it could have happened and probably is the story of many who came seeking safety to worship God as they wished.

Julio Jhaid and Talia Ivonne

Official photographer of the wedding of the year -
Talia and Julio's wedding of course!!

Saturday bright and early, right on time, Julio and Talia's wedding took place. We were told the wedding was at 1, but it really was at 3. This is Mexico, after all! It was held at a "Cancha de basquet" (Basketball court) party hall. How appropriate for a young man who loves basketball almost as much as he loves Talia! It was also a farm, complete with goats, sheep, horses, and probably other animals I didn't see.

The bride was beautiful! Here she comes, accompanied by her Dad.

Mexican weddings are long. The bride and groom sit through an hour long sermon (but it's Julio's fault, he DID ask Miguel to preach! And Miguel's not known for his short messages!). They were under a tent, and it was HOT. We guests sat under a roof, which was a bit cooler. But any way you look at it, we were all pretty warm! When the wind started blowing, men stood at each corner of the tent to hold it down!

Julio showing off his bride!

Finally! The food! Carnitas with beans, rice and all the tortillas you could possibly want. Delicious! Oh yes, and salsa! Again, delicious! All accompanied with Coca Cola - and other sodas - we were lucky to get a coke at our table!


After the ceremony everyone lined up to congratulate the bride and groom, then have their picture taken with them. Bethie and I were no exception!



And Dayton did what most 9-year olds tend to do at parties when Mom isn't looking - or even when she IS looking!


Ivonne with her son Julio and new daughter. Ivonne gave a little speech welcoming her new daughter to the family and of course she ended up bawling. She loves Talia dearly and is delighted that Talia's middle name is Ivonne!

Mordida! Not just at birthdays, but at weddings too! Thankfully,
no one pushed their heads into the cake!

As a side story of interest, normally the bride and groom have a civil ceremony BEFORE the religious wedding (a civil ceremony is required here), but on Friday the judge was sick, so guess what? No civil ceremony! So, are they really married??? On Monday - that's tomorrow - they'll again present themselves before the judge and hopefully she will be well enough to tie the knot!

Felicidades, congratulations, Julio y Talia! It was a privilege - as well as lots of fun - to join you for your beautiful wedding!

San Antonio then Tucson

I'm heading for San Antonio tomorrow - going with Continental. My brother Lee is very sick. He has Stage 4 Melanoma that has metastasized in his brain and spinal column. Although he and my sister in law live in Navojoa, Sonora, MEXICO, they are now in Tucson. He is not in the hospital, but rather with friends. So, Monday morning very early my sister Elaine (who lives in Bandera, TX) and I will head for Tucson by car.

A bright spot in this trip is that we'll be staying overnight in El Paso, and you already know who lives there! Son Ken, daughter in law Esme and four little ones: Maria, Lluvia, Eden and Enoch! So, it'll be very nice - no, it'll be FANTASTIC to see them for a short time - yes, too short a time, but we take all we can get!

Tuesday we hope to arrive in Tucson to spend a couple days with Lee and Becky, before flying home from there. Would you pray with me for a good visit, for God's will to be done in Lee's life, for strength for him and Becky?

Thanks!

Winner Take All

T. Davis Bunn has done it again. Publishers Weekly calls this a "cracking good thriller," which it definitely is. New York Post says, "Bunn's dialogue is racehorse fast. The take zips along without any lulls and has a nicely drawn good versus evil plot."

I highly recommend this book if you like suspense and drama. Check it out!

The Yellow Squash for Poetry Wednesday

I thought this poem very appropriate for summer, although I realize it hasn't quite reached some of you! It certainly has reached San Juan del Rio! Hot, sunny, hot, windy, beautiful, cloudy yesterday but still hot, we love it!

THE YELLOW SQUASH

Reprinted from Harvesting Fog, Copyright Luci Shaw 2010, Pinyon Publishing.

Used by permission of the author.

It seemed to grow with the light, the spring days

lengthening to summer, the single seed bursting

into beak and stalk, leaves like spread hands.

The forward thrusting end enlarged,

a curving length of neck growing to a bulbous

sphere, like a human head, it became

a personality, a member of the family.

All summer it swelled, a gold sun peering

through hairy green clouds until its immensity

made the sidewalk pedestrians gawk.

Detached, it waited in our kitchen. It felt

like homicide when we beheaded it for the potluck,

chopping the muscled neck into chunks to bake

with brown sugar, butter, and a mystery spice

we found in the drawer. (So succulent! Later

we made a generous soup with the leftovers.)

But the head, stranded for days on the counter,

wept large pale tears until the air

comforted it dry - the surface a patterned silk,

the ends of its fibers a circle of little stars.

Family

Yesterday I "re-found" a bunch of disks that contain pictures of family. Wow! Did I have fun remembering some of the good times, some of the GREAT times. Some of these disks contained pictures of my own kiddos when they were little....

But that wasn't all! Some of the disks contain pictures of my siblings and me when we were little little guys, running around making mischief in Mexico City! So much fun!

Here are some of the pictures! You'll have to visit me if you want to see them all!

L to R
Beth, Elaine, Daddy, Lee

Can you guess who??

Our Mexican sisters are Carmen, Berta (I think!) and Tina

Our ONE winter spent in the COLD north (here in Indiana)



Headin' for school

The Great Divide

If you want to read a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering IF our hero is going to make it, not just physically but emotionally, if he's going to win big, or lose big, if the "bad guys" are going to get him, if the judge can be bought, if the jury can be convinced, if, if, if.....! Wow! It was a good page-turner mystery, full of suspense and lots of action. Check it out!

FIRST EASTER

By Stephen R. Sywulka

Used by permission

The sun rose up out the mountain

red like a fountain

of lava

igniting the sky into embers

and flame;

It was day.

But the women who passed

--faithful few—

were oblivious to beauty,

their grief-blinded eyes

could see only

a glowering sky

with a cross looming high

where a man hung to die,

nailed foot and hand

to the blood-spattered frame,

Who had healed blind and lame.

How could they endure

to lose Master and friend

in this bitter end

to all that they’d loved,

hoped, and planned?

So they came,

with the aloes and myrrh,

To the tomb—

Saw the stone rolled away,

heard the bright angel say,

“He’s not here,

He is ris’n.”

When at last

understanding dawned,

Something of sunrise

ignited their hearts

into embers

and flame.

My dear friend and colleague, Steve, wrote this poem several years ago and I saved it, because it's so beautiful and because it expresses what we are celebrating this week - Jesus' death, burial and resurrection - God giving His all for our salvation. And He continues giving us His all!

¡Resucitó! ¡Resucitó! ¡Resucitó! ¡Resucitó!

¡Aleluia! ¡Aleluia! ¡Aleluia! ¡Aleluia!

That´s what we´ll be singing on Sunday. Jesus rose again! Hallelujah!

MK Camp

What a bunch! Only one mishap, when Silas Hower tripped and landed on his nose, breaking it. Ouch! The doc said it was a straight break and would heal on its own. Thank the Lord it wasn't more serious! Silas is in the front row, blue striped shirt, red jacket.

The morning after his scary mishap, after seeing the doctor and spending a rough night, he showed up at camp, as if nothing unusual had happened to him! The way kiddos snap back is amazing, isn't it?

Two more

Two more books read in the last while. The first, Look What God is Doing, is the fascinating story of people around the world who have been changed by the Gospel. Sorry I couldn´t find a better image - the actual book has a beautiful cover with pictures of beautiful girls from Africa, somewhere in Asia and somewhere in South America. It is written by Dick Eastman, who is international president of Every Home for Christ. His emphasis in this book is that the written Word of God reaches people in places and ways that we often cannot. It was a wonderful read, hard to put down!






Crossfire, by Jeanette Windle, is fiction, but it feels so real, especially when thinking of all the problems Mexico - and other countries - are living right now. "The drug war in Bolivia is an ongoing drama of real people in a context of greed and addiction, unimaginable wealth and economic hardship, conflicting political ideologies, right and wrong motives - and of occasional simple heroism as well. Crossfire is the story of that drama.

I had finished about half of it when it was time to head for Homeschool Camp, where I was helping prepare yummy meals for the campers. In my spare minutes - and there weren´t many - I kept reading! I promise, I didn´t neglect my duties!! Last night I stayed up late to finsih it, but found that it wasn´t really THAT late - others were up much later - and not even reading - just "visiting, goofing around, playing games, sitting around the campfire" - you know, uninteresting things like that!

It was a fascinating read, from beginning to end - all 617 pages of it!