We Leave on Sunday

Today was intense at school. People showered me with love and good wishes. There was cake in first period, a great lunch, the end-of-the-year freshman assembly, an English Department send-off, and lots of gifts and cards. The teachers on my team gave me flowers, gifts, and nice words. One of the best parts of the day were the hugs and touching tears shared with students and teachers!

What a great day! I need to go back tomorrow to get some last minute grading done.

We also had a great time this evening with Bryan and Marie Emmerson. They treated us to Mexican, coffee, and a baby-sitter. It was a evening filled with fun and laughter. Tomorrow we will also spend some special time with the boys: Chuckie Cheese! We will miss them in the week or so that we will be gone.

Several people asked how I am doing with the surgery approaching. I am a little nervous, but I think the reality will only sink in when I wake up on Monday after the surgery is done. Life has been so busy that I haven't really had much time to think. Most of my thinking has been prompted by John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life. I can' really do it justice here, but he talks about living for the glory of God and finding our joy in Him. For most of my life, those words have sounded sort of like the idea of going to heaven and playing a harp for eternity - if you know what I mean. Piper is helping me to open my eyes to the what it means to love God's way over my way. He says that when we view our lives from the perspective of the Cross, realizing that we left our old lives behind when we died to self, then we can live our joys AND our suffering in a way that will bring honor to our God and Savior. I hope that my life will be a "light on a hill." I hope I can live up to that today, next week, and beyond.
Thank you to all of you.

We plan on arriving at the Claire's (my son Seth's wife) parents' house Sunday afternoon. They live just outside Baltimore. They are hosting a dinner for my older children and us - although I will be on a liquid diet by then. They are allowing us to leave our car at their house. Seth will drive us to our hotel early Sunday evening. We will get up before 4:30 a.m. Monday morning. We are to arrive at Johns Hopkins by 5:30 a.m. The surgery is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. It should last about four hours with an hour or two additional spent in recovery.

Kelli is planning to update this blog as she is able. We are not sure what the internet access is like at the hospital. However, she is getting pretty good with her android phone.