Guitar Heroes Rock!

OK, I've taken leave of my senses. Sunday night I was attending a barbeque with some church friends. When I heard of a strange video game called "Guitar Heroes" I found myself walking down into the basement...and into a whole new world. Really.

I didn't think I could fall for a cheap video game. But hey, we all have our quirks. I heard tell one of the 30-something guys from church is buying the game for "his 6-year-old." Yeah, right. We are forming a group for the guitar-hero addicted.

So here's the gist: you hold a pretend plastic guitar while watching the screen. It's very much like Dance Dance Revolution if you've ever encountered that. There are colored buttons that you push and then you "strum" a white plastic button. The key is to do this all in rhythm so you can be a guitar hero. You "play" through two dancing rockers on the screen. One of them even had purple tresses. Oh my.

I started slow, since I'm used to piano playing, but not guitar strumming. But once the beat took hold, I started moving a bit. And by the end of the 2nd song, my guitar was pointed upward and I was in a phrase...rocking out. You had to see it to believe it.

http://www.guitarherogame.com/gh2/

A note to all: I don't condone all the music lyrics used on this game. Be selective. And rock on! :)

Time at home

Dad was in the hospital from Thursday till Sunday. Now he's resting at home again, in his comfy tan recliner, glad to be living free from the constraints of being watched and prodded 24/7.

This weekend the cancer doctor told dad he can stop chemo and radiation at any time--these treatments will not help significantly to halt the cancer, and who wants to live with side effects indefinitely?

Dad will have one more chemo to see how it goes. Just two 1/2 weeks until his grandson arrives, so we're all anticipating how wonderful it will be to share this new life as a family.

It's no exaggeration to say that this part of the journey through Dad's cancer will be one of the most difficult. I pray we'll have the strength and wisdom to help him live graciously, with dignity and comfort, in the remaining time we have together.

This weekend, I reflected on the fact that I'm so very glad dad knows Jesus--not just casually, but as a friend, brother, and Savior. I'm so glad I know Jesus, too. It makes the pain somehow bearable, even though the pain is very real.

Stay tuned for a more light-hearted entry on my favorite new video game...guitar heroes. :)

I'll be back soon.

Living through Pain

After awhile, with cancer, it is hard to be cheerful. There are many blessings in our lives, to be sure, but constant, excruciating pain, not only wears on the patient--it wears on all who wish they could relieve it for him.

That said, thank you for your prayers. They are so very important, as the tumors on dad's neck area have grown, causing constant pain. They have doubled up the medication, and so he is more comfortable at present, but so tired he cannot function well.

Mom is tired as well--and we're so very grateful for prayers offered to strengthen, sustain, and comfort her during this time.

I will be heading down to their home on Saturday evening and returning Monday evening. Please pray that I will be able to help and comfort both of them during this time.

Here is a wonderful quote that one of my author's shared, following the tragedy in Virginia this week:

We are not alone, we are more than flesh and bone,
What is seen will pass away, what is not is going home…
I believe in the holy shores of uncreated light,
I believe there is power in the blood.
And all of the death that ever was if you set it next to life
I believe it barely fills a cup –
Cause I believe there’s power in the blood…
When you lay me down to die, you lay me down to live.
-by musician Andrew Peterson

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
-Jesus

Return to Chemo

Thank you for the many prayers you have offered up, for dad, and for our whole family. He was extremely weak this last Easter Sunday, but he read in church, and fought through the pain to stand up, to smile, to show kindness to others.

Today he is feeling quite a bit better. And that is how it goes with cancer. You never know quite what to expect. Some days he experiences less pain, some days he experiences more. And so we take each day that we have been given as a gift. A gift that brings pain, but reminds us of everything we believe in. Reminds us that following Jesus is not about platitudes and empty promises. It is real, eternal hope.

Dad re-enters chemotherapy today, and we're hoping the treatments might lessen the pain of the bone cancer in his spine.

And if you wouldn't mind praying specifically, that he will not get an infection following the chemo that would land him back in the hospital. How very wonderful it would be for him to be able to stay at home.

Thank you for your love, support, and prayers.

Gratefully, Suzie

He died, but three days later...

Quiet, contemplative, and sacred, the Good Friday service held an air of both sorrow and an undercurrent of joy.

Gathered in a small library at a local Covenant church, lights dimmed, scores of candles bright, we remembered his sacrifice. A piano led us through the liturgy. A violin crooned, sometimes mournful, sometimes soft and warm.

I was transported as I closed my eyes, and the pianist reminded us that he was pierced for our transgressions. In fact, we were the ones who persecuted him, we were the ones who brought him to Calvary, and unwittingly nailed him to the tree:

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
Jesus, all of my vile thoughts and deeds stare me in the face on Good Friday...
he was crushed for our iniquities;
My eyes begin to water as I imagine you whipped, tortured, beaten beyond recognition..."no, no!," I want to scream. My sins cannot be causing this disgrace....
The punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
Nails pounding, soldiers spitting, women weeping, "Father forgive them...Into my hands I commit my Spirit." And then you were dead. For us. For me.
and by his wounds we are healed.
Your hands, your feet, your side, your sweet head, your whole body smitten with the wounds that should have been mine. And in that moment, I was eternally healed.
Isaiah 53:5

Oh, the pain Mary must have felt in her chest, a real physical ache, a sorrow beyond all sorrows.

Until three days hence....

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
Rabbi, our friend, the man who valued us more than any other man, where are you? How can we honor your sacrifice? How can we live with this horrible ache?
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
Oh, Lord, what can this be?
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
Risen!?! Oh, how quickly can my sandals carry this good news...how quickly, Mary, can we run?
The women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
My heart pounds, but I cannot slow down...I cannot keep this joy inside!
Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
It is so hard to let go of his garment, of his hand. "We love you more than life, Rabbi. But must we go? We would never leave your side. Oh, well, if you insist. Thomas will never believe this...."
Matthew 28

Jesus is Risen! Forever and always. From here to eternity. He's risen in my heart, he's seated in the heavens, he calls my name, he intercedes for me, he waits while he prepares me a place.

He is risen, indeed.

The Joy of Jelly Bellys

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they eat jelly bellys.

Really.

For starters, everyone has their favorite flavor...tutti frutti, buttered popcorn, pina colada, or jalapeno. What's your pleasure? If you're conservative and predictable, you may opt for the standard flavors like blueberry, or lime, or orange.

If you're a spontaneous daredevil, on the other hand, you might find yourself creating your own on-the-spot recipes: kiwi & orange, strawberry & juicy pear, toasted marshmallow and chocolate. You could even go wild and concoct a licorice-strawberry cheesecake-margarita combo. (Get more "recipes" at jellybelly.com.)

I myself am either well-rounded or indecisive when it comes to jelly belly flavors, depending on how you look at it. I buy the standard mix, and I want to taste EVERY flavor (except cinnamon and licorice).

Sometimes I eat them slowly, sometimes I pop them while reading. But I'm in the habit of eating only one at a time. I want to absorb the bursting flavor and experience it to its fullest. Nancy from my water aerobics class says this makes me self-disciplined. Ha! For crying out loud, I'm eating pure sugar!

That said, jelly bellys for me are a rare indulgence. I bought them this last weekend because I knew my family would share them with me. And by the way, they are the new "reward" of choice for my two-year-old niece who is currently being potty-trained. She's partial to the "pink" ones--relying on color only to make her selection.

Well, enough is enough. I've beat this horse to death, and this might be the last time I ever speak of jelly bellys on my blog. It's time to move on to something more meaningful...like Easter.

That said, if you do happen upon these tasty morsels, I recommend placing them in a glass dish, lounging in a recliner, and slowly sucking up the delicious goodness. OK, I'm done. :)