Obviously, the previous post was not written today - I accidentally wrote it in the comment section - a mistake my son has repaired today ----  

I would like to express my joy and genuine thankfulness for the love and support of so many friends and family. It's still hard to believe Steve is gone - seems like he's just away on a NASA trip . . .  he will be buried next Friday at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. The folks at Ellington are planning to do a T38 fly-by. That event will help us feel like it's really over.

The comments being posted on the Houston Chronicle guest book are wonderful to read through. A friend of mine suggested that, just as the people of Nazareth did not really know Jesus, we would discover things about Steve from comments made by his friends and co-workers. It's true. The most endearing quality of Steve's was his quiet, patient confidence. And his wry sense of humor. He also believed in "treating people better than they deserve." He truly lived by that standard . . . I'm proof of that. I know I'm a better person for having shared sixteen years of marriage with him. And I'll try to honor him by living up to his standards.

We are on our way to a new life here. And the Lord continues to bless us. Picture very large snowflakes falling slowly, silently around you as you stand in a strangley quiet, snow-covered landscape - that's how the Lord is blessing us. Every day. It's an amazing thing to witness.

For example, last Monday, I was determined to take Daniel to a park I have driven past for years, but never made time for (we were always here visiting parents . . .). As usual, the day was slipping by quickly, and I didn't get him to that park until 5:30pm - much later than hoped for. However, it was the perfect time to show up, because the soccer folks had just set up a sign-up table for Daniel's age group. Unbelievable. Something Daniel has always wanted to try. So, he is now on a soccer team: the Young Lions. And the coaches seem terrific. That's my hope, as always, to find wonderful teachers for the boys. Now, I'm especially anxious for godly men to come alongside and mentor them. So, for now, it is such a gift to see the joy on Daniel's face as he learns to play soccer. (Something his older brothers have never done.) And what better way to enjoy the incredible weather and landscape here - sitting on the lawn with that sky and the mountains? What a special gift. I'll always remember our first summer/fall here and how we "fell" into the soccer thing. Even Daniel said, "Mom, we really are in the palm of God's hand!"  Indeed.

So, the house is cluttered with boxes. We are presumably moving on the 25th or 26th of July to Albuquerque. Wow. Hard to wrap my brain around that one.

And how could I even get this done without my dear friends helping me? And what did I ever do to deserve friends like this? Karen is amazing. I love her bossiness. I guess that's the definition of grace . . . 

Sorting through pieces of our lives, trying to be ruthless and brutal gets easier the closer we get to our deadline. It's just hard to stay focused on sorting and packing when I have to keep driving him to doctor appointments. Eveything in Houston is about an hour round trip. I won't miss that in ABQ.  I will miss our friends, our activities, the familiarity of our favorite places to go:  Trinity and Sagemont, the banjo band, canoeing, piano, HEP classes, the Japanese Gardens, MFA, HMNS, Andres, Central Market, the Williams Tower fountain, the Houston Arboretum, the beach . . . various parks, the libraries, and the many people we visit with and who pray with us and for us. It's hard to leave, but we do have a lot to look forward to also.

My dad is on a mission to make us comfortable as quickly as possible. He's 83 and such good company. His house is on a hill above the pollution level of the city. We have a sweeping view of the sky from the mountain to the east of the house to the Rio Grande valley to the west of the house. That sky will fill my heart the way the green does here in Houston. And it cools off at night. Steve is really looking forward to clean, dry air and mountains. We're thinking of renting an RV and driving up to Montana if we can figure out how to manage his pain.

Steve is in a fair amount of pain. But he's always chosen to suffer silently. Stoically. He's a good example to the rest of us whiners. Hopefully, we can have his cancer mass surgically reduced or removed - it's in the lymph nodes in his groin area, pressing on nerves and an artery. It's causing swelling now. An interesting pain doctor up in Houston is providing excellent relief, but so far, it's only temporary. He shoots Steve up with B12 and linocaine . . . supposedly he will only need 3 or 4 shots. . . . we're only half way there. Hope it works for him.

To all of the people who have made our life interesting and loved us in spite of our shortcomings, thank you. We love you and will always welcome you to our home. We will always cherish our Houston memories and all of the ways the Lord has provided for us. I'm especially grateful for our church and homeschool families we've known through Sagemont, homechurch, and Trinity. I'm still amazed that God saw fit to save a wretch like me and bless me with so many loving friendships. I am in awe.