Dino's Food Fixation

I helped my step-dad start his own blog called Dino's Food Fixation. After I signed him up, he said, "Wow. I have a blog. I don't feel any different."

I don't know if he'll update it but I'm trying to encourage him. Want to help?

See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing
has come...
~Song of Songs 2:11, 12

Here come the tornados. Yee-ha! Of course, we still have a whole month and a half of snowing left. It did snow here last year on April 30.

Teacher?

Yesterday, Riverview rocked. Let me start over. Yesterday, God rocked. This is what He did to me.

I started helping out with RivKids in November. All I'm supposed to do is assist the teacher. I play with the kids, help with snacks, and do potty breaks, leaving the lesson up to the teacher. Yesterday, Missy informed me of the following: Holly, the teacher isn't coming in. Can you handle the class or would you like help.

I felt this slightly nervous excitement. Four girls and one boy were in the room. I told her I could handle it. Wow. I was the teacher.


We went to big group and watched a video about the disciples. They were played by teenage boys and the acting was really intense. It held my kids attention the entire time. One little girl said, "Teacher, Jesus died...but how did he come back to life?"

Are you kidding me? This little person was coming to me for answers. I promised her we would talk about it when we went back to the classroom. Upon our return, we discovered Kaitlyn was going to join us as well. Normally, Kaitlyn wants to do her own thing and not participate. This day was different. She sat at the table, colored, join in on all of our conversations. And the kids were answering the study questions! They hardly ever do! I asked the kids what they would say to Jesus if he walked into the room. The answers were I love you and I miss you. We talked about their favorite movies, food, Easter memories and some other bible stories. After our snack, we played Duck, Duck, Goose and London Bridge. Everyone participated.

It was such an awesome feeling to teach and have those shiny little faces understand. I wonder if that is how Noel, Steve and Mark feel when they are teaching us.

After class, Missy's assistant gave me an Easter egg and congratulated me on my first day as a teacher. She complimented me and said it looked like I had everything under control. I smiled and said, "I can't take all the credit. God is in control."

Would I want to do this full time? I don't know. I might not like it as much if it were all the time. Perhaps there is a seed being planted. Perhaps not.

Take My Hand And Walk

I know there are times
Your dreams turn to dust
Yyou wonder as you cry
Why it has to hurt so much

Give Me all your sadness
Someday you will know the reason why
Wih a child-like heart
Simply put your hope in Me

Take My hand and walk where I lead
Keep your eyes on Me alone
Don't you say why were the old days' better
just because you're scared of the unknown
Take My hand and walk

Don't live in the past
cause yesterday's gone
Wishing memories would last
you're afraid to carry on

You don't know what's comin'
but you know the one who holds tomorrow
I will be your guide
take you through the night
if you keep your eyes on Me

Take My hand and walk where I lead
Keep your eyes on Me alone
Don't you say why were the old days better
just because you're scared of the unknown
Take My hand and walk...

Just like a child holding daddy's hand
don't let go of Mine you know you can't stand on your own

Take My hand and walk where I lead
YOU WILL NEVER BE ALONE

Hebrews 11
The Kry

We woke up to a sad morning and the end of a crazy week. They found Jessica and it confirmed everyone's worst fears. She suffers no more. One of the local car accidents happened on my dad's road. It missed my step-mom by a half hour. She would have been leaving for work. Kelly's mom starts chemo. Fawn and Chad's grandpa died so my mom and I went to the funeral home last night. My sister had what her doctor thinks was an asthma attack, one day before the anniversary of Simeon's death. Today is that day. And Terri Schiavo waits to die without her feeding tube.

What a crazy, sad world. But we continue to find things to be happy about, laugh at, and joy in. And like the song above says, but your hope and faith in God. His promises are coming.

The Spartans won...that makes me smile.

Not the real deal

I was driving into work this morning, grooving along to "Who's Johnny" by El Debarge, when I noticed a mini van with a picture taped to the back window. The picture was of a young woman and underneath--the explanation: my daughter was killed by a drunk driver.

I felt a small pain of sadness but it quickly faded as "When I Look Into Your Eyes" by Lifehouse blasted from my speakers. We learned about death last Sunday, that it isn't the end, only the beginning. After hearing the teaching, I turned to Joey and said, "I'm still scared to die. This didn't help." But like so many other things I learn, it is only until later do I get it.

I feel sad for the young woman's family but I do not feel sad for her. For all I know, she is in paradise. Down here...we are in the trenches. I kind of feel sad for us, not those who get to be with God and I will never understand the immensity until I go. The part that sucks is that so many suffer before they die. Then again, so many suffer their whole lives. NO MORE SUFFERING AFTER WE DIE!!! Whoo-hoo! AND we get to hang out with God and JC. I wonder if They listen to 1980s music...

Let us acknowledge the Lord...
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us
like the winter rains,
like the spring rains
that water the earth.
Hosea 6:3

Clarification

I wanted to clarify some questions I've been receiving about Simeon. I knew when I posted the picture of him with a cigarette hanging out of this mouth and then explained how he died, people would think it all made sense. Why would he smoke if he had severe asthma? I'm not sure when that picture was taken of Sim. I would have to guess a couple years ago. I got it from this site.

Simeon was diagnosed with asthma in January, a month and a half before he died. Treating his asthma was new to him. The tragedy was that Sim could have learned to live with it but it came on too fast and too strong one Friday afternoon. They had to get a special prescription filled and somehow, the pharmacy called it into the wrong store. The bottom line is that when Stevie went to pick up the prescription, it wasn't there. This added more time to the whole damn thing and by the time she finally got back to Sim, well...yeah...

Smoking makes me angry. It upsets me because people can quit. However, it is a tough habit to break. Many of my closest friends smoke. I have never had even one. Who am I to really judge, though? What does it matter when someone gets lung cancer or dies? I just can't have the attitude of "it serves them right" or "they should have known better."

Now for another clarification. Why do I care so much and post so much about someone I meant once? Because after Simeon died, I grieved for him every day because Ben was with me every day. I was one of the people who listened to him, cried with him, read from the bible with him, prayed with him...almost every single day for months after. Simeon's death changed my life. It really made me stretch my understanding of death, loss, mourning. My role as a friend bordered one of a grief counselor because there was no way I was going to let Ben go through it totally alone. Ben's family was in Kalamazoo, Atlanta, the east coast and his girlfriend lived in Cincinnati. Ben had us.

I really had no business trying to help him. I was way out of my realm and comfort zone. It affected me in many ways, positive and negative. But that's what you do for the people you love. Sometimes you suck it up and pretend you can handle all of it. You hang on to the truth that God will not give us more than we can handle. And really, what do I have to complain about? I didn't lose a member of my family. I didn't even lose a friend. I never felt like that, though.

I guess I just wanted to explain. I always feel like I need to explain myself. There it is....

Simeon Seinen

"I'm 22 for a moment
She feels better than ever
And we're on fire
Making our way back from Mars

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to lose
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live"
~Five For Fighting

A year ago last Saturday, I went to Sommerset Mall with my friend Andy. Deciding we had covered both buildings and all floors, we turned to leave…but something stopped me. “Wait, I think Ben’s brother works here in the Apple store.” Andy gave me a look like, “so.” “Soooo, I want to meet this guy,” I explained. Andy nodded and followed me in. I had never been in an Apple store before (no need) and I felt a little lost. Also, not knowing what Ben’s brother looked like or his name was a bit of a challenge. I scanned the faces of the trusty Mac employees and my eyes fell on a young man with a Seinen look…the eyes, the mouth, the height. I mumbled to an employee, “is….ummm….Seinen…here?” “Simeon Seinen?” I shook my head yes. The employee pointed to the young man I had suspected.

Sim didn’t look much like his tow-headed older brother. He was a little huskier and darker then Ben. I approached him feeling somewhat intimidated. Simeon was standing behind the Mac Genius counter with a countdown clock behind him. He was intensely working on someone’s computer so I had second thoughts. I voiced my concerns to Andy and he was all for leaving. His reply was, “what are you going to say to him anyway?” But I didn’t back down. Turning to Simeon, I marched right up to the counter. “Can I help you?” he asked. I introduced myself as his brother’s employee. He smiled and we shook hands. I can’t remember exactly what was said but when I explained that Ben was my supervisor; he jokingly apologized to me. When I was leaving, I told him I was going to be seeing Ben that night and I would tell Ben that Sim says hi. Simeon replied, “No, just give him a hard time for me.”

That night, I saw Ben at Krissie’s birthday party. I told him that I met his little bro. Ben laughed. “I wondered if it was you. I was in there about an hour later and Sim said one of my employee’s was just there. I asked him the name and he couldn’t remember. I asked what the girl looked like and he said, ‘I don’t know…she was hot.” We all laughed.

That’s the story about a chance meeting. I can’t tell you why I felt so convicted to meet Simeon or why I chose to go to Somerset Mall that weekend because I only go once or twice a year. What I do know is that Simeon died almost a week later at the age of 22 from a acute asthma attack.

March 19—Valassis held a huge party for March Madness. Sparty came into our work to hang out. We also had games, prizes and food. Ben and I were e-mailing each other in the afternoon.

Then Ben left and headed down to Cinci to spend the weekend with Nicole. I went to Lansing to spend the weekend with Jac. I got the call around 6:00. It came from Krissie.

“Holly, I just got a call from LP…Ben’s brother died this afternoon.”
“Ummmm…what?! Oh no…oh…you’re joking….#$*%...which brother?”
“I don’t know…the one who lives in Michigan…”
I’m not sure what I said next. I know I didn’t cry. I was just in a state of disbelief. I continued telling Joey the stories from the day and slowly it all started sinking in…then my thoughts turned to Ben. Shit. He was driving by himself to Cinci. Where was he? Was he okay? I felt I had no right to call him. I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. I started becoming concerned about his faith. Was it strong enough to handle this? Was God with him right now? Oh geez, what about Sim? I started shaking. I remember Joey sat me down on the couch and I just shook and cried. He said some things that calmed me down and gave me the courage to leave Ben a message. It all felt so tragic but a small amount of peace filled me. "God has him now."

I called Ben and left him a message telling him I was so sorry, that I couldn’t stop crying, I don’t understand why, hang on to his faith, God is there, I’m praying hard for him. I never thought Ben would call back but he did. I was standing on the front porch. It was so cold. Ben was racing back to Michigan. I asked where he was. Wopakoneta. We both laughed at the private joke. Ben explained how he got the phone call from Stevie and how he didn’t turn around right away because he just never thought…

“Holl, I had to tell my dad…” Ben said. Oh…Jesus…why? No frickin way was this happening. Before we got off the phone, Ben said, “just pray. Pray for my family and for Simeon’s wife who is by herself at the hospital.” I promised I would.

I was in a fog the rest of the weekend. At times I felt fine, like nothing had happened. Then, I would remember and would fight this neauseating feeling. I found myself slipping into a teary mess during church that Sunday. I believe the series was on Boneheads but I could be wrong. All I knew was that I needed God more than ever. I knew none of this was about me, but I couldn’t help but take it personally. It is that whole ultimate empathy thing I’ve got goin on. I left several times during the singing and the teaching to wipe my eyes. Where was God? I felt completely lost. On my last trip back from the restroom, I saw the pastor who had just been teaching. He was standing by himself, near the coffee. I didn’t know him well but…I needed something…comfort…a hug…something to ground me. I appoarched him and complete jibberish spilled from my mouth. Whatever I said didn’t make any sense and I could tell this from the look on his face. I complimented him on his teaching, said that my best friend’s little brother died for no reason and blah, blah, blah. What I really wanted to say to him was please, take this pain away from me. Please, give me a verse or something that will make me feel better. I got nothing but a confused look. Defeated and slightly shamed by my actions, I turned away and headed back to my seat. Out of no where, the other pastor, the one I knew way better at the time, was standing in front of me…with his arms outstreatched. I took the hug without a word. How had he known? Don’t misunderstand, either. This is the same pastor who has been known to harass me with teasing. It was just the perfect moment…almost as if…God somehow sent it Himself. I returned to my seat feeling much better. Comforted. Ready to face the crazy crap that was coming during the week.

Mar and I were determined to go to the funeral. We were convinced not to by upper management. I will never allow people to control something I feel so strongly about again. I was afraid, though. Afraid that Ben didn’t want us there. I was also afraid of upper management. We went to the funeral home and I saw the kid I had met only a week before. He was wearing the same Apple shirt I saw him in. All of it was so heartbreaking. It didn’t make sense. Then, there was his wife. She was so small, maybe 100 pounds. She seemed to be holding up okay but really, I just don’t know how she did it. We gave Ben all the love we had and went home.

Ben called on a few of us to help clear out Simeon’s apartment. Stevie had decided she wanted to move back to Kalamazoo. She went back one more time, the one week anniversary. She took some things and then said, “pack the rest into boxes and maybe someday I’ll go through it.” So, that was what we did. I can tell you it ranks up there as one of the most difficult things I ever forced myself through. Ben was up and down in his emotions. At times he was focused and then he would find an inhaler and get upset.

“You know what my last conversation with my brother was about, Holly?” Ben asked through tears.
“What?” I said.
“That you are hot,” Ben said with a laugh.
“I’m so sorry,” I said with tears on their way. "Why did it have to be about stupid me? Why couldn't the two of you told each other how much you love one another?"
Ben paused and said, "we didn't know we were saying good-bye."

I kept packing and finding little things that had made Simeon so precious to his loved ones: Apple T-shirts, CDs, pictures…How did he die of an asthma attack at 22 years old? I was completely sure this was a mistake. God messed something up by allowing this to happen. When I found Stevie’s wedding dress, I was convinced we would all wake up from this disgusting nightmare soon. Can you imagine…packing a 21-year-old woman’s wedding dress into a box, taping the box up and writing “wedding dress” on the box in marker. This was mistake. I prayed for God to comfort them in their sorrow but secretly, I was pissed at Him. It wasn’t a secret from God, of course, but He wowed me by sustaining faith in Ben and Ben’s family. They made it through and continue to make it through, even when it is entirely painful.

And so...it's been a year. Ben moved to Cincinnati and will be married in a month. He continues to have faith even though he thinks his faith is weak. Just by having it after all of this brings glory to God. Because Ben and his family turned to each other, asked for prayers, prayed themselves they all give glory and hope to others who suddenly lose loved ones. This weekend will suck. They will all get together and mourn, cry, share memories...they will relive losing the family baby. All of this will help them heal more because God will be there, in their hearts, helping them to move forward. God bless you and be with you this weekend (and always), Seinen Family.

You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
But now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I've held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
And though you're still with me
I've been alone all alone

"My Immortal" by Evanescence

God, if you check my blog, please be with Stevie as she enters this milestone. Please, help her mourn the loss of her only love. Please, heal her and help her to forget what she helplessly witnessed. It wasn't her fault. Make her be still, God...and help her know You. Amen.

A Fresh Start

I apologize ahead of time for the length of this posting. It is a part of my Jesus Story...even though Jesus isn't mentioned much. You might want to take a pee break and grab a sandwich before you start...

I loved college and hey, college loved me. Not at first. No, no, no…there was definitely a lot of character building. Still, Central was good for me and provided many different experiences, good and bad.

• Freshman Year—Lessons learned: Don’t trust just anyone, especially when things come up missing. Don’t give up after the first month (I almost did). Go to class but not when you are so sick you…get sick…during class. Don’t drink a Bellringer from the Wayside all by yourself or you might do crazy things and almost kill yourself. By the end of the year, I wasn’t living with the same people I had started living with at the beginning. Most of college was like that.
• Sophomore Year—Lessons learned: It isn’t always the best idea to live with your “closest” friends. When someone says you can borrow their lotion/perfume/clothes/CDs anytime you want, they don’t mean it. Your closest friends can break your heart. Not all classes can be blown off.
• Junior Year—Lessons learned: Living with three boys can be fun, exciting, a riot, messy…as long as you don’t start dating one of them. If you can’t make friends, buy them. Broadcasting people are just as weird as I am. When you break up with your roommate/boyfriend, move in with your cousin’s friends who are twin brothers (this actually worked out well until one of them started liking me). Sometimes heartache and displacement can cause you to do better in school and get on the Dean’s List. Smile more and you will win “Prettiest Smile” in the broadcasting department (along with most eligible bachelorette…and two scholarships).
• Senior Year—Lessons learned: Living with 20 other girls isn’t a horrible idea, as long as you know when to stay out of the fire. When you break up with someone, sometimes it isn’t always a clean break. Just because you put your heart out there to someone new doesn’t mean they will accept it and the two of you will live happily ever after…and sometimes, it does work out. When your kitty cat dies, it hurts almost as bad as when your grandpa dies. Hanging out with the frat boys across the road is an excellent way to scare off most dates. It is okay to graduate without a job…and to fall in love right before you leave college forever.

The best part about attending Central Michigan was you got a fresh start. The title you held in high school, didn’t have to follow you to college. I tried to break my moody reputation and get to know different people. I also enjoyed my classes and the freedom of doing what I wanted and when. I had a routine: go to class, eat, workout at the SAC, study for a few hours in the library, go to the bar. It didn’t work so well during certain semesters but I did get on the Dean’s List twice and graduated with a 3.47 (just short of honors—was the bar really that important to me? Yes). I loved the whole scene.

CMU was full of quirky, religiousy things. First, there was The Preacher Dude/Weirdo. He would stand between Anspach and Moore Hall trying to save all of us sinners. Great tactic. Yell how we are all going to hell. It didn’t work. People would gather around him, though and try to debate. Second, the Jesus Freaks that lived in the old frat house on Main Street. They were the fraternity of God (the Greek letters they used were Alpha and Omega). They would come after all of us, too. Not effective. Third, the student catholic church on campus that had a really excellent way to get to people’s hearts: put crosses all over the lawn to signify the number of abortions in a week/month/year. It really creeped me out. I wanted to protect those little crosses, shield them from the snow, rain, cold, heat. I knew the church was trying to make a statement but those mistakes didn’t belong to them. If they were trying to show Christ’s love, they were missing the point. Girls already felt alienated, shame, guilt. These crosses really rubbed it in. It was a slap on the face, a constant reminder.

Central quickly became my home, though. The only problem was going back to Laingsburg on weekends. My step-dad and I couldn’t stand each other. On one occasion, I called my sister, crying. She was in the process of buying a house behind Holt High School. She said there was a spare room in the basement. “If you want it, it’s yours,” she told me. I smiled thinking about how mom and I had made a room for Lyn in our old basement. When Lyn moved into the house, I gladly moved all of my belongings in. I came home to Holt and lived with Bradwee Bictor again. My sister saved me, even during one of the most difficult times of her life: she and Jeff could not have children together…at least, not the old fashioned way. I felt extremely disappointed and sad for them. My sister, however, was not down. She was optimistic and said with a little help from science, they were going to try other routes and methods.

During the summer months, I worked door to door jobs with Kelly. The jobs were horrible but Kelly and I became closer than ever before. We hung out on Duck Lake, went on many road trips, and caused trouble around Holt. The door to door jobs were bad but it taught me to not have fear of rejection. In August, I began my second year of college. Lyn and Jeff were expecting. Naturally, we were joyful.

I barely made it through my Sophomore year, the worst year at CMU. I didn’t get along with my roommates, my sister lost the baby, I didn’t do so well in my classes and I had just signed a lease to live with three boys. After the year was over, I went back to Holt.

In May, I received a call from my grandma early on a Thursday morning. I was half asleep in my room, listening to Bradley playing and Jeff taking a shower. It was hard to understand what my grandma was saying. She could barely speak. All she could get out was…your grandpa. I dropped the phone and ran to the bathroom door, yelling for Jeff. Soaking wet, he ran out of the shower with a towel wrapped around him. He went to the phone and I just stood there, shaking. My whole world was crashing down. All I could do was stand there in disbelief as Jeff talked to my aunt on the phone. I looked down to the face of a little four-year-old boy. “Aunt Howee, what’s wrong?”

Jeff got off the phone and explained grandpa wasn’t dead. He had gone in for hip surgery and was given too much morphine. He was in a coma.

My mother and Dean had just moved into a brand new home in Holbrook Hills, the neighborhood behind my sister’s. Mom was recovering from gall bladder surgery. I called and spoke to Dean. I hadn’t spoken to him in almost two years. Jeff dropped me off at their house. Dean gave me my mom’s car keys and $50. He said to call him when I got up to Petoskey and let him know how things were going. He didn’t want to tell mom just yet because he wanted her to get some more rest. I thanked him and began my drive up north.

I cruised up there praying the whole way. “Please, God, don’t let him die. Please, let me get up there. Grandpa, just hold on.” The drive up north is one I will never forget because I felt a sense of peaceful urgency. Tears…calm…pain…peace…sorrow…awe. I made it to the hospital in Petoskey and entered my grandfather’s room. He was snoring, loudly. I smiled but I was scared. It seemed like he was only asleep but I knew he was never coming back. The nurses urged me to talk to him. He made little noises, somewhat acknowledging. I told him how his children were flying in and driving up to be with him. The call had gone out. Grandpa was dying. I stood next to his bed, holding his hand, gazing out the window. The sun was setting on Little Traverse Bay. The whole scene from the hospital was nature at its finest. “What a beautiful place to die,” I thought.

Grandpa held on until each one of his kids, including his youngest (my sister), came to say good-bye. After a week of being in a coma, he slipped away, peacefully. That same day, my friend Monika gave birth to her first son. There isn’t a loss without some small gain, as the saying goes. Another little miracle was in store for our family, too. My sister was pregnant again. While we said goodbye to our grandfather, we madly prayed for the health and safety of the child she carried. This was the last time Lyn and Jeff were going to try. This had to work.

Christmas break arrived and I spent it at my sister’s. Early Christmas morning, the labor pains began. At 1:23 a.m. on December 26, the baby we prayed for was born: Little miss Lyndsay Marie, named after her mother and her aunt. We finally had our little girl.

My final year of college began in 1997. Four years plus one summer and I was almost free. It was fun living on Greek Row. I split my time between classes, the Bird, the house and the Crow Frat house across the street. We did lots of fun things like holding picture composites hostage and forcing the boys to come sing for them back. We had South Park, 90210 and Melrose Place nights. Bar night was every night. Yes, my senior year was a lot of fun.

In February, I realized a couple of things about my life: it was totally going to change in just a few months…and I was scared to death. February was a tough month for my life. I turned 22, was turned down by someone I really liked, my 14-year-old cat died, and Spring Break turned out to be a big, fat joke. But something else happened in February…an event that eventually led me back to God.

Updates

Work is keeping me busy. Church is keeping me busy. Here are some updates, though.

Baptism
When: April 17th
Where: Riverview Church in Holt, MI
Time: Not sure, yet. I think it will take place after the 11:45ish service but I don't have the official timing.
Guests: If you want to come watch my two pastors hold me under water and laugh, excellent! Just let me know.
Gifts: Sure, if you want. Just kidding. I'm doing this as an outward sign of an inward decision I made two years ago. This is one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive. If you decide to attend, that would rock more than a gift. Besides, I don't need anything...yet (see below)...

Mission Trip to Koln, Germany
When: June 25-July 3 (no, I'm not moving to Germany)
Why: Hmmm...I believe it is to see how many people I can trick into going to church. Oops, no, that isn't it. I am going to Germany to build relationships with people which may plant a seed which may lead them to Christ. I will not be handing out Jesus pamphlets. I will not be digging wells. I might be feeding the hungry but not with just 5 loaves of bread. The purpose is to meet people and perhaps share our stories with them.
Money: I'll be asking for some...not much...so you might be getting a letter from the Great Commission Ministries church (and me). It is tax deductible and a great cause (Go ahead, make God smile).

I'm really excited. Yay!

Send Me

Yesterday, Tami (my co-worker) and I were at our weekly prayer/bible study meeting at lunch. I caught her up on Germany and this smile came over her face.

"Holly, while I was waiting for you to get here, I flipped my bible open. Sometimes I say a little prayer, 'God, what would you like me to read?' and then wherever my bible opens is what I study. Let me read to you where the bible opened up today:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

Tami reaffirmed this with, "Holly, I think you are definitely supposed to go."

I got chills but felt warmth at the same time. I hear You.

Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. --2 Corinthians 4:17

It just got worse...

My best friend's mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. All of this really makes me want to sing that song from church: Where are you, where are you, oh my God?

Please pray for Jo and for Kell and for the cancer to just go away.

I went out to eat with my family on Saturday for my grandma's birthday. Lyndsay and I were sitting on opposite ends of the table but I could tell she was spinning some excellent story. I was too busy listening to the other end of the tables conversation about scars. Suddenly, I heard her little voice above all others saying the following: Yeah, he does have it pierced...and he's Aunt Holly's pastor!

The entire table...no...the entire Big Boy...stopped short and looked at me. "Is that true, Holly?" my step-father asked. "Umm...that depends on what she said he has pierced."

"His eye-brow."

"Oh...that...well...yeah...my pastor's eyebrow is pierced." Everyone kind of stared at me for a minute. "What's the big deal?" I asked. "Tattoos, piercings, polka dot hair...God cares about your heart." I knew they were still sitting there slightly judging me so I blurted "in the summer he teaches barefoot."

My family is officially never coming to Riverview.

And here it is...

Another reason my family probably won't ever come to Riverview. Wait, its the same reason. Yes, this is the guy that finally got me to "get it" about Jesus and God. Well, this dude and another dude that I don't have a picture of...yet...

Mission

After my birthday dinner a few weeks ago, Joey and I decided to take in a nice, light comedy at the local Celebration Cinema. Because it was my birthday, I chose Hotel Rwanda. Nice pick. My cousin, who is in charge of security at Celebration, just shook his head. "Great movie....if you want to see a bunch of people die." Gulp. There was a point early on in the film where I said, "if these people get shot, I'm leaving." That was how intense the movie really was. I didn't leave, though and I'm glad. Still, the movie was so powerful, we had a hard time leaving after it was over. We felt spaced out and sat down on the couches for no apparent reason.

Joey: I want to join the Red Cross.
Holly: I want to join the Peace Corp.
Joey: I want to sell everything I own and go help people.
Holly: I want to help people, too...maybe even locally.
We were both feeling moved to do something.

And then...well...then God stepped in. Actually, it was Chuck and his roommate who were leaving their movie. We all laughed because Chuck had just eaten dinner with us a few hours before.

Chuck: I didn't know you were coming to the movies tonight.
Holly: Either did we.
Chuck: So...what did you see?
Joey: Hotel Rwanda.
Chuck: Whoa.
Holly: What did you see?
Chuck: We saw Constantine...oh, and do you both know my roommate, Clark?
We shook our heads.
Chuck: Clark, this is Joey and Holly.
Clark: Whoa...Joey and Holly from Riverview.
Joey and I nodded nervously.
Clark: Wow! Glad to finally meet you both. Your names came up in a meeting I was in recently. It was about the mission trip to Germany.

We were floored. Here we were feeling so convicted to go out into the world and do something, serve somehow...and God responded.

We went to the meeting Sunday after church. I didn't sign up because I wanted to pray on it a little. Later, as I was driving back to Walled Lake, I started laughing at myself. What more do I need to know I should do this? A bolt of lightning? An angel? God already gave me the sign. So....I'm doing it. I'm signing up. Now, if God doesn't help out with the money situation, then perhaps I misunderstood His intentions. Still, I do want to ask my friends, family, and leaders for council (that is what us Christians do--seek council). Any thoughts?

See, the thing is...I've never been outside of the continental US. I've never flown over an ocean. I've never been to Europe. I've never had a passport. I've never been the minority. But I have talked to complete strangers about God. I have reached out to my best friends about God. I'm pretty good at gauging when to push forward and when to shut up. I'm also doing my own study of the gospels in an attempt to really get to know Jesus. I'm not afraid to do this mission. I'm really hoping God wants to send me.

Okay, okay

I know I shouldn't hate things. Sometimes, "things" get us all really down. It isn't just cancer. Its a lot of "things" in this world. The cold that is kicking my butt, for example. That is really getting me down. All of my colds start with a sinus infection. The one I got the week of Christmas started with a sore throat. I never get a sore throat. This one started with a cough. I never get a cough. I like variety but come on. I need to do something about my immune system. But back to God...

God doesn't like it when we are hurt or suffering or sad. And it seems kind of strange that we are put in bodies that will somehow fail us...whether its cancer, sickness, old age, an accident...we are frail in these human clothes. But I guess that is why God makes our souls strong because when he takes us out of this skin, we get a new one (so I'm told).

I remember a line from a Will Smith song. "Hate in your heart will consume you, too." It was good advice he was giving his son. It is good advice for everything in life. I try not to hate cancer or anything else. Hate is its own cancer. I guess the only options are to pray it out of people or pray for their soul to be safely taken home. Either way, God's will be done.

I have a fever of 102. Could you tell?

17 Years

March 3, 1988
Dear Diary,
I haven't written you in a long time because I lost you. Well, in the morning, TJ called and said she couldn't come to school because Kim got really bad overnight. I was mad at Brad for putting up pictures (of swimsuit models) in his locker. I didn't talk to him. After school, I tried to call TJ but the phone was busy. I didn't get through until after dinner. Carolyn answered the phone and said let me talk to your mom. I yelled for her to pick up and then I hung up. Fawn asked if anyone got the mail. Chad and I shrugged. As Fawn went outside, my mom called me back to her room. She was crying. She wanted us to come back to her room when phone came inside. I went to the living room. Chad was laying on the floor watching TV. "My mom wants us to go to her room when Fawn comes back," I said. "Did Kim die?" Chad asked. "No, don't be stupid," I said. When Fawn came in, we went back to my mom's room. Crying, she told us that Kim had died. Fawn started crying. Chad got really upset. I didn't cry. I went to the basement and sat by myself on the dryer. It was cold. Everything felt cold...and alone. I went to my bedroom and put my George Michael tape in. It was Kim's favorite. Fawn and I listened to One More Try. Finally, I did cry.

March 3, 1989
Well, it's been one long year since Kim died. Chad and Justin are being such jerks! Here I am, sitting on my bed listening to One More Try. It is exactly 11:14 pm. I thought about Kim all day. I carried her picture, listened to her songs, read stuff about her and most of all wrote about her. I can't stand the thought that she's been gone for one full year. I look back on this year as long....but kind of short. Now I'm listening to Lean On Me. I remember when Karen and I went to TJ's grandma's. We were jammin to this song and Karen taught me the words, just as her older sister Kim had taught her...I knew I could always lean on Kim.

March 3, 1990
It's been two years since Kim died. We went to the Band Festival at Jackson Northwest, Kim's old school. We had major fun on the bus. We were all friends because we were all in this together. When I got there, I looked for Kimmy's little sister, Karen. Couldn't find her. Percussion forgot their music! It was almost time to go into the warm up room! Percussion came through for the band and found some copies and a copy machine. After we played, I found Karen. We talked for awhile. It was time to go and everyone was getting on the bus. John Sonnenburg got on the bus and started screaming, "Ones! We got all ones!!!" Everyone started cheering. We had a lot of fun. When I got home, I listened to to all the depressing songs that remind me of Kim. I cried and cried. My mom came in and held me. She said, "I don't ever want you to change. I always want you to be sensitive." I love you, Kimmy. You'll never be forgotten.

March 3, 1991
Three years. Holy Hornets! Three years Kim has been gone. I'm so confused about her. I've now passed her age. I'm 15. I look nothing like her. I mean, when she was 14, she looked and acted like she was 17. I looked up to her so much. I was only an 11-year-old. I got a lot of things straightened out about her death this past year. The doctors never found the brain tumor. Her brain died of increased intercornil pressure. Chills. I quote Kim's dad, Howard: I hate f-ing cancer (except I wrote it out). I remember Kim, Mary Ann, Crystal and I out on Crystal's swing set talking about Chad and how much Kim liked him. She was such a sweetheart but she could get a nasty temper. I really didn't know her well. We were friends but not close. One truly amazing thing is that I still feel the same way. I can feel the hurt, fear, disbelief and emptiness I felt three years ago. I guess it never leaves, like the stories and memories.

March 3, 1992
It seems like yesterday. Everything seems as if it just happened. It's scary how fast time is going by me. I sometimes wonder who will read my diaries when I'm gone. Burn them, quick. I visited Kim's grave on Sunday. I hadn't been there in a few years. There was a Mary statue at the end and some type of flower covering over her grave. I called Howard yesterday. Jack answered the phone. The little baby I used to know can talk! He will be four tomorrow. I really don't have much to say so good-bye for this year and I'll be writing again...tomorrow.

March 3, 2005
I tried to write about Kim every year. I didn't want to forget her. I only knew her from July 4, 1987 to March 3, 1988. Before I knew it was wrong to worship and idolize people, I worshiped and idolized her. Don't paint the wrong picture of me as an eleven-year-old stalking the poor girl. It was just that there was something about her that I envied. I looked up to her. I mimicked her dance moves. I paid attention to the songs she liked and the phrases she said. And then she was gone. There was never another her.

So, it has been 17 years. I lost touch with her father and siblings but never forgot about her. I reached out last year and found Howard. He had remarried again and shared custody of Jack and Allie, the brother and sister Kim never knew. Jack turns 17 tomorrow. Allie will be 16 on the....9th, maybe? She is an honor student and doing very well. Karen, whom I got in touch with in January, is the proud mother of a 9-year-old boy, Matthew, and a 9-month-old baby girl, Payton Kimberly. Karen will be married in August. She has invited me to the wedding.

I'm still working on the Kim project but I've realized that besides Kim's family, people don't seem to have stories to tell. Seventeen years ago for them was....seventeen years ago. Ancient history. But it's not for me and I don't know why that is. God blessed and cursed me with a sharp memory: easy for me to recall a time Kim laughed when she said she was cereal (instead of serious) and easy for me to recall a time when I made Kim cry because she said I looked like Alyssa Milano. Yeah. I made her cry. I didn't like Who's the Boss. Someone told me in an elevator a few years ago, "hey, you kind of look like that girl...from Charmed....Alyssa...." "Thank you," I said with a smile. Anyhow, I'll close for this year, since I'm sick and have a fever. Here's to you, Kim. I hope you're having a good time in heaven. Hopefully, some day will be better friends.

I wonder if God hates cancer as much as I do.