In the Furnace of Transformation God Gives Us Grace and Hope to Go On

Can it really be six months since my last blog entry? Even though this blog is going to focus on life back in 1999-2000, I think the title given is most appropriate for the last six months of 2017. Between my liver duct episodes, which are leading up to a major surgery called hepaticohejunostomy, and Jenny's surgery, followed hours after by a heart attack, it has been a year of many unexpected events and God's goodness in saving our lives. After Jenny's surgery event, there was the discovery that she has pheochromosytoma, which requires heart medication presently and an upcoming surgery Jan. 19, 2018, to remove the tumor and affected adrenal gland. All this has been a furnace of transformation in many ways. Here's a pic of my beloved daughter and me about ten days after her surgery. And now it's Christmas, and my heart is full of gratefulness to God. He has drawn near and given us the grace to go on, and hope for the future. He has given us the joy of His love invading earth 2000 years ago and our hearts now.

Back to 1999-2000. While I'm mostly relying on photos along with a few diary entries, I also have precious memories of wonderful people and friends.

For me, decisions have always been hard ... and often very painful. Along with the struggles and hard things, the points of yielding were not easy. All the points of pulling back and letting go were accomplished because of who God is and how He showed His goodness in each event. Each event was a love gift. And, of course, they are now behind me..... But the years of 1999-2000 gave me more in the furnace of transformation that went deep into my soul.

The decision to do or not to do things is hard for me. It always has been. So what made this year so hard? Much of it centered around my work with the schools, teachers and kids, and one in particular: Chauncey Elementary School. Many times I struggled with the decision to go on directing this wonderful work, or leave this pressures and furnace of transformation.  On the one hand, we were very successful in what we were doing. On the other hand, we became the target for much criticism. If felt all targeted toward me, though I realize now it was not. But here's what I learned during this time: I don't need to be relevant, spectacular or powerful. He is so much more and I have everything that I need in Him.

Here I was challenged on so many fronts. Ours was a literacy partnership, which had been in my heart for years. I loved putting this together but it meant our OU students had to take extra courses in reading assessment and remediation. They came away with a reading endorsement so they could help children they teach become better readers and writers. It gave them an edge in getting jobs and we always seemed to get outstanding students who applied to be part of our partnership.

But there was much conflict was around the partnership, with Chauncey and with my collaboration with dearly loved Laura Frederiksen, my friend, and Chauncey's first grade teacher, school coordinator, and liaison to OU. She was an outstanding friend and leader. One one day Laura, who was not a follower of Jesus, had come to my house for lunch and to plan for a conference we were going to speak at about our partnership. At lunch, I prayed and thanked God for "the work You've given us to do." As Laura was leaving, she said most sincerely, "I like that, "the work you've given us to do." And it truly was the work He gave us to do together for almost 10 years before she died of liver cancer.

During the pressures it became clear that I was too self-focused, considering myself instead of seeing things from Father's perspective. Our friend Paul Petrie teaches that we must view circumstances through the lens of God's goodness and not God's goodness through the circumstances. See God first and the rest will become clearer. But you will see how selfish I was (still am), as I sought to find a way through what felt like an island of loneliness. I found the Lord taking me to the Cross, rearranging, stripping, tearing, emptying all that I hoped for in this life. I felt so empty, so much like my insides were being removed, shaken and redistributed so I no longer knew anything of who I am apart from His daughter.

The furnace felt like emptiness with all being burned away. My journal that year kept using the words "stripped" and "empty" over and over," and the Lord said to give thanks in the darkness and weariness, that He was good and would complete His good work.

Below are a few excerpts from my personal prayer journal during this year.

9/27: When all around me gives way...when all those who made commitments to me to work together, fail....when there is more to do than can humanly be done----I will praise your Name. It is enough. You are good and I will wait for You. You are the first and last, the living One, the One who was dead and is alive forever, the One who holds the keys to death and Hades. I worship you.


10/8: Oh, Lord, it is a time of yielding up my desires here in Athens for friends, for colleagues without spite, for a job that is fun and rewarding, for a church home and Bible study group that is encouraging, nourishing, and worshipful--for my limited understanding of doing Your will. I don't see blessing on anything outward we're doing, and see only my areas of weakness and failure. I give thanks for your gifts of Bill, Jenny, Dow and Lois. I ask for and choose life--to be content without the above, to stop looking for these and be content with Your love and what You've already given me to do. May all I do be intertwined with worship and rest, content with Your Love.

During this time, Bill and I began our rest-aways to Amish country, disconnected from phones, TVs and computers--something we try to do regularly now. And then winter came with beautiful white, clean snow. It washed the countryside and my weary soul. During these years, and many more to come, we found friendship, fellowship and community with the people at the Lancaster Covenant church. I wrote in my journal how grateful I was for "the love of Dennis and Dee Coll and Frank and Millie Dawson, for how they shared God's Presence in worship." And now Frank and Millie's only daughter, Tacee Puttick, is one of my close friends living right here in Columbus!


During this year Bill continued deep in the midst of his PhD program in computer science at Ohio State. And he experienced some pretty severe depression. He was put on medication that made him become a different person--so happy he was hard to live with! He finally went off it and I gratefully got my Bill back. His happiness now was real, but different than the medicated kind.

There are also so many good things that happened this year, so many treasured friends, that I'll save much of it for the next photo journal blog entry. But one of the best trips we made during this year was to visit our daughter doing an internship in Paris, and then drive up to have time with dear friends Paul and Rebecca Petrie, in Genval, Belgium. There's a beautiful lake out the window to the left.

Our times together were always full of love and encouragement on our journeys in the Lord. We didn't know that a year later Rebecca would fall down their stairs and have her life dramatically changed. You can read about this in the book we later helped her write and edit: Falling into His Grace: the Power of a Life Laid Down

The Norman Gang --All Life's Journeys End at the Foot of the Cross

We've known some amazing people in our life time. Some we have journeyed with for decades. They are our spiritual family. How can I not talk about these dear friends who don't give up on us and continue to encourage us? Quite a few have traveled ahead to our Home in Heaven, being with the One we all love the most.

For now, let me show you pictures of some of them when we were all a bit younger! We were called the "Wild, Wild West", sometimes "Dow's RATs" (Robinson's Apostolic Team). How we have laughed and cried together and helped carry each other's concerns. We did know how to party, didn't we?!? In the one photo we are all singing to Lois she is laughing, then she is doing her own skit.

All these I've mentioned and shown have been to the cross and yielded their lives to the Creator, King, and Completer. You know who you are. Some of you I will get to see very soon when we travel to see Lois, and Mary, and Jonee, and more of the gang. We hope to also see Bill's sister Mary Ellen in Tulsa.

These all know that it doesn't matter who you are or what you believe. Jesus will be there, either way at the end of their life. They all know that Jesus has met them and continues with them on this journey to the end of history. Yes, there is an end. The end? It's an amazing place. Yes, it ends at the foot of the cross. Either now, in this life, you choose to come to the cross or when you die you will come to the foot of the cross and before the One who created you.

From the cross to the cradle of heaven is where I'm heading. This summer I've prepared a summer camp for our grandsons, allowing them to create their own country. They had to identify where it is located on a map (they each had to use an iPad or other device for many activities) and describe the land from different perspectives. They each named their country (Isicle, was Isaac's Torcheckssia was Ethan's, and SPela was Joshua's) and drew and described the people, animals, houses, dress, and food. They invented their own language for how they talk (hooray for my linguistics background!). Sports, music, art were all a part.The government of this country was described and set up, and so much more (developing laws of the land!) Here are a few photos of our time together last week, along with friend and high school science teacher, Beth Eddy. She is dressed in Jamaican style, me in Nepali, and Joshua has on a Nepali men's cap.

So why do I tell you this now? Because I also told them about another country, one created by my Heavenly Father. It too has a name and location. There are people who live there who eat and drink and have fun together. They wear clothes, and talk with each other. There is so much described in the Bible about this country of Heaven. Using the source book of the Bible along with Randy Alcorn's book describing what the Bible says about Heaven, we put together a big picture of Heaven. It should be a great adventure! We knew how to party then, and we will party even more in the Country of His Eternal Creation. (If anyone's interested, I'll be happy to send you the curriculum via email--and some of their answers too!)

Thursday, the 22nd, it was the twins' 12th birthday, so we had to have food and cake, of course!. Here's a photo of them with Grandpa helping to light their candles.

Postscript: I just found a prayer dairy from 1999 while we were at Ledgedge in New Hampshire.

8-19-99: Time. Thank you for time to sit and listen and reflect without distraction. Time is such a grand and big thing. Yet I worry about my small portion of it. One day, 1000 years; 1000 years, one day. This moment is what matters--this moment to touch, connect and be with You, O Lord. What could be important in time? Time is one portion of your nature that you share with us, so how I respond to time is in part how I respond to you. You can hold time still, or fast forward, to reveal Yourself, if I but release my constraints and time conflicts. Teach me, train me, change me, capture me, to sit in your time and be touched by You.

You Whom I l Love, My Joy, My Crown

I am so grateful for the many people that my Father has given me, those "whom I love, my joy, my crown," as Paul said to the Philippians in 4:1, "Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!"

So who are my loves, my joys, and my crowns? Many of you reading this blog are some of these dear friends and much loved, too many to list. But when I look back over my life, I'd say that the ones that wrap themselves around my heart are, first of all, my loving, protective husband and supportive family, both natural and spiritual. Then tightly woven into my heart are the Nepali people generally and especially the Tharu people. There are the many students I taught over the years, both elementary school and university. There are other eternal threads woven in as well. You know about Dow and Lois Robinson, Sebastian and Lupe Vazquez, and Paul and Rebecca Petrie.

But first, let's go back to the late 1990's, Athens, Ohio. These were great years at OU. After I began Bible studies at Central Avenue Methodist church, I soon began to pick up "gals" who wanted a more in-depth understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. So we started having Bible studies in our home. There were four who became ardent in their longing for more of Jesus. It was my delight to be their companions for this leg of the journey. We would often hang out on our deck overlooking rolling hills. Steph, me, Debs, Moe and our loyal dog Bear are here. Bear always seemed to insert himself into a good picture!

Here are more pics of Steph and Moe, and then below us enjoying a visit with Katie Emmet from Boston. It seems like most of them spent time living with us in our basement at one time or another too--in the midst of life transitions.

We not only hung out together at our home, but we attended a lot of weddings together, as evidenced below when Debbie and Ken were married--we were all there to cheer. We continue to follow each other's lives on email, visits, and Facebook. One day in heaven we will again hang out together and celebrate the joy of relationships together. and with the One whom we all love the most, the One who gave His life in love for us and Father.

One gal, however, stands out and has been a kindred spirit since the first time I met her in our living room in Athens. I have to tell you about her. It's Stephanie--the same Stephanie you see above. I've been privileged to have several bosom friends over the years. Some I've already written about and others are yet to come in future blogs. But this one is about her.

Do you remember in the first story of Anne of Green Gables, her questions to Marilla?

"Marilla, she demanded presently, do you think that I shall ever have a bosom friend in Avonlea?"

"A—a what kind of friend?"

"A bosom friend—an intimate friend, you know—a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my innermost soul. I've dreamed of meeting her all my life."

Stephanie is special because she drew in so deeply to both Bill and I as we walked with her into her pathway to Father's heart. Let me tell you how we met. It was the fall of 1997. Steph had an education methods class with Moe, one of the others above and Moe told Steph about me and our Bible studies, and drove her with Debbie to our house, later to be joined by Becky. It was the beginning of a life-long friendship. She graduated, but kept in close contact. In the summer of 2001 she worked at Good Works in Athens and met her future husband, Aaron Fitch. She was in the midst of a great personal struggle and Bill and I met with her and prayed with her often. We also got to meet Aaron and saw how he was Father's provision for her. Here is a photo of Steph and Aaron a few years after their wedding. That's their pup, Tatum, who has grown to be much larger!

Here's one of my favorite pics of Steph ... and Bear. on our deck.

So how has this friendship grown over the years? We've kept in close touch via email and visits. She and the kids have come to our home in Columbus, and we have visited their home in Virginia quite a few times over the years. Aaron is a Methodist pastor and a great teacher. I still remember him teaching one Sunday on suffering. We also have loved watching Cooper and Elise grow up. Here's a photo of our visit with them last November.

In the last few years both of us have experienced unexpected physical challenges. Over a year ago we began a correspondence of daily sharing via email the things we were thankful for. Our challenges increased and we've been sounding boards for each other. Mine, as many of you know, have been several back surgeries (and perhaps another one coming up very soon), a serious life-threatening problem with my liver duct now held open with a metal stent (to be removed July 12 if it lasts that long), mobility issues limiting most activities in life, including driving and the swimming I so love. Bill has become my care-giver in ways we never anticipated.

Stephanie's challenges have been more serious with, PLS/ALS. She has lost the ability to walk and had to give up her passion with teaching. She no longer can drive and so lost that independence. She has experienced loss of strength in both hands, having to give up much of the cooking she loves so dearly. Lately, she has experienced the loss of strength in her voice. Aaron has become her amazing care-giver. We are both blessed with remarkable husbands.

So what is Stephanie's response to all this? I asked her to name her challenges. I have no words to add to hers, except to ask you to pray for her, and so close this posting with a quotation (with her permission) from an email I received this week.

Who knows which of us has a harder race to run? I don't want to compare because if do compare it is tempting to be overcome with self pity. On the flip side when I have experienced pity from others I no longer perceive myself to be worthy of respect as God's child.

You asked me to name my challenges. With each physical challenge a mental resettlement takes place, when I need time to mourn the loss of ______ (fill in the blank) physical ability and adjust mentally to a new normal. Meanwhile I try to remember God is in charge so I don't need to know why I have the loss. And I continue to be thankful for the things I CAN do. I don't inspire anyone if I focus on my losses more than what I can still do.

Some examples of physical losses and subsequent adjustments are as follows:

1. Loss of stability when walking = giving up teaching in the public school. I had a passion for teaching elementary age students but I kept falling in the classroom. Once I fell down the stage stairs as teachers and students witnessed. Therefore, I had to shift my thinking from teaching children to leading a group of adults from a wheelchair. But I gave thanks that the Lord helped me lead a wonderful Bible Study. Some group members still claim it was the best Bible Study they had ever attended.

2. Loss of strength in my legs = giving up walking and driving. I had to mentally adjust to giving up freedom to go where I wanted. I had to humble myself to get rides which was a loss of independence. I couldn't even turn over in bed without my husband's help. I've always been independent. My mom tells a story of me, at age 2, pulling a chair up to the counter to reach my bottle and trying to refill it myself. But I give thanks that my church family and friends donated a very large sum of money so we could purchase a van with a wheelchair ramp. And I also realized more fully my husband's love for me as he gets up multiple times most nights without complaint. God spoke to me through Isaiah 43:18-19, which explains that God provides streams in the wilderness.

3. Loss of strength in my voice, speech delay, slurring = giving up teaching adults. My focus became more intentional on my own kids at home where speaking loudly was unnecessary. Amazingly my own kids understand most words I say and I am not self-conscience about my speech around my kids.

4. Loss of coordination in my left hand = giving up bathing and toileting without help. This was frustrating but mostly humbling because I had to allow people to see me at my most vulnerable. But allowing myself to be helped in the bathroom has strengthened the bond I have with one of my very closest friends, because she is willing to help me with something so personal.

5. Loss of strength in both hands = delegating some dinner prep to my family. My lifelong hobby has been cooking. But I am slowly delegating more to my kids as my strength wanes. But I am seeing a shift in my kids' attitudes towards being more responsible and quick to come to my aid if I am unable to carry out a task. I PRAISE God they are not self-focused.

There are many more losses and mental shifts I have had. I don't want to dwell in that place though.

So I continue to be thankful for the things I CAN do. I don't inspire anyone if I focus on my losses more than what I can still do.

Family Are Gifts Tied Together by The Journey of Life

Our family is a gift from the Lord. Each child given is a gift, including those we lost in miscarriages and the ruptured tubal pregnancy. A loving husband is my greatest gift apart from Jesus. So this blog includes some of my favorite pics of my family, not in any time order, just the late 1990's. First a picture of my favorite (!) husband and then one of me at a river cafe in northern France on one of our sidetrips from Brussels! Here we tried to order tea with milk but our poor skills at speaking French didn't help. Finally our waitress figured it out and exclaimed with delight, "Te ole!" (Actually, "Te au lait!", but it sounded like cry of triumph.)

Our firstborn son, Jonathan Milo Leal, whose middle name belongs to his father, grandfather, and now him as well as his business (vino de Milo), is a heart treasure. Playing games is a long standing tradition, even trying out different designs with scrabble tiles lined up -- ready to fall down!

Jenny is a precious jewel in our hearts, loved from the first moment we held her, and even before as we awaited her birth. She's always been the traveller, and so we went to visit her wherever she was living. Here she is in Brussels and some of it's surrounding attractions.

She and her brother have always been friends (or is it frenemies?). Included here is a pic with Bear, the world's best dog. From their growing up years in a village in Nepal, to the current role of Jonathan as favored uncle to the favored grandsons, they always end up spending quality time together.

Speaking of Bear, you can't talk about our family without bringing out the photos of this favored dog. He loved snow, bringing home dead possums and leaving them on our porch as a gift, sleeping in Jonathan's bedroom (sometimes kicking Jonathan out of bed so he could sleep there), and jumping for whatever food Bill would give him! He was quite the acrobat. We got to love him for 13 years.

The extended family was deeply part of our lives. Bill's dad visited us in Athens, and we visited him in California. Here he is in his Zapoteco outfit, from the area in Mexico where he and Mom worked for so many years (and where Bill grew up). Also included is my sister and her kids. Here, Nancy is hugging her three kids, David, Daniel, and and Anna, and then seen jumping on our neighbor's trampoline!

So, in sum, the four of us have been friends for a long time. We've walked through a lot of life's challenges together, celebrating many graduations (seven masters and two doctorates so far), and just being family. We hold them close to our hearts and pray for them and their families every day, asking our Father to work His good in their lives. We know He's given family as a gift and we gratefully place them back in His Hands.

Incredible Students, Friends and Colleagues: The Best Things About Ohio University!

I feel so privileged to have met so many amazing people during my life at OU. Let me tell you some of my favorites from my early years there. They soon began to give PhD students to me--many of them internationals! How cool is that. I was thrilled. They were such hard workers.....and they knew I wasn't an easy prof. Working through the D word  (dissertation) was challenging. But I loved my students' perseverance and patience. We had them into our home as often as we could. My first doc student was Daniela, here with her husband and baby. Daniela was from Hungary, had married a Canadian, and was brilliant. She writes beautiful poetry today.

Khaloun was next and he was from Jordan. Then came Chin-Cheng from Taiwan, then Zubaidah from Malaysia, Pei-lin from Taiwan and Chanpen from Thailand. In between I also had amazing US PhD students like Lettie, Julie and Nadia. We not only worked together, we attended and presented at conferences together. Lettie and Julie became inseparable. I called them the marshmallow twins as they purchased matching puffy white jackets at one conference we went to. One of my joys today is to see how they continue too pursue the impartation and love of learning. My greatest joy is to see those who came alongside to follow Jesus. Lettie is now with Jesus, with a greater joy.

OK, so those were a few of my PhD students. I also had masters students and hundreds of undergrads. Even before I got involved in school partnership work, I found it so much fun to work together with students to research areas of great importance, and to publish together. Here's a group of students who helped me research the character qualities demonstrated in ALL of the Newbery award winning medal books. It was a long and hard job, but our findings were very important. We, too, went to conferences and presented these findings. Here you see Nadia, Deeder, me, Darlene, Betsy. and Julia.

Many became close, life-long friends.The top photo below are Keith and Darlene Wasserman, and their son Timothy, people we've admired over the years, as they lead the only work among the homeless of southeast Ohio. If you ever want a worthy place to make a donation, Good Works is one. Others were soon included as life-long friends.

In the middle photo below is Alice-Blake-Stalker, who welcomed us into her home when we arrived in Athens. Here in the photo we were presenting at a conference in Hawaii. They welcomed us with leis!

In the bottom photo below is Sharon Parsons; she and I began a friendship work together at East Elementary in Logan, and then moved south to Chauncey Elementary after a couple years, where she was principal for many years. She and Tom are still good friends. I had so many great friends and colleagues.

Of course, I've already talked about our life-long next-door neighbors Steve and Joan Safran. Joan was one of my first suite-mates on the second floor of McCracken, so I lived next-door to her in town, and at home. We became fast friends.

Some unique friends that became interwoven in my research studies were children's book authors. Bruce Degan and Joanna Cole, authors of the Magic School Bus series, answered my questions about their mystery genre works that made kids interested in science. I published several major studies to validate that. And I took my students to hear and meet them. Sometimes I enjoyed a meal with them. I attended a Children's Highlights conference with Sharon Creech, author of Walk Two Moons and other award winning books, too. My students especially loved meeting and talking with Gary Paulsen, author of the Hatchet series, and so many other books.

Then there were more visits with my famous young friends Michael and Maeghan Kearney, the genius kids. Their parents, Kevin and Cassidy, came too. Their parents wrote a book about them called The Accidental Genius.

A recent photo connects this distant past to the present. Last month I had the joy of being shown around the new and remodeled McCracken building where I used to teach. It's beautiful! But the most beautiful part was being shown around by two of my former doctoral students, Susan Nolan and Julie Francis, both who now teach and work for OU. Susan is an Associate Lecturer, and Julie just recently moved back from Rhode Island to accept the position of Director for the new Ed Stevens Literacy Center in McCracken Hall. I will be donating my collection of award winning children's books to this Center to see that these great books find their way into more children's lives and hearts.

I Never Imagined--So Many Friends, Vacations, and Overseas Adventures!

OK, backing up a bit. In my last posting I described those magical terms, “tenure” and "promotion" to Associate Professor. It all happened in my first four years at OU. So, to show you the other side of life during these years, in this posting you'll see lots of photos of trips, friends, and vacations that we took. I continue to marvel at the strength God gave me during those years. With my strength now waning, and pain levels nagging, it all seems a dream. How thankful I am for the privilege of walking with Him in all these places, finding His grace sufficient for every challenge--then and now.

Mountains and Rivers

We loved hiking, rafting and exploring the mountains of the northeastern USA. 

Mazatlan, Mexico

We also loved going to Mazatlan, Mexico with Dow and Lois. Twice we celebrated Bill's birthday there in Mexican fashion.

Once Bill went para-sailing above the Pacific. I LOVE the ocean, but didn't try that one out. Seven-year-old Joshua liked Grandpa in the air, and drew his version of him landing.

England and Scotland

In 1997, I had proposals accepted to speak at two overseas university literacy conferences--one in Manchester, England and one in Brussels, Belgium, where Jenny was now living and working. A highlight in England was visiting the home of Beatrix Potter, where many of the Peter Rabbit stories were first imagined.as well as walking through the reading center that now houses much of her work. 

We rented a car and drove up around the British Isles, staying in various memorable Bed and Breakfasts. We especially loved Scotland's countrysides. Jonathan had told us how beautiful they were, but now seeing is believing. Bill also loved the British pubs. I have way too many photos of this trip, and believe it or not, am only including a few!

For us, no trip to England would be complete without a visit with David and Rosie Freeman and their kids in Oxford England, much treasured friends, then and now.

Brussels

From England we traveled by overnight ship to Brussels where Jenny met us at the port and helped us navigate to Brussels itself. Here's a picture of her and one with her best friend there, Shan.

One of Jenny's and Shan's good friends, Julian Dee, worked at the European Union Parliament in Burssels. He gave us a mini-tour, though it was not in session as you can see. Among the many country flags, Jenny picked out the Nepali flag, of course!

A very special highlight on this trip was visiting our good friends Paul and Rebecca Petrie, who had moved from Lexington, Kentucky, to Belgium in 1986. They now lived in Genval, just a short train ride south of Brussels, where Paul was and is involved in planting prayer breakfasts for many European countries. They also helped us find "Chimay country," which quickly became Bill's favorite beer. And Rebecca took me shopping in the local shops for Belgian lace. We still have curtains in our house today from the lace we picked out on this trip.

Genval was close to Waterloo, so Bill climbed up to the top while I took the photo at the bottom. Shan also taught us how to make crepes, which we still cook today! Julian and Shan are with Jenny waving the Belgian flag.

Napoleon's Waterloo

Last, for this posting, is Joshua's rendition of what we looked like in our "younger" years. Hope it makes you laugh!

Washing Other Peoples' Feet

After washing his disciples' dirty feet, Jesus said in John 13:15-17 that "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

So what are you busy doing today? Whose feet are you washing? I've been MIA for over two months, writing no more postings, because I've been washing others' feet (and sometimes getting mine washed by them). That is the pull from Father: to offer my heart and life in service to many He brings my way. I may not literally wash their feet but my heart gets to lay down its life and preferences in order to do the will of the One who first loved me and gave His life for me and for you.

So that brings me to the next year at OU and the rest of my service at Ohio University from 1994-1996. Remember, we had just finished renovating a 150 year old house on the top of a ridge in Athens. Isaac just drew this picture of his mom, our daughter Jenny, working in the attic with electric cords and lights. There was no rug in the attic but there were mice! The final outcome was a beautiful home in which we spent 12 more great years living!

After the year of the house, and settling in to my new job at OU, so many great things happened. All were people God brought into our lives, including family. So first, an update on Bill, Jonathan, and Jenny, and me, and US really. Without Bill, none of this would have happened.

Bill continued his graduate studies at OSU, beginning work on a research project, commuting to Columbus, 160 miles round trip, three times a week, and being the best husband a woman could ask for. I am blessed beyond measure.

Jonathan completed his BA in education, then moved into to a masters program in French including a minor in German with three months in Salzburg, Austria, taking immersion courses in German AND maintaining a 4.0 GPA. AND managing to surprise me for my birthday by coming dressed as a very sick lady. I never recognized him until the end!

Jenny had finished the summer and returned for work in Brussels Belgium, and found she really loved European life. She has the international gene. Shan became a trusted friend. Of course we had to visit her in Belgium, along with seeing friends Paul and Rebecca.

Jenny was not about to be outdone by Jonathan so she dressed up as a man to surprise him. Jonathan didn't recognize her dressed with a beard and long hair. Finally after about an hour he heard Jenny's voice under the beard and was so surprised! The photos are before, during, and after the recognition. The last photo includes college friend Amy Huber Smith.

OK, I wish I knew how to condense all this, but these years were full of so many amazing times and peoples. I want to remember how peopled my life with the incredible and perfect comrades one could ask for. So here go my memories, not in any particular order.

Tim and Jenny Adie became real friends in life and worship times together. Tim is a gifted musician who plays for the Lord. We watched them both give their whole heart to the Lord. They almost immediately got married and were baptized out at Dow Lake on the same day! The following year Abigail Adie was born. We became honorary grandparents, though parents Doug and Dolores Adie were close friends too.

During these years, Bill's dad came for visits and we went to Santa Ana to visit him. By now he was in his 90's and slowing down a bit! In California we also got to visit friends Martin and Deidre Bobgan, staunch comrades for our journey in the Lord.

Here's a photo of my friend Linda Montgomery Bishop along with Bear and me on our front porch. Linda also happened to also be my book editor at Pearson when we were working on the textbook Exceptional Lives. No one could ask for a better editor. We shared much on that journey, and still get to see each other now that we're back in Ohio. Marilyn Shank, another co-author, continued to be a good friend as well. We've shared much on the book writing journey that we never anticipated. How faithful God was, and is.

We also loved visiting my sister and family in Lexington, Kentucky, and our dog Shalom who took a liking to Orv when we left Mobile and moved in with them!

 A huge highlight during this time was being asked to be the plenary speaker at England's Christian school conference. What a joy it was to meet up there with dear friend from Nepal, Ann Lycett. I felt humbled to speak of His heart for children among so many hundred teachers. I also spent time with David and Rosie Freeman and family, other teacher friends, and again explored C.S. Lewis' home around the corner from them.

Old friends were not forgotten. In my travels for presentations around the country, I got to spend time with Dianne Lawler and Sherry Rannells, and others from the Covenant Church gang, including Stephen and Susanne Simpson and daughter Gracie, as well as David Freeman again who was  visiting from England to spend time with Dow.

Ledge Edge has been part of our history for over 20 years now. Here are some early pictures of our time there. It is our true home away from home. How thankful we are to Kathy and Brian Emmet for making this possible. Its refreshment keeps us going year after year.

OK, I can't leave out what we came to call the "Norman gang," those who were originally part of Dow's home group and church, all scattered now around different states. But we still got together often as we could and have fun as well as listening to Dow teach us from the Word. Here are a few of the photos I could find of Mary Fleming, Claire Sawyer, Nancy Kennedy, and LiPi Su and husband Rong Yang.

Wow, what an amazing few years. Meanwhile I continued to love my students and classes. I also became more deeply involved in the schools, helping Lancaster schools to develop literacy assessment tools that the kids could use too. I traveled around the country to give presentations, including another one with my young friend Michael (the prodigy who graduated High School at age 11). In between all that I continued writing more books, chapters in books, and articles on reading and children's literature and special education.

One of my favorite grant-funded research projects was to examine how eight character qualities I found in Exodus 34:5-6--compassion, respect, discipline, courage, loyalty, responsibility, forgiveness, and justice--are modeled in all the award-winning Newbery children's books. Several classes of children around the country also participated in the study. AND it provided funds for Dr. Dow Robinson to come to Athens to teach my team and me how to recognize these qualities. Several publications came out of this study too. Anytime you want to read some of the articles I mention from time to time in this blog, let me know and I'll email them to you.

And, with two years' credit that OU gave me for teaching and research in Alabama, I took on the project of going up early for tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. That is one huge project where you have to gather all the evidence you can in research, teaching and service. With the help of husband (see "amazing husband", above), we turned it all in and waited, and then gratefully received the news that it flew through. Tenure means your job is secure and you are encouraged to branch out and do even more. So the years ahead were busy ones, and good. I found many more good friends at OU, as you will read in future postings.