Today my hubby and I went and stood in line for a very long time, in order to pay our respects to the family of a good man, Bruce Lobb, who passed away last week. In 1989, we'd just moved in to the area, and were attending church at a little Bible Chapel in Clinton, about 20 minutes from home. We knew nobody in our little town. We homeschooled the kids, and hubby still worked in the city, so it took some time to build relationships. We'd only been here for four months when I got a call late one evening. It was the doctor. "Mrs. Billson, we've determined that you have a full placenta previa, and you must come immediately and be admitted to hospital until your baby is born." What were we to do? We had six children; my husband worked an hour from home, and here I had to leave and go to hospital for many weeks. I called someone from the Bible Chapel, explaining our predicament. It wasn't long before we got another call from Diane Lobb. She and her husband, Bruce, offered to take the kids. I will never forget their kindness. Imagine being willing to not only take in five girls and two rambunctious little boys on a moment's notice, but to homeschool them, too, while their mom was in hospital! Bruce and Diane did just that. (The two youngest girls ended up staying with another friend, but the Lobbs cared for the other five for six very busy weeks.) The kids have fond memories of Bruce chopping wood and skiing in the woods behind the house. After the baby was born, the Lobbs came to visit, to welcome our son into the world. They opened their home to a weekly Bible Study which we enjoyed a great deal. Both Bruce and Diane knew what it was to be hospitable. There was love and laughter in abundance. We went our separate ways many years ago, attending a different church and having a different circle of friends. However, even though it's been many years since we saw each other every week, the Lobbs hold a very special place in our hearts. We're so thankful for their example of a godly marriage and a home built on love and faith. \ I can imagine the welcome Bruce received as he entered the presence of the Lord. I'm sure he heard those blessed words, "Well done, faithful servant!"
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After a few fits and starts, I've decided to bite the bullet and write every day. If Tim Challies can do it, so can I.
I'll be writing about things that touch my heart: faith, family, food, health, home, creativity, current events. My world view is most definitely Christian. My life is shaped by the gospel of grace. 2014 was an interesting year: dreadful, special, challenging and eventful. This is the year that I lost a dear friend to cancer... the same disease that claimed my mom, my grandmother and grandfather. I hate this disease, and I view it with a mixture of grief and suspicion, hatred and respect. I know it can attack suddenly, without warning, and cause its victim to waste away, becoming bones with skin, fluid ballooning within. Nasty. Terrible. Yet, for the Christian, Cancer, where is your sting? You are the path to glory for so many people. You never win. This is the year my dear husband finally got his boat. We've been married for 41 years; Sweethearts since 1968. He's always talked about a boat. I've always said "Pooh, pooh." I thought a boat would be BORING. How would I sit and sit and sit while we toot around and do NOTHING? Boy, was I wrong. Boating is beautiful, fun, exciting, relaxing. It's a chance to get away, to sit on the waves with no one else in sight. It's an opportunity to sleep under the brilliant stars, waves lapping, doves cooing. The Grynch 'N Granny is a joy to us. This is the year that I finally got to go to Italy... and France. I've always loved the idea of travelling, but was busy raising a dozen kids and homeschooling all of them. There was never any time or money. An unexpected phone call from a friend resulted in an eight-day trip to Paris and Rome. The trip of a lifetime, for me. This is the year that my dear husband spent hour after hour, renovating our kitchen. We live in an old farmhouse, with a kitchen rebuilt 15 years ago... it sure needed an update! A family friend was renovating their kitchen, and was planning to toss out the 30 year old cabinets. When I saw that, I told them that I'd LOVE the cabinets...and they graciously gave them to us. Rick has spent hour after hour redoing our kitchen. I am so thankful for the new space - better layout, better flooring, better workspace. This is the year that I finally realized that I could be a Trim, Healthy Mama. I have fought the Battle of the Bulge since I was a young teenager. I broke my leg when I was 14 years old, and when I was in a cast, not moving as much as I normally did, I gained 30 pounds. I still remember the shame of hearing my parents joke about my girth as I walked down a path with a chubby friend. Over the years, I dieted, lost weight, got pregnant, gained weight, dieted, lost weight, got pregnant, gained weight... it was a never-ending cycle. My self-esteem was caught up in whether or not I was in a size 10. After a miscarriage in 1998, followed by a difficult pregnancy that necessitated bedrest in a hospital due to placenta previa, I ended up weighing more than my husband, who is nearly a foot taller than I am. I discovered the HCG diet, and took off 54 lbs. Kept it off for a few years, until I broke three metatarsals in my foot. Being sedentary caused me to gain over 35 lbs, again. I stayed fat and unhappy for a couple of years, then learned to eat a trim and healthy way. In 2014 I took off 30 lbs. In 2015 I hope to do the same. This is also the year that I did something I swore I would NEVER do: I had a breast reduction. In 1998, hubby and I went to the Cranberry Resort in Collingwood; lo and behold, when we got home, I was expecting baby #13! (I had lost baby #12 that summer, the year I lost my dad, my mom, my baby and my father-in-law. Annus horribulus.) While we were in Collingwood, hubby and I watched a show on television that showed a breast reduction in all of its gory details. I declared to hubby that I would NEVER do that. Fast forward to 2007, when I experienced a head-on collision that left me with daily, chronic pain. I was informed that I am in the "lucky few", the less than 15% of people that have ongoing pain due to a whiplash injury. Years of pain caused me to re-think my declaration of NEVER WANTING a BREAST REDUCTION. I've had large breasts since I was about 11 years of age; my injuries made my shoulder girdle weaker, so that the weight of my breasts exacerbated the pain. I decided to look into breast reduction surgery: I did it, it was successful, but I had all sorts of complications. Would I do it again? Yes, most definitely. Do I think it's an easy surgery? No, not for me. This is the year that I decided to go back to work. Ever since the car accident of February 8, 2007, I had not worked outside the home. Pain is my constant companion; I could not resume my work as a Communications Coordinator. The problem is, we like to eat. Money's tight. Hubby's unemployed. He's suffered from angina and leg problems that make it impossible for him to do lots of jobs... and hasn't found anything that he can do. He's taken all sorts of training and is able to teach Driving Safety courses, but so far has not found a job. So, what to do? I used to drive a bus, back in the day, when I was in my 20's. I let my bus license go when I had 7 kids and no time to renew my license. When a flyer came in the mail, inviting drivers to come and drive for Murphy's Bus Lines, I thought, "This is something I can do!" I applied, was accepted, and did my training. Started driving in December. I have the best kids ever! 2014 - loss of a friend; gain of a boat; loss of some weight; gain of a bus licence; loss of some breast; gain of some travel experiences. Loss of an old kitchen, gain of a new. Loss and gain. Gain and loss. This is a normal pattern in life. In this blog I hope to write honestly about loss and gain. I invite you, my readers, to ask me anything... I'll try to answer you as vulnerably and honestly as I can. I hope that my experiences will prove to be an encouragement to you as you navigate the streams and rivers of life. |
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January 2020
AuthorJanet Matthews Roth loves words. Categories |