Celebrating Jesus

On the way out of church yesterday someone wished me a Merry Christmas and then asked, "Is that appropriate to say to you this year?" Through tears I told him that it was. We miss John terribly and nothing seemed quite right all day. But Christmas is still Christmas. It means all the more that Jesus, the very God of very God, took on a human body as a helpless baby to rescue us from all the things that cause us so much pain right now. That truth adds joy to our tears. My first tears yesterday were as the following was read during the service yesterday (with a few changes that I made).

 

In Genesis Jesus is the Ram at Abraham’s altar
In Exodus He’s the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus He’s the High Priest
In Numbers He’s the Cloud by day 

and the Pillar of Fire by night
In Deuteronomy He’s the City of our refuge
In Joshua He’s the Scarlet Thread out Rahab’s window
In Judges He is our Judge
In Ruth He is our Kinsman Redeemer
In 1st and 2nd Samuel He’s our Trusted Prophet
And in Kings and Chronicles He’s our Reigning King
In Ezra He’s our Faithful Scribe
In Nehemiah He’s the Rebuilder of everything that is broken
And in Esther He is Mordecai sitting faithfully at the gate
In Job He’s our Redeemer that ever liveth
In Psalms He is my Shepherd and I shall not want
In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes He’s our Wisdom
And in the Song of Solomon He’s the Beautiful Bridegroom
In Isaiah He’s the Suffering Servant
In Jeremiah and Lamentations He is the Weeping Prophet
In Ezekiel He’s the Wonderful Four-Faced Man
And in Daniel He is the Fourth Man in the midst of a fiery furnace
In Hosea He is my Love that is forever faithful
In Joel He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit
In Amos He’s our Burden Bearer
In Obadiah our Savior
And in Jonah He is the Great Foreign Missionary that takes the Word of God into all the world
In Micah He is the Messenger with beautiful feet
In Nahum He is the Avenger
In Habakkuk He is the Watchman that is ever praying for revival
In Zephaniah He is the Lord mighty to save
In Haggai He is the Restorer of our lost heritage
In Zechariah He is our Fountain
And in Malachi He is the Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings.

In Matthew He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God
In Mark He is the Miracle Worker
In Luke He’s the Son of Man
And in John He is the Bread of Life
In Acts He is the Shining Light at appears to Saul on the road to Damascus
In Romans He is our Justifier
In 1st Corinthians our Resurrection
In 2nd Corinthians our Sin Bearer
In Galatians He Redeems us from the law
In Ephesians He is our Unsearchable Riches
In Philippians He supplies our every need
And in Colossians He’s our Hope of Glory
In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians He is our Soon Coming King
In 1st and 2nd Timothy He is the Mediator between God and man
In Philemon He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother
And in Hebrews He’s the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant
In James it is the Lord that heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter He is the Chief Shepherd
In 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John it is Jesus who has the tenderness of love
In Jude He is the Lord coming with 10,000 saints
And in Revelation, He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings-the Alpha and Omega, Great I AM

Merry Christmas to each of you and may the following year be filled Jesus' presence and the joy that brings.

UPS

I've been working at the UPS airport sorting center for about a month and a half. I start at 4:45 am and we are usually done by 7. I've been moved around a bit but that has given me a pretty good idea of how the operation runs, at least on the inside. Three planes come in each morning. One or two of them have already landed and most of their cargo is inside by the time we arrive. The goal is to have it all sorted and on the right truck or plane by 7.

For the first couple of weeks I was on unload. It's a good workout to take everything from inside the cans and put them on a belt. We are supposed to set each package on the belt. In reality, the only packages that are set on the belt are the ones that are too heavy to toss.

From there the packages go to the primary sorting area where all the packages get sent to one of the 5 outgoing belts. This is the one area where I have not worked but I've heard rumors that you have to pass a zip code test to work there.  The bags of envelopes and smaller packages are dumped into chutes in the small sort area where I did work for a couple of weeks. The packages are sorted into small boxes (of which there are 40 to chose from - though several of them are double.) I got a lesson in Minnesota geography. For each sorter there are two baggers who double check that every package is headed to the right place, put them in bags and tag it before sending the bag to the primary sorting area. Baggers get paid an extra dollar an hour because they have to be rapid and accurate. They are the only ones whose miss-sorts can be traced back to them. While I was working in that area, I was often sent over to help load the truck headed for Rochester. The main loader needs to scan each one and get them loaded in an orderly and compact manner. When the packages come at a relentless pace it can be really hard to keep up without help.

Last week I was moved to one of the outgoing belts. I'm at the beginning of the belt so I'm to make sure all the addresses are facing up and sorted to one side of the belt or the other so it is easier for those down the line to pull the ones they are responsible for. I'm to pull the ones that go to International Falls and Grand Rapids, scan them and load them into separate cans. Neither can gets very full so I don't have to be very careful about how it is packed. Bags go in one corner with the heaviest packages on another side as they need to be loaded into the plane first. The only other thing that needs to be kept separate is anything with hazardous materials or dry ice. The men I work with have been helpful in teaching me the ropes and when I miss a package they just bring it back to me. The challenge is that my cans are the first that need to go and there is always a flurry of activity at the end. I've had to fill out the paperwork as it's being pulled away and once there was no time to enter in the code for a couple of packages that wouldn't scan so they just got thrown in.

Once the cans go, we bundle up and go outside to load the small feeder planes. This was my favorite time of the work day when I first started since we were able to the sunrise. Now it's still dark when we finish. I'm looking forward to the end of January when the days are a bit longer and we can see the sunrise again. During the winter, there is an added job of "pulling cords." All the small planes are plugged in which means lots of yards of extension cords need to be pulled back to the cart behind the generator and hung up. Those cords get heavy but it's a great way to quickly warm up the hands.

I'm enjoying my work and think I've found a spot on the purple belt. I'm usually in bed by 8 so I can get 8 hours of sleep. The bummer is that my body has gotten used to waking up early so even on Sunday I'm awake before 5.

Home Stretch

It's been a long semester. It might have something to do with my intense summer of classes. It probably has a to do with taking anatomy which is really like taking two classes in one. Besides there being lots of material to learn, it's pretty dry. It's hard to learn certain facts when I don't really know why I need to learn them. My professor likes to test us on the embryonic origin of whatever particular organ we are studying. That may be important for a few people but I have a hard time seeing myself using those little tidbits of information as an occupational therapist. Besides all that, the long semester also has something to do with John's death. I'm just haven't been very motivated to study and it takes longer for things to sink in. All that to say, I'm glad to only have three days left. Tomorrow afternoon I have my Anatomy final and on Wednesday afternoon I'll take my Statistics final. I'm looking forward to the break from class the opportunity to work through the pile of paperwork on my desk and read something besides a textbook.

Thinking about Christmas

After a busy week of studying it's been good to take a break today. I'm sitting in front of our Christmas tree with a cup of hot cider. Everything outside is white. I heard Christmas music playing at the grocery store this week so it must be getting close to Christmas. Some of those songs talk about how this is the best time of year or how the little kid in us tends to come out in December. Christmas is a family time with all the family traditions. No wonder it's a tough time for families when someone is missing. It doesn't feel like the best time of year. In a sense I don't feel like celebrating at all. How can family time be celebrated when a place at the table is empty?

Last night I went with some friends to the Ausberg College Advent Vespers service. The first song we sang together is one of my favorites, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. The first verse calls for Emmanuel to come ransom us who "mourn in lonely exile here." My mind went to Romans 8 where Paul talks about how we groan and the whole creation groans with us as we wait for our redemption. The older I've gotten, the more I've experienced what it means to groan in this body living in this sin filled world. John's death has added new meaning and depth to the reality of my groaning and the feeling of being in a lonely exile.

It amazes me that Jesus chose to become Emmanuel, God with us. He willingly came to this sin filled world. He joined in our groaning and mourning. He entered into the human condition and that included weeping at a friend's grave. I think he knew what it was to lose a father since there is no mention of Joseph beyond the Christmas story. Jesus came to change our destiny from death to life. He came to "disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death's dark shadows put to flight." And he accomplished what he came to do. Death couldn't hold him in the grave. He rose victorious over our worst enemy, never to die again. And he's just the first. All who put their hope in him will also be raised to live with him forever in the perfect world for which we were made.

That gives me reason to celebrate. That is why my family can celebrate Christmas. There will be tears and sorrow because John is not with us. But deeper than the grief is the confident hope that our Redeemer has come and will come again and set all things right. The story of Christmas is why we can be joyful in the midst of tears.

Back in the groove

Whether I wanted to or not, I needed to get back into my normal school schedule. I have no desire to get further behind and there are now only 3 weeks left before finals. I spent the week making up a test and a quiz, getting ready for an Anatomy test on Thursday and trying to understand the statistics that I'd missed while I was gone--all while I was thinking of my brother, John, and other family members far more than I usually do.

The other part of my week was getting into the groove of actually working rather than simply training at UPS. I managed the early hours (starting work at 5 AM) by going to bed early. By Thursday I needed a nap so I could make it through my 9:45 class. I started out on unload which involves removing packages and mail bags from the containers and putting them on a belt that takes them to be sorted. We saw all kinds of things: shoe boxes from Zappos (those are light), small cube boxes that a far to heavy for their size and plenty of boxes from Amazon. Throw in a tire, some ice chests, and lots of bags of samples headed for a medical lab and it's all in a days work. It's a good workout and I ended up with some tired muscles. I also have quite a few little bruises on my legs which must be from bumping up against corners of boxes. In less than 3 hours three planes can be unloaded, the packages sorted and put on the right truck (which goes to the other sorting centers in the metro area) or onto the right feeder plane (small plane that goes to different areas of Minnesota and western Wisconsin). Next week I'm getting moved to small sort where my role will be to sort the envelopes and small packages. I won't have any sore muscles there but my brain will actually have to be functioning so things get to the right place. Small sort is the one place where they actually keep track of errors and know who made them.

Honoring John Robert Hibma

This past week over 800 people came to honor my brother, John. They didn't come because he accomplished anything great or was rich and famous. He was a simple farmer and mechanic who never lived more than 20 miles from where he grew up. They came because of the kind of man he was. I knew he was a good son, brother, husband and father yet I heard many stories this week that showed me new facets of the honorable man he was.

John was a man:

• who stepped aside to let impatient, frustrated farmers get their parts first during the press of harvest.
• who sat and listened to a friend going through a divorce without judgment.
• who called someone he had known for only a short time to pray with them in the midst of their battle with cancer.
• who barely made it through high school but left love notes to his wife and daughter when he headed off to work before they woke up.
• who was one of the few fathers to take his daughter to the library and attend all the conferences at school.
• who called neighbors to see how they were doing.
• who backed up his pickup so he could ask the friend of a cousin how he was doing after major surgery.
• who hummed as he worked.
• who was fun to be around, bringing a smile to every gathering.
• who thanked those who did things for him.
• who always had time for a cup of coffee or to talk with kids.
• who was a faithful, strong protector and provider for his family.
• who was not a yes man but would speak his mind. 
• who stopped to see if those in the car stopped alongside the road needed help.
• who kept things in perspective and helped people not make a mountain out of a molehill.
• whose chiropractor and the woman who cut his hair came to his funeral.
• who let the hard things in life make him better. In recent years it took more for him to get angry. He seemed more content. He was more patient and compassionate.
• whose last words were "I love you" as he talked with his wife on the phone.

A friend of mine said, "John lived his life well and he finished well. I think everyone stood when he entered heaven."

I think she is right. I read through Colossians 3 and I feel like I'm reading a description of John. He knew what it was to put his hope completely in Jesus and to be given a new self. He knew Jesus was his life and as a result he was able to live life to the fullest and love well. I am honored to have known him for the past 39 years and to introduce myself as John's sister.

The man who fears the Lord is blessed...

The righteous will never be moved...

He will be honored...

He will be remembered forever.

(taken from Psalm 112)

John

 Our lives were forever changed on Friday when John, my younger brother, died as the result of a farm accident. For the moment, I don't have many words or the energy to put my thoughts in coherent sentences. So for now, here are a few photos of his life.

 John Hibma

January 29, 1972 to November 4, 2011

Farmer from an early age

September 13, 1972

October 23, 2011

Working boy

Still working

Devoted husband and father

All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it;

surely the people are grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades, 

BUT the word of our God stands forever.

Isaiah 40:6-8

Study, study, study

Here's some random happenings from the week.

• To get a badge to work at the airport I attended a 2 hour class on security issues. I am not tell you what we learned - even though I really didn't learn anything that isn't common knowledge or common sense. At the end however, I received that badge and I'll be sure to follow the rules so I don't have to sit through the class again.
• I was assigned to a spot with a good view of the field at the Iowa-Minnesota game on Saturday. No matter what Coach Ferentz says, there is a different energy in the stadium and on the field when Iowa comes to town. Next time Iowa better consider that game as being the one that makes or breaks their season or Minnesota will keep Floyd of Rosedale (who, for the uninitiated, is the bronze pig traveling trophy that goes to the winner of the Iowa-Minnesota football game each year.) 
• I met a man who played football for the University of Minnesota in the 1940s. He told me that he had played on the offensive line at 185 pounds. The size of linemen have changed drastically since than.
• Most of the rest of my week was spent studying. I have one test tomorrow and two on Tuesday. Two of the three are in Anatomy. My mind is full of the names of muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. Quick who can name the 12 cranial nerves and also identify them on a model of the brain? I still have some work to do to be ready for that last part. I talked with a nurse this evening who had recently been going through her notes from Anatomy class more than 5 years ago. She only remembers what she actually uses. 

Celebrating

I liked MEA weekend as a high school student and it's even better as an older student to have a short break from class. My niece's birthday usually falls at the same time so that means I can get more out of a trip to Iowa. I didn't have class on Thursday or Friday so I could leave as soon as I was ready after class on Wednesday morning. But first I had to get my room in order. My flatmate's parents were coming to visit so I was finally motivated to find a place for everything.

Another side benefit of getting to celebrate Elizabeth's birthday in October is that it falls during harvest. At least it usually does. Last year they had finished by the time I arrived. The only reason this year wasn't a repeat performance was because of several breakdowns. My older brother was also home and got to run the combine one evening while Dad went to a meeting. Mom and I took a hot meal out to the field and I rode with Dad for awhile in the combine. He let me drive for a few rounds. I felt as if I was 14 and learning to drive a stick shift. He was just as patient now as he was then with my jerky stops and starts.

Elizabeth turned 9 and both sides of the family were together today to celebrate. We all enjoyed the beautiful weather as we played games out in the yard. There were two obvious signs that Elizabeth is getting older. She waited patiently for several hours before she was able to open her presents. Her packages are also getting smaller and the cards are starting to include more money. I hope she enjoys her shopping spree.

Job hunting

I've been looking for work with varying intensity since I arrived. It's been hard to find something that fits my school schedule and that doesn't require working on Sunday or selling something that very few people really need. A few weeks ago I was looking at the cost of the OT program I want to get into and decided that I really need to get motivated and find a more steady job besides working security at the U of Minn home football games.

One morning I thought of UPS. I'd heard that they helped students with tuition and that they were a good company to work for. I did some investigating online, filled out an application and was invited to come to the warehouse to find out more - at 4 AM. It quickly became clear that another time slot wasn't an option so I signed up. I guess if the shift is from 4 to 7 they want to make sure that you can show up at that time at least once. Along with three other people we were shown around the warehouse catching a glimpse of the different tasks and how it all worked together to get packages delivered on time. Those of us who were interested were invited back the next morning for an actual interview.  Mine was at the more normal time of 6:00. 

I've wondered if I'll be able to keep up with the rhythm of working from 4 to 7 five days a week. One thing is for sure, it will never interfere with my class schedule and they also say it will take care of any need for exercise. We will see when I actually get started after passing the background check and the FBI fingerprint check.

Retraining the brain

We have started studying the nervous system in Anatomy which I have been told is the hardest part in the class. But we don't need a class to tell us that it is amazing what the brain can do. I've seen it over and over again as I watch therapists interact with patients with some type of brain injury. A few weeks ago, Theresa asked if I'd help her with one of her new rehab patients who was recovering from a stroke that had strongly affected his left side.

"Sam" (I don't remember his real name) loved to talk and as soon as we got into his room he started talking. As Theresa and I went to get some things we needed she told me that the challenge would be to actually get some therapy in with him. "I'm going to learn a lot from him but my job is to give him therapy so he gets better, not just listen to his stories." One story Theresa asked him to tell me was about how the day after the stroke he had thought someone had placed the arm of a cadaver in his bed. Evidently it took his daughter some time to convince him that the unknown arm was his. He just couldn't move it or feel it.

As we helped Sam sit at the edge of the bed, wash a bit and get dressed it was obvious that he wasn't sitting up straight. His body was leaning toward the left. The funny thing is that it didn't feel that way at all to him. His brain was telling him he was sitting up straight. Theresa had me sit right next to him on his right side and his task was to get his shoulder to touch mine. Only then was he really sitting up straight. It was hard work and took great concentration but he could do it. But he couldn't wash his face and sit up straight at the same time. In fact he would have fallen over if Theresa hadn't caught him.

The last thing we did that morning was to get him into a wheelchair. Standing up was a challenge (as would be expected if you can't feel one of your legs) and a nurse came in to help with the transfer. Theresa gave me another pointer after she left. "I would have tried to get him to work on some things rather than doing it so fast but you don't mess with rehab nurses." Before we left I asked Sam if he felt like he was sitting up straight (which he was). He thought he was to the right of center. The tricks the brain will play on us. The wonderful thing is that the brain can rewire itself to compensate for lots of injuries or damage and eventually it figured out where the center was and Sam's sensations were much closer to reality.

Goda's Cafe

Being an unemployed student I don't go out to eat much but a couple of friends wanted to celebrate my birthday by taking me out to eat. I had read about Goda Cafe on the corner of Nicollet and 34th St and it sounded like it would serve up some good East African fare for a good price. We were not disappointed.

My first clue that we were in for a treat was that everyone in the small restaurant when we arrived was African. Moussa, the owner, started us off with a bowl of complementary soup. I took one taste and thought, "North Africa!" I'm not sure what spices they use but it had the same flavor, while being a bit different. After all Moussa is from Djibouti which is on the other side of the continent from Morocco and Tunisia where I have spent some time. Moussa served us with wonderful African hospitality. It may have helped that we actually knew where Dijbouti is (nestled between Somalia and Ethiopia) and that two of us had spent time in North Africa. Maybe only looking at the ethnic page of the menu helped as well.

After the soup we had samosa which are so good when they are made fresh. We all ordered something different for the main course so we could share and ended up with goat, beef and fish. All of it was good. It was my first experience with goat and I'd gladly order it again - at least if Moussa is cooking it. All of it was artistically presented and served with rice and vegetables that had been cooked to perfection.

As we ended the meal, one of my friends told him it was my birthday. He was soon back with cups of chaï and a few small African cookies. He kind of apologized by saying, "I could bring you some carrot cake or cheese cake but you can get that anywhere. This is all I have from my country. Guess what is in them." I knew in a glance that they were filled with dates (which impressed him.)

Later after we'd paid, one of my friends headed home while two of us continued talking. After awhile Moussa was back with another cup of chaï for each of us. I asked if it would keep me awake. "Yes, but what does it matter? It's your birthday."

Watching Jane

I spent Wednesday afternoon with Jane, the 11-month daughter of a couple in my church. I wasn't quite sure how she would respond to me since I haven't spent much time with her but when I went to rescue her from her crib after her midday nap she greeted me with a broad smile. We had a grand time together even though I did all the talking. We played with toys, read books (with Jane turning the pages), looked out the window (the weather wasn't fit for a walk) and I tried to get her down for a nap. On the first attempt I didn't have enough milk in the bottle so her eyes popped open as soon as it ran out and she was up for another 45 minutes.

My time with Jane reminded me of several conversations recently with friends about God's love and grace. There is something about small children that is just precious. Even when I needed to correct Jane she was still precious. "No Jane, you don't want to stick your finger in the outlet... You don't want to eat my statistics book... You REALLY don't want to put the strap from my backpack in your mouth. It has been on the floor in some very dirty places..." I guess you could say that I corrected her simply to protect her and I wanted to protect her because she is so precious. She hasn't done anything to be precious. She just is and that's enough.

I think God looks at us in much the same way only more so. It's because we are so precious to him that he sets some limits, corrects us when needed and puts up some barriers to keep us from going where we think we really want to be. None of it comes out of condemnation as if he's impatiently waiting for us to get our act together. It's all out of love and grace. I'm precious to him and because of that he's looking out for me. That's something I need to hear this week.

The Lord your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing. 

Zephaniah 3:17

Anatomy lab practical 1

On the first day of anatomy lab the professor told us that he was giving us all the answers to the test. That sounds easy--until you remember you have to match the right answer with the right question. The "answers" for our first lab practical coming up on Tuesday are found on 18 pages, each with a list of 20 or so anatomical items. Our job on this test is to be able to identify the type of tissue (as seen through a microscope) or the specific bone (a physical model) as well as certain details on each. An example is in order.

The humerus is the bone in the upper arm. It is fairly easy to identify because it has a ball on one end that isn't as completely chiseled as the ball on the femur. The challenge is to remember the 13 items we need to not only identify on the humerus but also spell correctly. Some are rather easy; the ball is called the head. (Sounds very scientific, doesn't it?) Some are more difficult; the indentation on the back side of the bone on the elbow end is called the olecranon fossa. Add to that the coronoid fossa and the radial fossa on the front and there are three indentations to keep straight. It's actually not that bad - as long as one remembers that the olecranon process on the ulna attaches to the olecranon fossa on the humerus forming the pointed elbow and the radius is on the outside of the arm (when the palm is facing up). The fossa (indentation) that is left is the coronoid fossa, not to be confused with the coracoid which is on the scapula.

So that is about half of one bone down. Only 44 more to go. And we haven't even got to figuring out a way to remember what all those holes in the underside of the skull are called. Would that be the optic canal or the superior orbital fissure? Is that the foramen rotundum, the foramen ovale, the foramen spinosum or the jugular foramen? I'll assume that everyone could identify the foramen magnum (the BIG hole) since that's where the spinal column passes.

Long story short, I have my work cut out for me between now and Tuesday morning at 8 am.

A typical week

People often used to ask me what my typical day was like. I usually responded, "I don't have one." Days are more typical now and my week is definitely predictable as well.

Monday: I have class in the morning followed by some time in the Learning Center with the models for Anatomy to get ready for Anatomy lab on Tues morning. I usually go grocery shopping on Mon and spend the rest of the afternoon studying. If all goes well I get some exercise before it gets dark.

Tuesday: I have class from 8 to 11. By the time 10:30 rolls around I'm starting to eye the clock. I don't think any Anatomy teacher could hold my attention for that long as my brain is rather full at that point. I have another class at 2:30 but I have time to come home, eat and do some studying. It helps that I'm less than 10 minutes from school by bike. This past week was livened up by a sunset walk around Lake Harriet with a friend.

Wednesday: I have one class in the morning beginning at 9:45. The rest of the afternoon is mine to study. I'm part of a home group that meets at 6:00 and sometimes I need to prepare food in the afternoon.

Thursday: See Tuesday. My class schedule is the same except I don't have Anatomy lab at 8:00. That makes it easier to pay attention during lecture.

Friday: I don't have any classes on Friday which makes it a great day to do my volunteer work in the OT department at the hospital. I'm there from 8 to 12. This past week I began tutoring 8 students in French as part of a homeschool co-op. They are all studying French so my role is to help them with oral comprehension and speaking. The challenge will be working with numerous levels all at the same time. This will be every other week on Friday afternoon. The other weeks are a great opportunity for a long bike ride.

Saturday: This fall I'll be working security at the University of Minnesota home football games. Yesterday I was there for 8 hours which involved at least 6 hours of standing near an elevator in a premium seating section. My basic task was telling people where the bathrooms and water fountains were and advising them to take the stairs when the elevators were shut down to allow the coaches to get from the field to their boxes and vice versa. Things were slow enough that I was able to review some of my anatomy flash cards.

Sunday: I do my best to keep this a quiet day, or at least a day of no studying. Besides church I try to get together with some friends. It's often my only chance to read something for pleasure or to get out my guitar. Today I spent the afternoon with some extended family.

Labor Day

In my family Labor Day was always about laboring. Mom always had a list of things for us to do. I don't really remember the contents of the list but it was different from the usual Saturday cleaning. I think it probably involved washing some windows and doing some work in the garden.

In keeping with family tradition, I had a list of things for my parents to help me with when they came to visit this weekend. By the time they left this afternoon the apartment looked quite different. There are curtains at the dining room window hiding the view of the wall that is 2 yards away. There are pictures on the walls making it look much more homey and putting some color into our lives. I even figured out how to get out the screens and storm windows so two of the front windows could be washed.

Saturday we made two trips to Home Depot to figure out the best/most inexpensive way to add more counter and storage space to the kitchen. In the end we added 74 inches of workspace to the 21 inches we already had. Dad made numerous trips to the hardware store a couple of blocks away. They definitely recognized him by the end of the weekend. The other project was getting the basement store room organized and putting up a hook so one of our three bikes can be off the floor.

It wasn't all work and no play. Saturday afternoon we went to cousin Levi's football game at Bethel. Last year I went to a game but he stood on the sidelines in street clothes because of a knee injury. It was good to get to see him actually play and he was easy to spot being the only one on the defensive line with two knee braces. After the game we had a leisurely visit with cousins Janet and Eric complete with mint tea. 

A New Semester

Friends keep asking me when my classes start and seem surprised when I reply, "Last Monday." Tomorrow begins my 2nd week with my first test and a quiz in my other 2 classes. Nothing like starting off with a bang. Here's the briefing on each my classes.

Abnormal Psychology: I have the same professor as I had for General Psychology last fall. We will be studying all the mental illnesses/disorders, the causes and how they are treated. This will be my "easy" class though we do have a test every 2 weeks. The advantage is that each test only covers 2 chapters worth of material and there is no cumulative final. It looks like there are enough people in the class that like to talk that we will have some interesting discussions.

Anatomy: Everyone I've talked to who has taken this class says it is all memorization. After the 1st lab and lecture I decided the challenge will be learning how to most efficiently study. My lab instructor said he was going to be a bear with us until each of us figures out the best way to learn the material. My lecture professor promised that it would be enjoyable and as long as we keep up, we'll be fine. The scary part is that spelling counts and the official names of bones, muscles, nerves... are rarely short. Yesterday I went on a bike ride with a group of people who turned out to all work in the medical profession and they told me about their experiences in Anatomy class - especially dissecting human cadavers. That isn't part of the program this time around. We'll do a cow eye, sheep brain and heart and a fetal pig.

Statistics: The professor of this class worked for umpteen years as a statistician for the NCAA. She declared that was a great job and is trying to inspire us to love statistics so much that we'll want to do it for a living. At the very least she wants us to be able to tell if the news is correctly reporting the results of a study or poll. The downside of this class is that all homework is done online. So far it hasn't taken too long so hopefully this will be a better experience than my online math class.

Activities of Daily Living

Back in April I wrote about a volunteer opportunity in the outpatient physical therapy department at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC). Shortly after that I was able to move over to the occupational therapy department. This has given me more work to do as well as many opportunities to observe the therapists working with patients. I have learned a lot about what is involved in occupational therapy. There is more than I can write in one post (since I want to keep these short) so I'll focus on the activities of daily living (ADLs) since they come first in the day.

One day Theresa, my supervisor (at least she's the person who gives me work to do), told me to take a break from the computer where I was redoing some patient handouts and come talk with one of her patients while he used the arm bicycle. This man had spent an extended period in the rehab part of HCMC and was now coming in from time to time for outpatient therapy. As a result of an accident he was paralyzed from the waist down. Theresa asked him to tell me what OT had done for him. "It got me out of bed, taught me how to get dressed so I could get to PT and begin to get better." That's what ADL's are all about: getting dressed, bathing and grooming so you can get on with life. This man said the first time he put on his own pants it took him 45 minutes. "My mom thought Theresa was so mean to just watch me struggle and giving only verbal cues and encouragement." Theresa piped in that for the first several years that she worked as a therapist she had to literally sit on her hands so she wouldn't do for her patients what they could do for themselves.

I have had only one opportunity to observe a therapist helping with ADLs. Theresa took me to the room of a gentleman who was recovering from a stroke which had affected both his ability to speak and to understand what others were saying. The only way to communicate with him was through gestures. Yet he knew what needed to be done to get ready in the morning. Because he had some weakness on the right side Theresa placed the items he would need to get ready on the right side of the sink. It was obvious that it was important to him that his hair be well combed. He had no problem using his left hand on the left side of his head but the right side was another matter. The comb kept falling out of his hand. Theresa had tested his grip strength the day before and she knew he had enough to hold on to that comb. The brain just needed to figure that out. Once he got his hair combed right, he took off the t-shirt he had slept in which, of course, messed up his hair. You could see the frustration in his face.

His daughter had come with some clean clothes including some shorts with a drawstring figuring it would be easier for him to not have to deal with buttons and zippers. From the look on his face it was obvious that he didn't usually wear that kind of shorts but he didn't put up a fuss as he put them on. Getting on his button-down shirt was another matter. He put the left arm in first and got that situated and then he was done. This is common for stroke victims. Half of their field of vision is gone and they don't realize it because the brain fills in what it thinks is there. At that point Theresa stepped in and helped him get the shirt all the way on. Teaching him to put his weaker arm in first would be a lesson for another day.

Why I love riding in Iowa

I'm in the middle of a week with my family in Iowa. It has been good to get away from the noise and bustle of the city. I've enjoyed corn on the cob and a tomato from the garden (most are still very green). I've also enjoyed a couple of good rides on my bike. While I am glad to live near downtown where I'm close to school and can get most places on my bike, it is frustrating to still be in the city after riding for an hour. When I was in France, I lived in a city with about the same population as the Twin Cities but I could be in the country in about 10 minutes. Here's a few of the reasons I love about riding in Iowa - especially our sparsely populated county.

1. Little traffic: I rode 19 miles on Saturday morning and saw only 10 cars. I lost count on the rest of my ride but it ended up being about 1 car per mile.
2. Country stop signs: Because of the little traffic there is little need to stop or slow down at stop signs unless the corn is tall enough to hide the road.
3. The wind: There aren't any long hills to make things more challenging but there is wind. I always try to head into it so when I'm tired I can turn around and be blown home. The other day I rode into the wind for 40 minutes and made it back in 20.
4. Mile after mile of corn and bean fields. Some people think it gets boring. I'm not one of them. Farming is one occupation where one's mistakes are seen by everyone who drives past. Great care is taken to make sure the rows are planted straight and evenly and most farmers pride themselves in keeping their bean fields clean (i.e. weed free). Some of those bean fields look like they have been manicured. 
5. Well-kept farm yards: Every now and then there is a place that is rather junky. Old cars, pickups and other equipment seem to be strewn all over. These just serve to accent the care everyone else gives to keeping their property neat and well cared for.
6. Fresh country air: no fumes, just what my grandpa called the smell of money when downwind from a dairy or hog setup.
7. Quiet: all that can be heard is the sound of the wind, the crickets and the birds.

Summer Biology

You may have heard the shout of rejoicing when I finished my biology final on Thursday evening. In many ways I simply endured these condensed summer courses. It wasn't that biology was that difficult or time consuming. It was just jammed into a short amount of time so that it couldn't really be enjoyed.

Some people seem disappointed when I tell them that we didn't do any dissecting in lab. That makes sense because we spent the semester talking primarily about things we can't see without a microscope. (I have a better chance of doing some dissecting in Anatomy lab this fall.)  Last semester I learned all about atoms in Chemistry. This semester we moved on to the cell which is significantly bigger than an atom but is measured in nanometers and can't be seen with the naked eye. As we talked about all that takes place in a cell so it can function properly, keep us alive and reproduce I couldn't help but be amazed at the wisdom of our Creator. 

We spent several chapters talking about genetics and how traits are passed on from one generation to another and why sometimes a trait skips generations. At the same time there is great variation between siblings. Because of the law of independant assortment one man's sperm has 8.4 million different genetic combinations. Combine that with the same number of possibilities from his wife and their children will be one of 70 trillion possible genetic combinations. No wonder each of one of us is completely unique! That adds a new perspective on Psalm 139:15.

My frame was not hidden from you, 

when I was being made in secret, 

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Saturday a friend and I celebrated the end of summer classes (she made it through Shakespeare) by getting out of the city and going to Taylors Falls on the St Croix River. (No one here seems to understand my French pronunciation of that river.) We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the bluffs overlooking the river and did some hiking managing to get back to the car about 5 minutes before it started pouring so hard we had to pull off the road.

Family

A couple of weekends ago my dad's side of the family got together for a family reunion. He's the oldest of 10 so it's a big family. I have 32 cousins and if my memory is right the official count for the descendents of my grandpa and grandma is now 134. While most of us live in Iowa or Minnesota we are spread from New York City to Seattle to Arizona. So it was pretty good that over 90 of us showed up at Mahoney State Park near Ashland Nebraska.

Besides the super hot weather, there are a few things I'll remember about the weekend. One will be listening to 3 of my younger aunts and uncles talk about the boy/girl friends of some of the older ones. They remembered names and specific events. Oh the stories that come out!

The other highlight of the weekend was some pictures my brother put together. He blended old (i.e. when my aunts and uncles were much younger) and new (i.e. up to 2011). There were many good laughs at things that can only be funny to family members. I enjoyed watching my cousins' kids laugh at the way mom and dad used to look or get a rather puzzled expression when told the man in the picture was Grandpa. Hairstyles, clothes and glasses sure do change over the years. The four cousins who lined up with their boys who were born within 2 months of each other last summer looked totally normal but I'm sure we will get a good laugh when we see that picture in 20 years. There were also some tears as Aunt Suzanne is greatly missed. There were a couple of comments about how our family seems to be crying more. That's a good thing. Even a bunch of stoic Dutch folk can learn to let their heart show.

Over recent months we've been studying Ephesians at church. One of the themes that is being stressed is that church is a family of families. One of our discussions centered on the importance of each of us knowing where we fit in this family. To me it doesn't seem very complicated since I compare it to my big extended family. No matter what the personality or the quirk, everyone in the family fits - because they are family. It seems to me it comes down to showing up and just being who you are. And that's the case whether you're the patriarch (that would be my dad), one of the cousins, the newest in-law or the youngest baby.

U2 and Shakespeare

Last night TCF Stadium hosted a U2 concert for which Minneapolis had been waiting for a couple of years. The concert was originally scheduled for a year ago but was postponed until now. That meant I had the opportunity to work security. Several people I know would have loved to have been in my shoes (and if you are a man on the bigger side you could have had a spot right in front of the stage - facing the crowd of course.) After hearing an extended sound check I was grateful to be sent off to a gate where I could hear the music without losing my hearing.

Working security amounts to lots of waiting and standing. I was given the job of checking bags which I'm actually not very good at because I have a hard time telling people that their large backpack full of rain gear is too big to be allowed into the stadium. I was more strict on the size of the camera lens which was to be less than 3 inches. I only saw one lens that seemed longer than that and the guy protested rather loudly that it was fine. I was thankful my supervisor was close at that point and got him to deal with it. (The man was let in with his camera.) I saw lots of ponchos and a few women in high heels had a pair of flip flops hidden in their bag. The people were of all ages. My favorite was a grandma, a mother and her two grade school boys. I think the grandmother was more excited than the boys (in part because she was getting to introduce her grandchildren to some great music.) It may be a stereo-type on my part but that isn't what I would expect at a typical rock concert.

I hoped the ponchos wouldn't be needed but about 10:00 (an hour into the U2 part of the concert) it started raining and was soon pouring with strong gusts of winds. A few people headed for the exits but for the most part the party continued. Bono closed his concert with Singing in the Rain with the crowd joining in. As I watched the crowd stream out, cold and soaking wet with water squishing out of their shoes, many of them had smiles on their faces. Rain or no, they had had a wonderful time.

This afternoon I went to an outdoor performance of Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night in Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. A friend of mine is taking a Shakespeare class and she had to attend and write a paper on it. She rounded up a few other friends and we enjoyed the beautiful summer day with a picnic before the show. It was well done and held the attention of even the youngest ones in the crowd. One child was following the story well enough to be able to answer one of the character's rhetorical.
Personally I was thankful for the summary my friend had given us before so it was easier for me to follow. (If you are in the area, there are 2 more showings next weekend. http://www.thestrangecapers.com/index.htm).

One of the people I was with this afternoon had been at the concert last night and from his description of the way Bono was able to make a stadium filled with 60,000+ people feel like a community it was easy to see why almost everyone had come out smiling.

U2 and Shakespeare: that's lots of culture for me in one weekend.

Possible reasons for not writing last week:

1. I was too busy studying 
2. I was having too much fun partying
3. I had no stories to tell
4. I decided sleep was more important
5. There was no internet connection

I have done far more studying over the last few weeks than I care to admit. Taking two summer classes at the same time is pretty intense. I've had little time for anything else. I spent so much time doing math problems this past week trying to get my homework done as well as do some review for the final that my wrist ached. But I refuse to study on Sunday, so that isn't the reason.

I did help a couple from church celebrate their marriage last weekend so I did do some partying and came home with a good story to tell. Between the ceremony and the beginning of the reception I was talking with Alex, Brandy, Britney and Elizabeth (names have been changed to protect the innocent) and I asked Anna what she remembered about her wedding day 17 years before. Then her husband, George, came up and he told his side of the story. One of his memories was the cream cheese mints, which no one in the group had heard of besides me. At this point in the conversation, we were ushered into the dining room. I spotted a plate of rose shaped things that looked just like those cream cheese mints that were at just about every wedding I attended growing up. I pointed this out to Britney and Elizabeth who then made sure they sat on the side of the table closest to that plate. Elizabeth picked up one of those roses and popped it in her mouth. Before Britney had the time to get one into her mouth Elizabeth blurted, "Don't eat it! It's butter!" When Alex and Brandy joined us and I picked up the plate and told them this was what those mints looked like. Elizabeth piped up that they should try one. Alex popped one in his mouth and got a very quizzical look on his face. His fiance, Brandy, took a small bite and immediately pronounced it butter at which point Alex was able to put a name to the taste which he knew wasn't cream cheese but couldn't quite place. He swore his revenge on Elizabeth for knowingly encouraging him to eat plain butter. Once I was able to stop laughing and dried the tears from my eyes I wondered if cream cheese mints were an Iowa thing (as George and Anna are also from Iowa) or a generational thing (as the other 4 are at least 15 years younger than I).

I did get some extra sleep last weekend. In fact I was so tired that I had to take a nap at 4 on Sunday and still went to bed before 10 that evening. But the real reason I didn't write last weekend was that our internet connection didn't get hooked up until Wed. It is nice to once again be connected to the electronic world and now that my math class is over (as of Thurs) I actually have time to follow the excitement of the Tour de France and the women's world cup, as well as catch up with friends by email and Skype.

Moving

In some ways I've been moving for more than a year. I started packing up my apartment in France in March 2010. This past Friday those boxes and furniture finally arrived at a location where they could be unpacked and set up. As busy as life has been these past few weeks, I'm really glad that I wasn't having to pack everything up here. Moving is stressful but maybe it's half as stressful when you only have to unpack.

The actual moving went well despite the hot and humid weather that had us all dripping with sweat. One blessing was that the whole block had been marked as "no parking by police order" for the week. Nothing was going on so we parked the trailer right in front of the door. In less than 2 hours we had unloaded the trailer and made a trip to get the things already in Minneapolis and gotten that upstairs as well. Mom, Aunt Barb and one of her German friends did a great job of cleaning the place up and unpacking the dishes. Uncle Wes, Jens, cousin Eric and three of his girls were troupers in getting everything up the 1 1/2 flights of stairs though Eric and Wes were really wishing there was a way to get the drawers out of my dresser.

The question of the day was, "Where are the cooking utensils and the silverware?" I had watched the mover pack it all over a year ago so I knew it had to be there. Long story short, it was hiding under a bunch of paper so it made the return trip to Iowa. Fortunately it wasn't tossed. In the meantime the plastic spoons I bought a couple of weeks ago have sufficed. I also made a trip to the thrift store for a can opener and something to use with stir fry so we will survive until it arrives.

Star Gazing

A friend invited me to go with her and a couple of other people to do some star gazing at William O'Brien State Park on Friday evening. Some graduate students in astronomy were on hand to give a little talk with some pictures before we headed outside to have a look through the telescopes. I learned that it takes patience and some practice to be able to focus the telescope on what you want to look at. We started with Saturn and were able to see the rings around it. Later on one of the students tried to find a star nebula. When he did find it, he quickly lost it since it is hard to hold the telescope in place. It is possible to lock it but that movement moves the telescope a bit and might knock what you are looking at out of the field of view. It was getting late and we had an hour drive back to the city so we didn't stick around to see if he was able to focus long enough on a nebula so anyone else could have a look.

The vastness of the universe is mind boggling. It takes over 8 minutes for the light of the sun to arrive on earth. There are billions of stars in our galaxy and astronomers estimate there are billions of galaxies. That adds up to a lot of stars.

One of the things they told us about was the "apod" site where an Astronomy picture of the day is posted. Fascinating stuff! What an awesome creator who created not only the vast universe but also the atoms and cells I've been studying about in biology and chemistry. It is amazing how everything works.

One Crazy Week

Last week was the first week I missed writing here without a good excuse and it was Friday before I had time to do more than check my email. Last weekend was filled with packing up my things and Sunday I moved in with a couple from church who graciously offered to let me stay with them until July 1st when I can move into a new apartment.

On Tuesday my Biology class started. The professor introduced himself and then asked us to tell why we were in the class. When I explained that I needed biology so I could take anatomy he said he thought I was in the wrong class and I should be next door. Maybe I should have gotten up right then. Wednesday I confirmed with an adviser that yes, I was signed up for the wrong class. I needed Biology 1001 not 1000. I was able to get out of the 1st class but needed a signature from the new professor and the dean of the science department to get into the new one. I didn't have time to do any of that on Wednesday and the professor wasn't on campus anyway. So once I was done with my math class on Thurs morning I parked myself outside the professor's office and waited for her to come. She was more than gracious and let me in despite there not really being a spot. I was able to make up part of the lab I had missed earlier in the week and I don't feel too far behind in lecture since most of what they had covered the 1st day was review from Chemistry class. Once I got home on Thurs evening I still had to study for the weekly Friday morning math test. Needless to say, I was glad when Friday afternoon rolled around and I could take a little slower pace. This week promises to be just as busy - minus the stress of making sure I'm in the right class.

I capped off the week today by going to a Twins game with my brother and his family. It was a good game with the Twins pulling out the win in the 9th inning. My 8 year-old niece was really hoping they would score so it wouldn't go into extra innings. Her attention span had been exceeded and she was wishing she had brought a book.

College Algebra

The first of two summer classes began last Tuesday. Over 30 of us are to show up every morning at 8 for two hours. Some straggle in and I heard numerous comments as the week went on about how hard it was to get up that early. It's not that hard for me but I am having to make sure I get to bed at a decent hour or I struggle to stay awake in the afternoon.

Since this is a summer course the class is moving at a rapid pace. Last week we covered 6 sections in 3 days. This week we only cover 4. For the following 5 weeks we'll be covering at least 6. So far we have covered things we are already supposed to know and carried them a step or two further. I do wonder why math definitions have to be so enigmatic. While I expect most people can easily determine if a graph is increasing or decreasing they would be at a loss to know what is meant by,

A function f is increasing on an open interval I if, 

for any choice of X and x in I, with X < x, we have f(X) <  f(x)

Why not just say that if it's going up from left to right than it is increasing. If it is going down from left to right, it is decreasing. That is simple and understandable to everyone (at least I would think so.)

Staci and I were approved for the apartment we looked at the end of May. We'll be moving in on July 1st. It is good to know what the next step is. In the meantime, I needed to find a place to stay for a couple of weeks and was blessed to have three offers from people at church. Besides studying, I'll be packing up my room this week.

Housing Hunt

Since Easter I've been looking for another place to live. The house I'm living in is owned by a couple who recently returned from Ecuador. That changes the ambiance here. In addition they are planning on selling the house and gave me until June 1st to move out. I have a friend who also needs to be out of her current living situation by June 1st so we began the housing hunt.

I've visited some interesting apartments. One I saw last week was billed as a two bedroom however you had to go through one of the bedrooms to get from the kitchen to the living room. That doesn't work. There are lots of older homes and brownstone apartment buildings in the area where we are looking. That can mean some tiny bedrooms (does a double bed really fit in there?) and some small closets. Those that seemed liveable often didn't have room for our 3 bikes. (I'm the one with 2.)

In early May I visited a duplex (the ground floor of an old house) that had decent sized bedrooms, large closets, a pantry off the kitchen, and a huge front closet that could hold everything that didn't fit elsewhere. It was a little dirty but a good cleaning would get it sparkling. The bedrooms were painted an awful pink or green but the owner said we could paint those. While I was in France my future housemate went to see it and liked it as well. We understood that we had a verbal agreement and I was to call when I returned from my trip. I was expecting to be painting and moving this weekend. However, the owner rented it to someone else out from under our noses. I guess we learned it is always good to put down a deposit.

Saturday we visited another apartment that we both liked. It's in a great location and there is a storeroom in the basement for our bikes. The problem is that it is owned by a rental agency and since both of us have lived overseas for at least a couple of years our "rental history" isn't exactly the classic situation. My income and my credit score aren't classic either. One of my tasks today has been to round up documentation to back up what I'm saying and to pray that God gives us favor in their eyes.

Home

A few days before I left for France a friend asked me where I was going. I managed to catch myself before I said, "home" but knew there was plenty of emotion behind that thought which needed to be processed. As I reflected on this during my trip via Chicago and Madrid, I decided that if I could call my parents' place home even though I no longer live there, I can also call France home after living there for 18 years.

During the 12 days I spent in Lyon I enjoyed summer-like temperatures, buying 10 roses for less than $14, walking familiar streets, being back in the land of small cars, quiet Sundays, formage blanc, French bread, cheese, the best ice cream in Lyon and being with friends. There was no way I could see everyone but I did try to visit as many as possible. There are only so many meals one can eat in a day especially when each one is at a different person's home. Thankfully French breakfasts are far from being hearty.  One afternoon a friend offered me a cup of tea which I declined saying I'd already had 3 that day. She graciously agreed that was enough and took me to a sidewalk café where I could drink something cold while we caught up on the events in our lives over the past year. I got to know the babies who had been born since my departure and came home with some pictures as well as a clay "container" lovingly made by a 7 year old. I spent a lovely evening with Geoffrey and Aline (the couple who got married in April and were the reason for my visit) seeing pictures and hearing stories about their wedding and their first month together.

When it came time to say good-bye in some ways it was harder than a year ago. Many of my friends commented that they were looking forward to my visit a year from now. My finances won't allow for a yearly visit and there is no wedding on the horizon to look forward to. So somehow the good-byes seemed more final. I will continue to grieve the loss of face-to-face relationships that have meant so much to me over the years. At the same time as I walked home from the light rail after being up for over 22 hours during my return trip, I was thankful for the sense that I was coming home and looking forward to seeing my new friends here. The time will come when these relationships will be deeper and meaningful like those with some of my friends living in France.

I've come to the conclusion this week that I have 3 places I call home.  No wait, it's actually 4. As one of my friends reminded me, home is where we are going, not where we come from. Minneapolis is starting to feel more like home but I'm eagerly looking forward to really being HOME one day. Come Lord Jesus, come!

2nd semester is completed

I had two comprehensive finals today. My math final began at 3:30 and I turned in my test about 5:20. One of my answers didn't check but at least I had an answer. I left a question for a formula blank (which I now remember - though I still don't think I could have figured it out.) I'm not sure I was able to show enough work to get full credit for a couple questions but hopefully I didn't make any stupid mistakes. My Chemistry final started at 5:30 and I finished up about 7:15. For the most part it wasn't too difficult. I did struggle with a series of questions on molarity even though we just covered it recently. I came up with answers that made some sense but I have no idea if they are right or not. I should know my grades by the end of the week.

I have 3 weeks before summer classes begin and they will be full. Wednesday morning I leave for two weeks in France. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of friends. Hopefully my French will come back quickly. I'm sure there will be many stories to tell.

I'm planning on moving shortly after I return. The house I'm living in will soon be put up for sale so they have asked me to be out by June 1st. It would be nice to be moved in before summer classes start on May 31st. A friend also needs a new living situation by June 1st so we are looking for a place together. Craigslist spits out lots of 2 bedroom apartments every day (though there are plenty of repeats) and I've visited several of them. Taking into account our budget and realtors who actually show up at the appointed time, the issue seems to be having a place to keep my 2 bikes inside. I've been spoiled by living in apartment buildings with storage rooms in the basement. With my being gone for 2 weeks, the actual application process will need to be done by Stacie - and she's praying it goes smoothly.

Tutoring and Tests

Yesterday I finished two months of tutoring every Saturday. I started with a group of third graders, then helped a 9th grader with Algebra and the last three weeks I served as a sub since the 9th grader could easily be put with another math group. I learned a lot through the experience.

• I thought I would like the younger kids better, but the older kids were easier to work with. Their maturity level and attention span are such that they were much better able to focus on the task at hand.
• Tutoring from 8:30 to 3:30 is a long day for all age groups.
• Being bilingual has lots of advantages, but doing well on those standardized tests isn't one of them. The bilingual kids I worked with were bright, attentive and eager to learn. At the same time they had no idea what was meant by the sentence, "Johnny stayed home from school because he was under the weather?" I was glad to be able to help them make a small step forward in gaining a better grasp of the intricacies of the English language.
• Environment matters. Both sites for the Saturday tutoring were in churches. One had a room that was used for a preschool. It was brightly colored but the tables and chairs were small and shelves of toys and games were distracting. The other was a larger drab room in the basement. There was also a small gym (about the size of a volleyball court) up a couple of flights of stairs. I was normally at the second site but spent two weeks at the first one I described. The kids were much easier to work with at the drab one. It helped to have more space between the tables, fewer distractions and a place for the kids to run and get out some of their pent-up energy.. 
• Math is easier to teach than reading - at least for me. Maybe that is because I've been immersed in math since late August so it is fresh in my mind. 

Overall it was a good experience. I hope it will help me get a tutoring job next fall. My math skills should help since lots of people forget all those algebra concepts once they are a few years out of school. An added bonus is winning the drawing for a $50 Target gift certificate for those of us who took a turn or two riding the bus. That will come in handy.

This week is the last of the semester. I have a test in each class between tomorrow and Wednesday followed by two comprehensive finals next Monday. I have my work cut out for me especially in reviewing everything we've covered in Chemistry and Math. Friday I can register for my summer school classes - including College Algebra. So far there are spots left in the traditional class. I hope it stays that ways as I do not want to take another online math class.

Volunteering

Back in January I began the process of finding a place to volunteer in a therapy setting. Once I found an opening at the Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) it took awhile to work through the process of actually being able to begin. There was a volunteer orientation, a background check, making sure my immunizations were up to date and that I didn't have TB. Once that was completed I received the go ahead to begin. For the past three weeks I've been helping in the outpatient therapy department from 8 to 12 every Wednesday morning.

It has taken a bit of time to learn what I can do to help. I begin by making sure each booth is stocked with the necessary sheets, pillowcases and towels and help clean up after each patient leaves. I've helped with filing, making copies and empty the laundry bins a couple of times. One morning I was given the job of finding a patient's file that had been misplaced. With some clues for the therapists as to where it might be I was able to track it down.

I've also had opportunities to observe the therapists as they work with patients and a couple of the therapists go out of their way to explain different aspects of their work. HCMC is a unique situation since the patients range from high-power executives to the homeless.  Last week I played catch with an immigrant woman who needed a translator. This week I observed a woman being fitted with a portable traction device for her neck which she can use at home. I also was asked to keep an eye on a homeless man who had fallen asleep. The therapist couldn't wake him and figured there was no harm in letting him sleep for awhile. There was space and on that snowy morning, I'm sure he was delighted to have a warm, safe and comfortable environment for a nap. After she finished with her next patient she was able to wake him up and finish working with him. From what I've been able to observe, it can be a challenge to work with such a diverse group of patients but it also keeps the job interesting. You never know what will happen next.

HaHee

One of the first people I met in France was a 2 year old boy with curly hair, the usual disproportionate body with legs far too short for the size of head and body they supported and a big smile. In fact that smile was so constant that drooling was a major issue. ("HaHee, don't drool!" Slurp.) As he learned to talk he came up with his own name for everyone important in his life. Older brother was Bubba; older sister was HeeHee; I became Allie and he gave himself the name of HaHee. His influence was great since pretty soon everyone was calling me Allie. HaHee was eventually able to call himself Geoffrey (or Jo) and me Aunt Alice. I suppose it was about the same time that everyone else stopped calling me Allie.

HaHee and his family played a big part in my adapting to France. I spent that first Christmas with them (and every other one after that when I was in France.) During my first year I lived in another town but I would go visit during breaks from language school. As much as I don't like seeing a 2 year old cry, it did warm my heart when he would cry when I left. His big heart for people was evident even then. Once I moved back to Lyon, I was living on my own for the first time. It was great to be able to stop by their home (an apartment above a car dealership which meant walking through the show room to get there) any time I needed some people time and be showered with love and affection by all three of those kids (and later their younger brother.)

HaHee has grown up. His hair is kept too short to see the curls. He's way past drooling and those short legs are now quite long. However, his smile hasn't changed. Then again maybe it has. From the pictures I have seen of his wedding yesterday, his smile was as big as it could possibly get. Now it's my turn to shed a few tears because I couldn't be there to celebrate with a little boy who won my heart as a two-year old.

Here's to 60+ years of marriage to Geoffrey and Aline from Aunt Alice!!!

Online Math class

Math has always been one of my favorite classes. Finding the answer (I should call it a solution) is like figuring out a puzzle. And all answers are objective even when there are multiple answers. The downside is that I tend to make stupid mistakes (like 1+1 is 1). The only way to check my work is to do each problem twice. If I just look it over, I'm liable to agree with any mistakes I made the first time around. My math professor last semester commented that I should do it right the first time. I agree but the only way to assure that I did do it right is to do it again and see if I get the same answer.

This semester the only math class that fit into my schedule is primarily online. While it is nice not to have to go to class three mornings a week, it seems to take much more time than the traditional classroom. What a professor can explain in 5 minutes takes over an hour of going through an online book and filling out worksheets. When I can't figure something out the answer to my question is buried somewhere in a 5 to 10 minute video. Then there are the problems to do on top of that which take at least an hour and sometimes more.

This past weekend I went to see my family. Since I don't have classes on Friday I left Thurs afternoon and came back on Monday morning. I felt like I spent all day Friday and Saturday working on math. It would have been much more enjoyable to play with my niece on Saturday morning! In the process my two other classes were neglected and I'm feeling behind facing a test in Chemistry on Wednesday and a quiz in Lifespan Development.  Of course there is always more math to do. I will make it to the end of the semester (only 1 more month) but I don't ever want to take an online math class again. There are two options for college Algebra this summer: one is online and the other is every morning from 8 to 10. I will gladly get out of the house every morning and show up to class!

Transition

I've been back in the US for 9 months. I've moved to a new city and learned my way around; gone back to school and rediscovered what it means to study; found a new church and made some new friends. I enjoy being closer to family and I made it through a real winter. (I'm really glad that spring is here!) I've found work (and actually received my first paycheck).

When I first arrived I was told that it would take 2 or 3 years to adjust. Some weeks, in the midst of my routine, I think it might not take that long or be as hard as people make it out to be. But I'm learning that the hard part seems to come in waves. I'm in the midst of one of those waves now. It's hard enough to understand my emotions so putting them into words is difficult. I guess in many ways it feels like grief though it's hard to put a finger on exactly what I'm grieving. I know I miss my friends in France and many different aspects of life there. I'm thankful it's just a wave and this too shall pass. In the meantime I have the opportunity to keep trusting God's faithfulness to his promises to work all things out for my eternal good and his eternal glory.

This past week I went to see the movie Of Gods and Men. It's in French with subtitles so I was delighted when a non-French-speaking friend said she would go with me. In many ways it combined things I've been missing as it tells the story of 7 French monks in Algeria who were martyred in 1996. I felt at home in the mix of North African and French languages and cultures. And somehow their individual struggles to decide whether to stay or leave because of the danger was encouraging. In the midst of it all, they found strength in their routine tasks and the Daily Offices. They did what was before them and trusted God with the rest.

Worshiping in Chemistry class

Chemistry is my most interesting class this semester. I had chemistry in high school but that was a long time ago and as I remember, it was quite easy to get the teacher off the subject. He was also my basketball coach and it seems we talked more basketball than chemistry. I'm glad to be enjoying chemistry this second time around.

This week we talked about making conversions between different types of measurements. One example was figuring out the actual cost of the gold in special $50 coins that are advertised for $19.95. The example we used turned out to be $18,350 per ounce.

A common conversion is between Fahrenheit and Celsius. Celsius is a scale that makes a lot of sense: 0º is freezing point and 100º is the boiling point for water. Fahrenheit was the first temperature scale and there are many stories of why Mr Fahrenheit set his scale the way he did. According to my professor he chose set 100º as the body temperature of a horse. He didn't think that negative temperatures were good so he wanted 0º to be on the colder end so he settled on the temperature at which salt water will freeze. (I tried to verify all this on the internet and it seems no one really knows why Mr Fahrenheit settled on his scale - but this explanation seems about as good as the others I found.)

Chemistry is about atoms and how the 100 or so elements in the universe combine together to form compounds and all the physical things that exist. It is very structured, predictable and orderly. In 1869 Mendeleev put the periodic table together based on the properties of the elements. He didn't understand why they behaved the way they did or the make-up of an atom but the table is still basically organized in the same way today. At that time not all of the elements had yet been discovered but he left holes in his table and predicted that they would be filled in time. Sure enough, those elements were discovered and we have gained a much better understanding of the makeup of atoms and how they form compounds with other elements. It's all quite amazing. My professor talks about the secret of the universe being valence electrons (the electrons of one atom that form bonds with another atom). As I learn more about how it all works, I'm again amazed at the wisdom of the Creator who put it all together and I can't help but worship.

March Madness

I'm glad I didn't have school this past week because I sure would rather watch basketball than study. I had big plans of working on the list of things that I'd been putting off until spring break but that didn't really happen either. I did get my taxes basically done and I prepared for Saturday tutoring during commercials on Friday afternoon. I did skip the late game and go to bed early since I had to leave the house shortly after 7 on Saturday morning to be able to ride the bus that picked up the kids. By the time the day was over at 4:30, I was more than happy to come home and just sit and watch basketball.

At the urging of a friend I filled out a bracket but I'm not doing very well. I had only watched a couple of games so I was basically guessing. A lot of my guesses have been wrong. But I expect that Richmond and Butler have wrecked havoc on most people's bracket. After watching them play, I'd be glad to see them go to the Final Four and one of them win it all. They just play the game right -- as a team with intense defense.

Tomorrow morning I need to get back to the books but for now it's some more basketball.

First day on the job

Saturday was my first day of tutoring and actually getting paid for it. Part of my role was calling the parents to confirm that they were planning on their child participating and to give them some details including what time the bus would come to pick them up. Those conversations gave me an idea of the home life of the third graders I'd be working with. One obviously speaks Spanish at home since his mother handed the phone to her husband. Two live with their grandmothers. When one mother found out we would be meeting in a church she made it very clear in her broken English that that wasn't an option. I handed that off to my supervisor as I'm not sure what the other options are.

Saturday morning we had some of the usual first day issues. Several kids missed their bus, more because the bus driver didn't actually stop and wait than because they weren't ready. The grandmother of one of the girls in my group called to say they came out of their building just in time to see the bus drive away. Hopefully that wrinkle will be worked out next week. I started with two boys who are in different classes at the same school. Later on two girls were added to my group for the day. For the most part they were motivated but since everyone was in one big room they were easily distracted. "Why do they get to play a game?" "Why are we eating lunch when no one else is?"... I think it would be much easier if each group had its own room but that isn't an option. They were attentive in the morning but attention waned after we ate. Hopefully I'll be better organized next week. Now I know better what to expect and what to be ready for. Being there from 8:30 to 3:30 seems like a long day especially on a Saturday. At least I'm not dealing with the kindergartner whose tutor said he spent the afternoon saying, "I want to go home."

Sorrowful yet always rejoicing

Last Sunday morning Aunt Suzanne entered eternity at the age of 50 after fearlessly battling brain cancer for 21 months. Here's an attempt to capture some of my thoughts and emotions.

Suzanne loved beauty. She always looked beautiful. She brought beauty and order to her home. Her warm smile and cheerful voice welcomed everyone to the parties she loved to have.  The food was always delicious and artistically displayed.

That beauty is now hidden from our view. We have the beauty of the gifts she gave. Her home is decorated in the same way, but now it feels empty, as if the soul is gone.

So we grieve. Her family grieves most deeply.

While we mourn, Suzanne is in the place of indescribable beauty. Those who have seen it ended up tongue-tied, grasping for ways to help us imagine what heaven is like. She's there drinking it all in, filled with awe, wonder and worship.

I wonder about the conversations she has had with Jesus and the wholeness that she now experiences. I wonder if Jesus has given her a part in preparing the wedding supper of the Lamb, that feast to beat all feasts. I wonder how long it will be before she throws a party for her family members from past generations to hear the stories of how God's grace brought them safely through the storms of life. I wonder if she has discovered the heavenly library and picked out a book to read and found a place to stretch out on the grass in the warmth of the sun that can no longer burn her skin.

Suzanne walked through the valley of the shadow of death without fear because she knew what is promised to those who trust in Jesus for forgiveness. She believed her Savior had a good plan. She trusted him to make something beautiful out of the ugliness of cancer. How stunning she must look in the elegant dress of her righteousness that increased as she trusted and praised her God in the midst of the storm! (Rev 19:8)

Through all of this, Uncle Steve has led his family in praising and trusting God. They have been living the words of the song Praise You In This Storm. Suzanne's storm is over but it continues for her family. They may feel that much of the beauty has been sucked out of their lives. My prayer is that they know in an ever deepening way what it means to worship the God who gives and takes away and that they keep trusting in his mercy so they can be sorrowful and yet always rejoicing.

Training and Orientation

I felt like much of last week was spent in training or orientation. Wednesday afternoon I spent 2 1/2 hours going through the volunteer orientation at the hospital. This covered such exciting things as how volunteer hours are tracked, the dress code (a red polo shirt provided, black pants, shoes and socks...), where to park and how to be reimbursed (the hospital is close enough I can walk), who to contact if you see someone doing something unethical, hospital safety, the meaning of the different "color codes" like "Alert Yellow", "Code Blue", or "Alert Orange" and how each effects volunteers, and how to help prevent the spread of infections (wash your hands!!!). There are still a few more things that need to be accomplished but I should be able to begin volunteering sometime in the next 2 weeks.

I spent 6 hours on Friday getting some training for the tutoring job. A friend of mine thought that sounded like a lot of training. It didn't seem overdone at the time as it was all important information but I was exhausted by the time we finished. The program I'll be working with is brand new so the full-time staff have been putting in some very long hours trying to get everything set up. It was to start this week, but it may not get going until the end of the week or next week. Because of that I do not yet know where I will be placed or the age of my three students. I do know they rank in the bottom 50% of their grade and at least one of them will be an ELL student (i.e. they are learning English at school.)  That will make it an adventure to communicate with their parents. It also makes the extra tutoring that much more important. Students learn better when they get help and encouragement at home. While ELL students may get encouragement at home (their parents did sign them up for this program) they don't get much help because Mom and Dad probably don't speak English very well themselves and even if they do, they may not read it. I have known several families like that and am looking forward to helping some in that situation.

Febuary odds and ends

When I woke up in the middle of the night I remembered that I'd forgotten to write here this past weekend. It's not that nothing happened this past week but I guess I don't really have a good story to tell so here's the bullet list of some of the highlights of the past week.

• Wednesday I finally began jumping through the hoops to volunteer in the therapy department at a nearby hospital. It will be a couple of weeks before I can actually begin since they want to make sure I've never had tuberculosis. Thanks to all my travels, I didn't need any immunizations. I also had my first Chemistry test.
• Friday I spent an enjoyable afternoon with some of my cousins who live in the area.
• Saturday I was finally able to land a job. I'll be tutoring for two months trying to help kids who are lagging behind. More details will be coming once I've been through the training this coming Friday and know where I will be placed.
• Sunday afternoon I played guitar for the first time in church. Afterward I managed to make it home through the snow but had to get out the shovel to be able to get the car into the garage.
• Today I shoveled. As I was working on the sidewalk out front I noticed a young man trying to clear out behind a van with a brush intended to wipe snow off the car. I walked over and offered him my shovel which he gladly took. His mother was very grateful.