The Roller Coaster of Life

Curve Balls

We’ve had a few “curve balls” thrown at us over the past 4 months, some anticipated and some totally unexpected. Yet, through all the loss and hardship, we are coming out the other side more fulfilled, intentional and more prepared for the next phase of life than we ever have been.

This period has changed us and I like the changes. No other time of life has taught me more to not despise the storms of life. The hardships were a catalyst for internal change, bringing greater character, wisdom, love, and grace into our lives and more intentional habits that are producing fruit. Those are all things I need more of and I’ve come to treasure life’s storms, knowing that life afterwards is all the sweeter and richer.

3 in 1

In the span of one month, we lost my sweet mother-in-law, went through knee surgery & rehab for my 17 year-old athlete daughter and my husband unexpectedly contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Though I’ve seen my fill of doctor offices and hospitals this year, I must say we experienced some of the best of the best in nurses, doctors and medical staff. If you work in the medical field, my sincerest thanks for all you do.

Loss

Our first hardship was a great, though anticipated loss. My husband’s mother was 94 and had been battling congestive heart failure for a year. We were with her (in another state) for the last 5 days of her life which was so bittersweet, loving her and saying goodbye. I was honored to be both a care-giver on our collective 24/7 watch and an observer as her 2 loving sons spent their last moments on earth with her. I was so thankful to have captured just a few of the precious scenes with my iPhone.

The above photo is one of my favorites from those emotional days. Her eldest son is holding her hands on the last evening she was able to communicate and the moment was so tender. We miss her terribly but we have absolute confidence she is now unhindered in body, soul and spirit and joyously embraced in the arms of Jesus.

Surgery

Our daughter’s knee surgery was 4 days after the Memorial Service and sixty miles from our home. I choose not to post photos, to protect her privacy, but it went better than expected and we were back home that evening. She’s had 12 weeks of physical therapy along with frequent checkups with the surgeon and is now cleared to play soccer again. Oh to be young and heal so fast!

The Unexpected

In late August, my husband came down with a fever. Thinking it was his typical bout of bronchitis, he sought medical attention and was given the typical antibiotics. After 3 weeks, 2 rounds of antibiotics and no change, we knew this was something out of the ordinary. Our new doctor ordered a series of tests, including Lyme’s and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever [RMSF]. The tests came back showing a recent and significant infection of RMSF. Similar to Lyme’s, it’s a bacterial disease caused by a tick bite, hard to diagnose correctly, uses the same 30 day strong antibiotic to kill it and takes several months to feel normal again. However RMSF is different in that it can easily be fatal if not diagnosed and treated right away. To be honest, my husband and I still cannot figure out why he is not dead . . . but God.

Life changed in a hurry!

We’ve learned that, though we had been in the Rocky Mountains 2 months prior to his fever, the incubation period between tick bite and symptoms is 3 days to 2 weeks. On a Friday, my husband and I hiked for 5 hours at this nearby state park and 3 days later, on Monday, he came down with the fever. However, he never saw a tick nor knew of any bite then or at anytime this summer. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is much more prevalent east of the Mississippi than west of it. Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia are the hot spots for numbers of confirmed cases. Our mid-west state had 90 cases in 2018 alone.

I look at these photos and remember what a beautiful day we had but it’s also a reminder that life can change in a hurry. For 3 weeks my husband was barely able to sit up in bed, and for 2 months afterward, had a slow recovery of strength and stamina. This was quite a change for a man who ran half marathons just a short while ago. He is now back to normal except for developing asthma. We don’t know if this is related to RMSF but it started at the exact same time and we are still in process of getting medical treatment for it.

Tiny features we can so easily miss

Great Lobelia [Lobelia siphilitica], sometimes called Blue Cardinal Flower, is so interesting close up. It grows in moist to wet locations along streams, sloughs, springs, swamps, meadows and in low wooded areas. Almost resembles a praying mantis, doesn’t it? It’s named after Matthias de l’Obel (1538-1616), a French physician and botanist.

I’m sure you see bright blue in the photo above. It’s the l-o-n-g tail of the Five-lined Skink [Eumeces fasciatus]. He was so fast and so elusive that I couldn’t get a good close up shot of him. Reminded me of the salamanders I used to catch beside the creek as a child.

Historical Imaginings

I can imagine Native Americans using this limestone cliff 200 years ago as a landmark or even a temporary shelter during a rainstorm. It also probably was used as an observation point since it overlooks a major river below.

Think of all the pioneers who used this covered bridge! I can almost hear the loud horse hooves clattering through it. We packed a lunch and chose this spot as our outdoor cafe. Several geese swam past and we had a few kayakers paddle by too. Dinner AND a show!

New beginnings

In late October, when my husband was just beginning to feel like himself again, we went camping with my son’s family and all our grown daughters. What fun! The fall colors were spectacular and the scenery stellar. Admittedly it was very chilly the first night but warmed up nicely from there. The State Park we chose consisted of 5 lakes with interconnecting water ways. Canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, and row boats were available for rent and with some effort, you could paddle through all 5 lakes. After taking each of his 3 children for a canoe ride on the first lake, my son explored across 3 more lakes while the rest of us relaxed.

Where has 2019 taken you, what have you learned and is there a new chapter beginning in your life? Images help me understand and remember concepts. This stairway reminds me there are new adventures waiting around the bend, some hard and some enjoyable and that it takes some effort to get through them. God uses all of life’s circumstances to shape our thoughts and character, to prepare us for what’s next on earth as well as in eternity. I’m ready. How about you?

Passageways

Isn’t this a wonderful way to get from lake to lake? I’m sure the French Voyageurs wish they had it this easy traveling place to place.

The interconnecting passages were short and led to beautiful wilderness lakes.

Beaver found this area a perfect habitat too!

Nature’s classroom

We found many old growth trees, 150-200+ years old. The trail next to this tree was once a wagon path to an old farmstead and I’m sure this old oak could tell a lot of interesting stories!

Mycena leaiana or commonly called Orange Mycena growing out of a decaying log. We can learn so much from nature about God’s character. This photo and the one before are visual aids helping me “see” Isaiah 61:3. “He will provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor.

Winter has come to our little slice of wilderness now and we’re welcoming the change. I must admit, however, that last night’s low of 9ºF was a bit jolting for me. Oliver, my golden, LOVES the cold weather. He joyously rolls in it as part of our twice-daily walking routine.

It’s a time to gather with family, to rest, to take time to look back at the past and to look forward to the new year. It’s a time to re-evaluate, re-organize, and prepare for something new. When Christ [God Incarnate] came as a baby, He was bringing something new. The new promise of God With Us, of a way to shed our sinful stain and walk fresh with the Father.

My family and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May it be filled with joyous family gatherings, include a time of reflecting on Christ’s gift to you and filled again and again with delightful and unexpected wonders in nature.

I truly do enjoy reading your comments so please leave me one, won’t you? What have you learned in 2019 and what are you looking forward to in 2020? Have you been through some recent storms of life and how were you changed by them?

Leave this field empty if you're human:

Catch ya next time,

Carolyn