Shuttling Between Eugene and Sherwood

Just a quick note this week to let you all know things are moving forward with June's (that's our mom, if you don't know) preparation for her Sept. 1st move to Sherwood. Her email address will be changing to junebug421@verizon.net effective 9/1/07. The current Earthlink address will also be good until 9/13/07. Our home phone is 503-625-9128. You can call or email for a new mailing address.

We've continued to all work very hard on getting the house cleaned up and ready to sell by September 8th or so. When we get the market analysis worked up by the realtor in Eugene, we'll try to link you to it. Deb, Bill, Kathy, Sean, Hannah, Cortni, Chris, and Amanda (Chris's girlfriend) have pitched in quite a bit with organizing, packing, installing lights, replacing garage springs, staining the deck, finishing and cleaning up the garage, painting the fireplace, staining moulding and doors, removing cobwebs, answering phones, and much, much more. Sabrina and I wrapped up this week's stay with painting of the garage, touch-up paint in the rooms, repair of dryrot and staining of the decks, picking out flooring, lining up window cleaners, taking runs to the dump and Goodwill, and innumerable other odds and ends.

Mom will have another dose of chemo in Eugene next week, then we'll transfer her up to an oncologist in Beaverton and a Primary Care Physician in Sherwood. She'll be set up on a Medicare "Replacement" or "Advantage-type" plan through Providence, so we're feeling pretty good about where she'll be sitting in terms of insurance. She phases out of the COBRA insurance she had via Bi-mart as of 8/31/07. I feel like I am really ready to retire now, what with all the education I've received concerning Social Security, Medicare, supplemental programs, etc. At least going back to school and multi-tasking all of the first of the year stuff will seem pretty easy now, by comparison! Mmmm, I wonder if I've accumulated enough in my PERS account yet?

A huge THANKS to all of you who have shown your love and concern with flowers, cards, phone calls, emails, assistance with the house, visits with Mom, etc. I really believe that, aside from your prayers, these things have really lifted my mom's spirits greatly. Having moved overseas over thirteen years ago to Almaty, Kazakhstan, I think I might have an inkling (albeit a shadow of Mom's) of what it must feel like to experience so much loss all at once. This has been an intense time, since July 31st, of losing a lot of things: decent health, a home, a community of supportive and loving friends and coworkers in Eugene, the end of a long involvement with the University of Oregon's foreign exchange student program, a beautiful view of Douglas Fir trees, Japanese maples, squirrels, flowers, and even an occassional turkey or two out the window, "stuff" that holds sentimental value, and on and on. Considering all of this, it seems to me that my mother is holding up pretty well. So, please continue to hold her before God's throne, asking Him to reveal His goodness and presence to her.