October's Whirlwind

Whew! Where did October go? I can't believe we're already at the end of my favorite month of the year. With all the rain we've had this month (one of the wettest on record), there haven't been a lot of opportunities for getting outside, but man the trees are gorgeous!! I haven't seen colors this rich for a long time. October is always packed full with hay ride socials for the middle schoolers, birthday parties for Noah, volleyball games for Anna and lots of caffeine for John and Julie who just try to keep up. Speaking of Noah's birthday (my "little" guy turned 11 this year), he had quite the drawn out celebration. We started the weekend of the 16th with a sleepover for him and five of his best buds, followed by a walk-a-thon the next morning to help his friend, Josh, raise money for research for a rare autoimmune disease that causes his immune system to attack the lining in his esophagus - a very painful condition that has no cure and no successful treatments. It was neat to see the boys really get into helping out their friend, even if it meant I had to sit on the steps during the sleepover and pepper exclamations of "Quiet!" over their whispered giggles for a half hour before they finally gave up and fell asleep so I could get them up at 7:15 and to the park for the walk. This past weekend we celebrated with my family. Mom, Dad, my middle sister Erin and her family (9 guests in all in our little house!) came and stayed through Sunday. We had a blast hanging out together, eating way too much, and catching up on each others' lives. Yes, life has been busy, but I marvel at its many blessings.

Even in the midst of this flurry of activity, love has made its imprint on our lives. John begins a job at Costco this Saturday and while it's not the counseling job he would like, we know there are many who would be eager to have the opportunity to work again, and we give thanks. Friends and family have reached out to us in our time of need with a generosity and selflessness that reminds us of Someone else who has given all for our sakes, and we rejoice. As a wise man once said, "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." We think he was right.