I'm Gonna Live,Live, Live Until I Die

I have a good friend who is thinking about dying. She's thinking about end of life issues like hospice, stopping chemo and tube feedings. These decisions aren't being made abruptly or in a vacuum. She's been tumbling them around in her mind since her cancer diagnosis in April, 2009. It's hard for me to work this through with her, but I consider it a privilege to be able to do so. We can talk about anything now. It didn't used to be like that. We've been friends for over 20 years, through thick and thin, better and worse, sickness and health, richer and poorer and have raised children together. Our families have been friends since our little girls were in diapers. We tag-team parented. We called each other for help any day or any time. Sometimes we were having an emergency and other times we just needed a friend. I know that it's rare to have a really good friend these days. I do not take this friendship for granted. She's had up til now a satisfying, if not perfect, life doing things she loved--backpacking, camping, reading, quilting, to name a few. She live, live, lived and now she may die. As I have walked with her during this time and have learned much. I have learned that some of the things I once thought were important aren't important at all. The things that really count are our relationships; with God, our husbands, our children and our friends. It's important to be open about the things that God has done for us. Her life has been a testimony to these things, especially in the past year. She's not afraid to die. She knows she will be with Jesus, probably soon. She's not afraid to talk about dying and I'm not afraid to listen. These things are important. Who won "Best Picture" at the Academy Awards is not.

This is so lame! Since nobody's listening, I'll just give an update and be done with it! It's Spring and I'm so glad. Yesterday it was 71 degrees!! I'm writing a book about my mom in her early adulthood. So fun! I should be doing that now by the way. Also have connected with a long lost cousin on my dad's side and we're going to exchange information. I've started a book about him, too. I'm making quilts like crazy and still loving it. Need to post some more pics. My hubby had cataract surgery and he's back at work today. Needs lots and lots of eye drops. Poor baby! He'll definitely live, though!

Interesting? Meaningful?

I wonder if I'm writing anything that's meaningful or if I'm still hiding behind the words? I have a lot of things I'm very passionate about and lots of opinions on things but I just usually let them roll around in my head. I always think that no one wants to hear them. But, I am witty so maybe I can do something witty instead of something meaningful.

Friends

I wonder what would happen if we had no friends? I really think we would begin to invent imaginary friends because without someone else, outside of the marriage, to bounce things off of, learn from, support and be supported, how could we manage to get through life? We have some wonderful friends like these people, the George's on the left, and the Harper's on the right, whom we have known for 20 years. The words "for better for worse, etc. etc." apply to friendship as much as marriage. Our kids are the same ages, our marriages are about the same age, we are about the same age, we share similar faith and value system, we like to be together and have laughed and cried together over the years. We've also tag-team parented and watched our rascally little ones grow up into rascally bigger ones and then responsible adults. I look at these pictures and my heart is full. I love these people and they are a permanent part of our lives now. I don't think we could even divorce them if we wanted to. (Can you divorce friends?) Knowing there is someone you can call if you need them is worth so much. Even if I never had to call them, I would know they were there for me. But, I have had to call them and have been called by them and we do whatever we can for each other, no questions asked. That's worth more money than I'll ever see in this lifetime or the next.

Thirty-six years together

August 4 was our 36th anniversary. We were only 10 years old when we were married, that's why we look so young. =) Anyway, it's been quite a journey from 1973 to 2009. We've been through a lot. Have had a lot of good days and a lot of days we'd just as soon forget. I anticipated those days when I was young, but didn't anticipate how hard it would be to plow through. I thought if things got tough I could always bail out and go my own way. But a funny thing happened. I didn't want to leave. I decided to stay married to this great guy and work through the things that married couples have to work through in order to hammer out a life together. It's been worth it. We're so bonded together that I can't imagine going through life without him. I'm totally and completely loved and cared for by my hubby and I know he would do anything for me. I know he feels that I would do the same for him. In the whole realm of things, nothing is as important as that kind of relationship. We can and have accomplished anything we needed or wanted to do. I know that our mutual love for God has been the glue that has kept us together. Whatever we do and say, we both know that we are accountable to God first and each other next. It's good to have the same values. It was a good foundation for our relationship that began in September of 1971 in Hillsboro, Kansas. You don't really know what will happen when you share your life with someone. It's a very complex series of events and sometimes it seems to have a life of its own. We're going to be together another 36 years so we will keep learning and keep loving each other 'til death...

Eddie Van Halen Friesen

Isn't he adorable? This is the best picture I could get because he doesn't sit still unless he's on someone's lap. He's wearing his new tank top ($1 at Target--his mom's a good shopper). On my birthday-August 22- we went to the SPCA branch shelter close to our house "just to look" and this one looked at us with his big brown eyes and said, "It's about time you guys got here. I've been waiting for you." Eddie's big sister Abbey Road Harriet Friesen is in the background in her pink cupcake tank top. She's 6 months older and 3 pounds heavier. They're both a pain in the derrier, but when you're in love with a four legged furry creature, you go a little nuts.

Project #2

Well, here is my next project. The blocks are all sewn together and if I may say so myself, many of them are nicely placed nose to nose. I know there's a quilting term for that but I think I get the point across. The colors are a little off on this picture but they are all batik prints of dark blue, bright orange, purple, forest green and light blue. I finished it at about 11:00 last night and slept under it to get the feel of my first human sized quilt. Next stop: borders and batting. Stay tuned