Shine, Jesus, Shine

I often remark on the light in my mom’s eyes – a light inconsistent with the terrible darkness of something in our life’s called ALS. The horrible disease threatens everything; yet, the light in my mom’s eyes shine bright for all to see. I am not the only one who can see this light. All who come into contact with Dar encounter it. It’s Jesus shining bright.

I heard the song Shine, Jesus, Shine this morning and I immediately thought of my mom. I also remembered that I needed to write about the light.

Shine, Jesus, Shine
Cliff Richard

Lord the Light or Your Love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness shining,
Jesus light of the world shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth You now bring us,
Shine on me. Shine on me.Shine Jesus shine

Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit blaze,
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your word
Lord and let there be light.
Lord I come to Your awesome presence,
From the shadows into Your radiance,
By the blood I may enter
Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness,
Shine on me. Shine on me.

As we gaze on Your kindly brightness.
So our faces display Your likeness.
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me. Shine on me.

Thanks for being the light in my life, mama. I pray that God continues to shine His Light on you and through you. I also pray this Scripture from Ephesians over your life:

Ephesians3:16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Psalm 67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah

Christmas

The forecast was for a blizzard; in fact, newscasters were calling it the biggest storm since the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 days before it was predicted to hit. Christmas was only a few days away and a Christmas blizzard was on its way!

The stage was being set… John and Liz were already here from CA, and Mike was due in the same time the blizzard was supposed to start.

Thank God for the blizzard warnings! Because of them, Bill, Chris, and I packed our bags, and headed to Woodbury with the intention of staying two nights – the plan materialized only because of the snow warnings issued. We didn’t want to travel home after our Christmas Eve celebration only to risk being able to make it back again for our Christmas Day celebration.

God created a Christmas cocoon for us. It was wonderful. We didn’t know it at the time, but the stage was being set for an amazing Christmas.

This was the first Christmas Mom and Dad had all four children home in a very long time (Mike thought it was at least twenty years). We were excited!

We were tucked away, safe and warm, as the snow swirled and piled up around us. We were almost oblivious to the outside world. It was priceless.

It seems as though everyone had a really special gift for each other. Chris was thrilled Grandma loved her neck pillow and Susan Boyle CD. I was equally as excited how much she loved the book of her quilt pictures Bill and I made her and the Joyce Meyer DVD set!

Mom may not have been able to go out shopping on her own this year, but she made sure everyone had something really special and thoughtful. Dad was put to the challenge to make sure her wishes were carried out, and dad met the challenge. I think mom’s favorite gift given were the three sets of suspenders they gave to Don. He loved them too. Mom’s eyes sparkled and danced when she saw how much he liked them. She laughed with joy.

However, the special Christmas did not revolve around material gifts, the mega gift opening frenzy only contributed to celebration and the greatest gifts of all – of our family spending special time together.

I think of the time after the gift opening when Chris, Ashley, Matthew, and Samantha were in one circle on the living floor playing Matt’s new game; Mike, Sandy, John, and I were gathered around Mom visiting on the other side of the room; while a third group gathered around the appetizers on the bar; and thinking this is Christmas and what Christmas is all about – family and being together with our loved ones.

It was an amazing Christmas. We did not get our Christmas blizzard. In fact, the snow turned to rain and petered out. We didn’t care what was or wasn’t going on in the outside would. We were happy to be together.

I thank God for the special Christmas and the special time together – for wrapping us up in His cocoon for a couple or remarkable days. I thank God for my family.

Christmas Came Early

I think Christmas should always come early, and it should be celebrated late as well, and…. well, you get the idea. I don’t see anything wrong with stretching out the celebration. It is such a special occasion. What if we celebrated Christmas all year round!? What would that be like? I stray…

Christmas came early this year, as it often does. Bill and I took Mom and Dad to the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis on Sunday to see A Christmas Carol. The timeless classic tale was very well done, and we enjoyed the show very much. It was fun to see the sparkle in Mom’s eye (see the picture) our outing brought. Merry early Christmas, Mom and Dad.

I pray Christmas comes early in year heart and shines throughout the coming year. His precious name is Jesus. We should celebrate the birth of our Savior all year round.
God bless everyone!

Our Christmas Letter to You -- Merry Christmas!

December 2009


Merry Christms From Bill, Shari, and Chris Harris

Greetings to our family and to our friends!

This is our first attempt at a Christmas letter -- please bear with us! We enjoy hearing your news each Christmas and thought it was about time we give it a try.

2009, like every year, was a busy year. It was also filled with God's blessings.

As we all know, Shari is prone to change jobs in any given year, and this past year was no exception. Still with Medtronic, Shari transferred to Corporate HR and joined Global Leadership and Talent Development. The move has positioned her with a job aligning with her interests and passions.

Bill has had an interesting year as Caterpillar has struggled in a tough economy. He was laid-off every other month for the last six months. You know Bill; he doesn’t sit still for a moment and he remained very busy. In July he laid a new floor in the kitchen and dining room; in September he spent three weeks building a new stage at our church; and in November he found himself remodeling a friend’s house, a work that continues. It seems as though Caterpillar has become more stable and Bill does not anticipate any additional time off.

God has blessed Chris with a six-month contract position with Medtronic as a Project Coordinator in the Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management business unit. In addition to his full-time job with Medtronic, he has kept very active with his bourgeoning musical career, playing in many bands. He plays weddings, corporate events as well as many other pubic venues.

The year started out with a trip to Los Angeles to visit John and Liz. Traveling with John and Darlene, Shari’s parents, is always fun, and everyone had a great time.

Shari and her sister Sandy organized a team to walk for ALS in September. “Dar's Team” was twenty-seven members strong and raised $2,700 for ALS research.

Shari is working on becoming an apprentice writer in the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. In October she published her first two articles as she began writing for Workplace Influence and Examiner.com.

Bill and Shari celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on November 10th. November also brought Bill's family from Indiana for a Thanksgiving visit.

We had many memorable fishing trips throughout the year. The year was filled with memories of time spent with family and friends – too numerous to capture in one brief Christmas letter.

We are grateful for you and blessed to be a part of your life. We pray God’s rich blessing for you and your family as we look forward to another great year.

Love with much appreciation for you and our precious Savior, Jesus Christ, the reason for the season; our hope, joy, and peace,

Bill, Shari and Chris

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)

God of Hope

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), 1867)

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

“And in despair…” It’s easy to lose hope when in despair. Longfellow penned these words during the Civil War; he had just received news of his son being injured in battle. Longfellow was no stranger to despair having lost his wife just two years prior.

God is the God of hope.

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

God is the God of hope yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God is the God of hope in all situations.

Longfellow goes on to say, “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: God is not dead, nor doth he sleep…”

God is not dead today either, nor is he sleeping. Sometimes we have to adjust the tilt of our head to more clearly hear the bells. They are still extolling peace on earth and God’s goodness.

God is God in all situations – even ALS. He’s closer than ever. The light in my mom’s eyes that I so often write about? God. His love. He holds us close.

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace this Christmas season as you trust in Him. May the God of hope shine his face on you and yours and reveal Himself to you as the God of hope. May we all hear the bells on Christmas Day.

Good Friends - We Love and Appreciate You All

Good friends warm the heart like nothing else can. I appreciate our many good friends more than words can tell. A picture is worth a thousand words, or so they say... , check out the smile on mom's face and the twinkle in her eye in the photos as she poses with our most recent visitors.

Mom’s friends have always been my friends and my friends have always been mom’s friends. I’ve always liked that. We had a couple of great visits with friends over the past few days. It’s harder for mom to get out, especially with the snow and cold, and I appreciate all the friends that come to visit.

Sunday brought a visit with Buster and Jacquie. They came over sporting gifts -- presents to be opened and plenty of love and good cheer. Their gifts brought warmth and encouragement. We had a lovely time visiting with them. Mom showed her two newest quilts, both in progress, that my sister and her friends are helping her with.

John Collingwood (not to be confused with Dad John or Brother John) and I came over for a lunch hour visit on Monday. John also brought gifts of good cheer and inspiration along with his Christmas gift to mom. The time we spent together warmed our hearts and filled us with encouragement on a cold, snowy day. God was with us as we traveled snow-covered roads to reach mom’s house.

God has blessed us with the love, care, concern, and prayers of so many friends. Friends help cushion the blows along the way, and your prayers keep us afloat in the constantly changing ALS Sea. We appreciate you so much. You are angles sent straight from heaven. I think of the friend who volunteered to set up my blog, the friend who made my mom's fishing book, the ladies who help her quilt, the friends who pray every day! We are forever grateful for your precious love and friendship. You make a big difference in our life -- adding richness and forever changing us with your love.

Thank you Debbie, Rita, Cathy, Mary, Kristi, Lisa, Deb, Randall, John, Jacquie, Buster, Leslie, Ria, Stan, Chris, Pat, Mark, Alyce, Kathy, Jane, Robin, Mason, Abbey, Jim, Fran, Gerry, Betty, Cheryl, Terri, Julie, Theresa, Char, Maureen, Scott, Lara, Heidi, Laurie, Heather, Vicki, Diane, Joan, Michelle, Ann, Connie, Darlene, Gail, Carie, Carol, Robin, Toney, Curt, Sylvia, Leon, Shelia, Linda, Bob, Barb and so many more, too many to list. Your friendship, love, and prayers mean the world to us. Gob blesses you all for your kind support. God has sent you all.

ALS Support Group

We’ve been attending ALS Support Group at the University of Minnesota since July, and we have found this activity to be immensely helpful. Dar often has four or more family member supporting her every month.

If you or a family member is battling this terrible disease, I would strongly suggest you find a support group.

I remember the first time we went. It was scary! If I found it scary, I wondered how much more so Mom must have found it. The scariest was the point where caregivers and family members separate from the patient with ALS (PAL).

Mom’s fear wasn’t any different than the fears of anyone else who ever had to make the bold and courageous step to attend a support group – she was afraid of what it would be like to see other people who were in an even tougher place, a place where she would likely be headed.

I think Mom went the first time for us. She’s like that. Mom is always thinking of everyone else, especially her kids. My sister and I shared with her that we really needed to go. In fact, I was in a place where I thought I needed to go even if she didn’t.

The second Tuesday in July we attended our first meeting. As eager as I was to give a support group a try, I was nervous as the day and hour approached. I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I remember sitting there the first day. I found myself wondering if I had made a terrible mistake! Just as Mom was afraid, there were many people much farther down the ALS path than we were and it was frightening, when you thought about it, to see. I was wondering if we should have come. I was wondering what Mom was thinking. I was worried that we shouldn’t have brought her.

The first hour of Group is for all; a speaker presents ALS related information to the entire group. When it was time to split up for the second part, caregivers and family moving downstairs while PALS stayed in the room, I was really worried about leaving my mom alone. She couldn’t speak (because of her ALS) and she seemed so helpless in the room full of strangers. She gave me the “thumbs-up” signaling that she was okay, and we left her alone, not knowing what was going to happen next.

When I walked back into that room to pick her up I was amazed. My mom had made several new friends. It was obvious by the look on her face as well as the looks on her comrade’s faces. Mom’s eyes were sparkling, as were the eyes of those around her. She said she had a wonderful time. It was nice to be around people like herself she later wrote us on her white board.

I understood. It was good for me to be around people like me too. There is a great comfort in being surrounded by people who understand the difficult road we are being asked to walk with my mother. The people who ran the group as well as the people who attended the group were all so nice and welcoming. It was as if they all remembered how scary their first meeting was and they reached out to us to help us feel welcome. We cam back the next month, and the next… we haven’t missed a Group yet!

My mom lights up the room every time we go. She reaches out to others in such a way that their faces light up in response. My mom, my hero, is a remarkable person. She is an inspiration to all who meet her.

We went to the ALS Support Group Holiday Party with our new friends last week. We participated in the White Elephant Gift Exchange and had a nice time. The pictures are from the party. We are thankful to MDA for offering this support group and appreciate all our new friends.