Gold Rain

Today I decided to step out of the tornado and sit outside to write.  It’s been a while since I’ve aired out my head.  I’m learning that it is not selfish for me to take out time for myself but rather NECESSARY in order to be who I need to be for my kids and my husband.

Right now I am sitting outside watching red, orange, and gold rain down all around me.  The evening light catches the leaves at a perfect angle and illuminates the tree like one grand, stain-glassed window in this outdoor sanctuary.     

We moved again.  This is the 8^th house we’ve lived in during the past two years…the adventure continues.  Today finds me in the suburbs of Washington D.C  in a subdivision named Montclair.  Our friends, Tim and Amanda Long, are graciously letting us stay at their vacant home while they are in Florida for the next six months.  It is a perfect place for this stage of the journey.  “Our” new house has 3 levels, 4 bedrooms, a perfect adventure playland for the kids in the backyard, and even a fireplace.  We are beyond blessed. 

In some ways, I feel like God brought us out of America to bring us back here with new eyes.  After spending 15 months in Iceland, I am now enamored with the most mundane, simple things.  All summer long I couldn’t stop staring at the trees  and vegetation here…each  leaf a different shape, ivy climbing and decorating, making a mosaic of worshipful green.

I really feel God’s eye upon us.  I’m not worried about the future because I know God has something up His sleeve.  Too many things have happened.  It’s so obvious that God has a plan and I’m learning to just kick up my feet in the passenger seat and trust that the Driver knows where He’s going.  The more I travel through life, the more I’m realizing that God determines our steps.  Even our choices somehow fit into His mastermind puzzle that we can’t even begin to figure out.   So, we don’t.  We just submit, trust….and then REST.  

Silly Faces

Upstate New York

We just got back from a little roadtrip to Albany,  New York.  The kids did a really great job on the 9 hour drive and even helped feed Gracie so we didn't have to stop so much.  We broke the trip up into 2 driving days and had an enjoyable time talking about each state we drove through.  On Saturday, we were able to go to a local apple orchard there and pick apples, ride ponies, and enjoy a hay ride.  On Sunday, Colby preached at a church where his old roommate is a pastor and we sang for the service.  Good times had by all.

Gracie Photo Shoot

Home

The night before Gracie was discharged from the hospital,  Haley asked a very practical question.

"Do I say 'Welcome Home' when Gracie comes to this house tomorrow?  Or should I wait until we go back to the Locust Grove house?"

Hmmmm...For a moment it made me sad that our kids don't really know where they live, but it allowed Haley and I to have a good conversation.  After the talk,  I was reminded about a chapter in Tim Keller's book, Prodigal God (if you've not read this New York Times Bestseller author, now's the time!).  He explores the idea of home...how evasive it is and yet how we all long for it.  

On Saturday we packed up everything from the mission house in Crozet and drove back to the other house we've been using in Locust Grove.  As Colby hunts for jobs, the reality is we will be moving again some time in the next year.  Among other things, riding the rollercoaster that is called our life these past two years has truly bonded our nuclear family.   I decided to make a welcome home sign for Gracie that would make sense to her and to us...

Riverside Park has changed in the last 10 years just as much as Colby and I have!  There is now a "Sprayground" in the middle of the park making it kid friendly.  It was the perfect day there.  

  When it's still 100 degrees in Virginia in September, you NEED a
"sprayground" in the park!

This guy was having too much fun;  I had to capture it.

A Happy Ninth Anniversary

Nine years ago today Annie and I were married at Faith Baptist Church in LaCrosse, WI. Ten years ago today we began dating after I tried to convince her of it for nearly a year. So, how do you celebrate an anniversary when you have a three week old and your living in a temporary house in a town that you had never been to until a month ago? You go back to the place it all began and tell your kids stories about their mom and dad falling in love. For us, it all began at Riverside Park in Lynchburg, Virginia. It was at Riverside Park we started dating. It was at Riverside Park where we had so many wonderful walks and conversations. It was at Riverside Park where we were cited for trespassing after hours and handed down a sentence of 8 hours of community service by the judge. And, tonight, it was at Riverside Park where we danced to the music of Gracie's cries with a bouquet of weeds that Darcy so carefully and proudly picked for us while Haley hit us with sticks to stop us from kissing. It was perfect.

Moby for Men

My wife recently purchased a Moby wrap. Now if you are not familiar with the Moby wrap it is a large piece of cloth that when wrapped appropriately allows you to "wear" your baby. For some people, wearing your baby is a way of life, and I am not simply talking about agricultural field workers in some far away place who do not have the opportunity to take some time off after the birth. There seems to be a whole movement of baby-wearing that is associated with theories of attachment for infants and so on. It may have its benefits, but we never wore Haley and Darcy, and they seem well adjusted so far. Anyway, I asked Annie about her interest in using the Moby wrap and she described it as an accessory of sorts...like a necklace that comes with the benefit of holding the baby hands-free. Sounds fine to me, but wow, it sure looks difficult to use.
The funniest experience I have had so far with the Moby wrap was after we received it in the mail. Inside on the back of the user's manual was the picture you see here. Now, I am no marketing expert, but I have to guess that the potential market for this specific "camouflage" real tree Moby is actually pretty low. The intersection of hunters and Moby baby-wearers cannot be populated with a large crowd of people. I just can't see myself sitting in a tree stand waiting for a trophy buck, while wearing Gracie. Whatever benefits that could be conferred by wearing the child most certainly would be counterbalanced by the risks of firing a gun or pulling back a bow string. But hey, I don't work for Moby...and just maybe they know something I don't.

A Quiet Weekend

After seventeen days in the hospital we have enjoyed a great weekend at the house in Crozet settling in to taking care of Gracie. Apart from a few extra things to do each morning we are really enjoying a very normal baby experience. In fact unless you would know the back story, you wouldn't even be able to tell anything has been going on.

He moves in mysterious ways...

Part of living by faith is learning to respond to the mysterious circumstances that God sometimes uses to direct our paths. There are times in life when despite where we anticipated to be, we find ourselves in another place. If you would have asked me a year ago where I would be at this time I would have told you that I could see myself living in Iceland for many years to come. Even as Gracie was diagnosed in April I remained hopeful that the condition would be treatable with a single procedure and we could plan for a return to Iceland some time after the 1st of the year. As the doctors said, "We won't know what we are really dealing with until Gracie is born." So we waited...

The night Gracie was born she had an immediate Echo-Cardiogram and at 1:30am we went to the NICU to find out what the results were. For us it was much more than just the results and treatment that we were awaiting, but also an indication of what our future plans would be. When we found out that the condition was severe and the treatment plan would require three surgeries, we knew the implications. We would be staying in the U.S. for the foreseeable future.

At this point, we do not yet know where the next step will be. I have begun the process of looking for a new position of ministry here in the U.S. and pray that the process will be swift, and trust that in due time God will bring us to the place He has prepared. I vacillate between calm excitement about the journey ahead and a sober sort of anxiousness to find some stability. Even more, I thank God for how He has generously provided for us through the support of our current employer and the generosity of friends, allowing us to enter the process with a confident peace.

So, what about Iceland? At this point it is hard to anticipate how God will work in our lives in the future and where this story will lead for the Garman family. It didn't take long to find a place in our heart for Reykjavik. Hardly a day goes by where I do not still exercise my language skills by reading the Icelandic news or one of the many novels I brought home. Further, we think often of our friends there, so many of whom have been so supportive with kind words and prayer during the past month. The mere mention of the word "Iceland" brings to mind a myriad of faces and sweet memories of all of our friends. The simplest answer to the question is, "We will just have to wait and see what the Lord does, He moves in mysterious ways."

God moves in a mysterious way
his wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
and rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
of never failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs
and works his sovereign will.

You fearful saints, fresh courage take;
the clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
in blessings on your head.

His purposes will ripen fast,
unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
and scan his work in vain:
God is his own interpreter,
and he will make it plain.

--William Cowper