Seuss-isms

I love reading to my kids.  While I still get read to Hannah, the days of reading to Sarah are long gone. Hannah and I are now reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes - a long way from Pink Drink, The Big Red Barn and Daisy Head Maizie


One of my favorites was always Dr. Seuss' Oh The Places You Go!.  I'm not sure why, but yesterday I found myself thinking about a specific set of "verses" in that book...here is a brief excerpt:

"...You'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great sights! You'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.  You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.  You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest...

...Except when you don't. Because sometimes you won't. I'm sorry to say so but sadly its true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.  You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You'll be left in a Lurch. You'll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you'll be in a Slump. And when you're in a Slump, you're not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done..."

Solomon said it a bit more succinctly when he stated (in Proverbs 19): "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."


Once again yesterday, the Lord impressed upon my heart that what Julie (and I) are walking through is not about us.  Its about his purposes. Its counter-intuitive (as is much of Jesus' teaching) to the world's perspective. But both of us have felt (and prayed) that the Lord will reach others through this journey - that he will bring them to himself.


In "Oh, The Places You'll Go!", there is a turn for the better. Here is how the book finishes:


"...But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike and I know you'll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are...


...You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up  your right foot with your left...


...and will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed! (98 and 3/4% guaranteed.)  KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS"


Of course, God says it clear in His word when he tells us that life is not easy. In fact, once you have Christ in your life, its likely to be harder. However, we will succeed.  And its 100% guaranteed. Jesus defeated the enemy.  We win.  Regardless of what happens to us on this earth, with Jesus, we are guaranteed to spend eternity (which, by my simple calculations is a loooooong time) with God in heaven. And, Seuss had it right, we can actually move mountains (see Matthew 17:20)!


Update on time line
As I mentioned in my last entry, surgery has been rescheduled. This is due to the fact that the breast surgeon has to attend a funeral for a dear friend's husband (37 years old) who lost a 7-month battle to brain cancer. So, please pray for Toni Green and her friend and friend's family.  The funeral is this Thursday.


Julie's surgery is next Tuesday, the 19th. We have had to move out the follow up visit with the oncologist from the 20th to the 1st of August (as her oncologist will be on vacation after Julie's surgery). This is a very important meeting as we get the pathology results and determine the post surgery treatment plan.


We are still praying for elimination of the tumor, no cancer in the lymph nodes, and no "cancer gene" in the DNA testing.


Thank you to all who have offered to pray and help.  We are so grateful.  A special thank you to Dave Ellis, a friend from Phoenix who attended the MLB All Star Game last night, and if you watched the game, you know that they had a special dedication to support people with cancer.  Dave and his family lifted up Julie's name in support on national television.  Extremely humbling.


Blessings to all