November 16, 2002

Today we are grappling with Carol's dad's illness, and it is dwarfing all our other concerns. Please read about him below and keep him in your prayers.

November. It's dark and it's rainy. If it weren't for Thanksgiving, November in the Northwest would be a total loss. Apart from Carol's dad (more below), we are all well, and we hope you are, too. Christmas is coming, the Sonics look like they'll be fun to watch, and baseball starts again in five months. If only it weren't so gloomy!

(Carol will write something for this spot soon!)

Charlene Cox has accepted the call to be our new lead pastor at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church. Her first Sunday will be December 15.

I had a very good visit with my mom in NJ during the first week in November. It was a pleasure to get to see her. I took her out to dinner and to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding; we went to Troy, NY, to visit my dad's grave; I did some odds and ends around Mom's house; and my brother Hank and my niece Elizabeth came up for a visit. She has grown a lot since the last time I saw her! It was great to see them both.

I am still volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and I'm still tinkering in Silverdale and my garage. My latest project was a coffee table which I just finished today.

Pete is doing well in his first quarter at UW. He likes it very much. Today, he came home to have his wisdom teeth removed, so he'll be relaxing with us for most of the weekend.

Ray is hobbling around this week on a sprained ankle. I was replacing a faucet in Silverdale only to discover that the shutoff valve was faulty and leaked. I hollered for Ray to get me a bucket from the garage. On his way back inside with it, he slipped on the tile steps and rolled his ankle. Fortunately, Ray's friend Travis was with us, so we left Travis to bail while Ray and I went to Group Health and to get a new shutoff valve at Home Depot. So now Ray has a new ankle brace, Silverdale has a new faucet, and Travis has a new fear of Silverdale!

Ray's junior high jazz band participated in the Northshore Jazz Festival today at Inglemoor High School in Bothel. Ray had a short trumpet solo on the old Blood, Sweat, and Tears number, Spinning Wheel. The kids did a great job!

Ray Hodor is losing his battle with myelodysplasia. His decline in the past month has been dramatic. He is in the hospital now for the second time in the past week with shortness of breath attributable to heart failure. He has experienced some hemorrhaging into his lungs because of his low platelet count. Ray's doctor says at this point Ray might die at any time, but there's no saying how long he might live. If and when Ray comes out of the hospital, he will need to be in some kind of assisted living arrangement. Please keep Ray in your prayers.

Here are this month's pictures...

October 2002