Redeem the day

On Anna's birthday I prayed, "Lord, redeem this day."
To redeem means
...to buy back
...to free from what distresses
...to change for the better
...to convert into something of value
...to make worthwhile

I wanted May 29 to be free from distress.  I wanted it changed for the better.  I wanted it converted into something of value.  I wanted it to be made worthwhile.

That morning I listened to the song "Unredeemed".

"When anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord it will not be unredeemed... You never know the miracle the Father has in store.  Just watch and see.  It will not be unredeemed."

I prayed for a miracle.
Because there was no birthday breakfast, I fasted.
I toured the cemetery.
I had lunch at one of Anna's favorite restaurants.
I cooked dinner for the people at the Ronald McDonald House.
I played Anna's High/Low game.

The next day I wrote, What was the miracle?  
There were no big surprises.
There were no moments of great joy.
Perhaps it was a miracle that I didn't stay in bed all day.  Perhaps the miracle was that Jacob told his friends about Anna.  Perhaps God touched the heart of the tour guide when I told him why I was at the cemetery.  Perhaps the miracle happened after we dropped off the food and prayed for the people at the Ronald McDonald House.  Perhaps I can't always see the miracles God is doing.  

"The most beautiful lives are the outcome of anguish and tears [Ian and Larissa Murphy, Nick Vujicic, Lorraine Patterson, Patrice Williams, Jamie Spangler, Joni E. Tada, etc.]... The elevating and perfecting of character come largely through sorrow... I falter sometimes when I try to say, 'It is good for me that I have been afflicted.' [Ps. 119.71] But I can now and then catch a glimpse of the truth of it."                                                    (Mrs. C Cowman, Consolation)

Beauty from ashes.
That's the miracle.

A week in review...

In the last 7 days we...

Remembered Anna on her birthday by taking a tour of Hollywood Cemetery...

While we were on the official tour, we saw my friend Betty's marker.  She wanted to have a one last witness to the people walking by on their way to see the graves of James Monroe and John Tyler.  I didn't know how I would ever find Betty's memorial among the 60,000 people buried in Hollywood, but we walked right by it!

Then we took dinner to our local Ronald McDonald House.

Anna's Mexican Fiesta of course!

We also enjoyed my sister's first visit to Virginia and tried to show her some of the sites.

We gave Asta a haircut.

We celebrated Jacob's birthday (early) with his friends-- 

after dinner at Kuba Kuba and after the tornado warning expired.

I'm guessing there were around 30 kids give or take a few.  Jacob brought his record player downstairs and at one point they were listening to The Sound of Music.  Pretty wild and crazy, huh?

I organized the team party after the final regular season game.  

We are the number one team in the National League going into the playoffs--Go Cubs!

We had a birthday breakfast for Audra and Jacob... and a birthday lunch....and a birthday dinner...

And we said goodbye to our sweet, cuddly bunny.

(This picture was taken a few weeks ago when she was relaxing in Audra's arms.)

Richard found Buttons dead on Sunday morning.  He wanted to wait to tell Audra until after church.  Then he wanted to wait until after lunch.  (Have I mentioned that Richard's parents waited a week to tell him that his dog died when he was a child?)  I was so stressed out by all the waiting.  I was about to burst.  I was fixing lunch when I heard Richard call out, "Marlo, Audra wants to go check on Buttons!"  I didn't know he had been mulling over the best way to break it to her gently.  Without even thinking, I ran into the room, grabbed her and blurted out, "Audra, an owl got Buttons!"  It might not have been the gentlest way, but it was clear.

It has been an emotional  and busy week.  I was hoping that things would settle down after today, but since we still have a birthday sleep-over, the 5th grade party, finals, Audra's play, and the baseball playoffs I guess we will have to wait for summer to relax.