Gigglehead

Since arriving back from Toronto, life has not been the same. I realise that it's the absence of Evan. And the knowing that he's not living with us anymore unless he visits, doesn't comfort one bit. Life is good and God is till sovereign and great, but it just feels like something is amiss, Evan is missing. Sigh.

I choose to be grateful and glad for all the years we've had him with us. Sometimes, it's just that the gaping hole that he made in our hearts when we left him in Toronto just threatens to swallow us up. Thanks God, for your grace that is sufficient.

The ad above is what we placed in his school's yearbook. Evan was prophesied to be born before he actually was. He was to grow up into a fine, young man. And that, he surely did!

I Love My Husband

Two years ago when I visited my parents here in Toronto, my mother (who has Alzheimers) was well aware that she was at the point when she could no longer remember everything she wanted to remember. One night,in her moment of frustration and resignation, she with hand on her forehead said to my father, "What is wrong with my head? What if I can no longer remember you?" My father very quickly answered, "You may go ahead and forget everything, just please don't ever forget me".

It's been two years since and she has forgotten way more. When tested by her Neurologist just a few weeks ago, she couldn't say where she was (which hospital, city, or country). She couldn't tell what day it was, nor whether it was morning or evening, winter or summer, or what year it was. She couldn't come up with the word for 'pen' when she was asked what it was called, nor the word for 'writing' when asked what the pen was for. It was particularly ironic and sad to hear the Doctor tell his Med. Student that my mother had her Doctorate and used to be a Teacher, then an Administrator.

At this point in her life, my mother sometimes remembers me (her daughter) but most of the time, she doesn't. She's constantly confused as to who my husband and sons are. Once, she wanted to go home reasoning that her parents would be upset as it was already late. We couldn't convince her that she was home! Since her mind was in the past, she couldn't recognize my father either. Thankfully, it lasted for only a few minutes.

At the Doctor's office, she was able to blink when shown the written instruction to do so. She also picked up the paper when commanded to. Lastly, she was asked to write a sentence, then to read it. Without hesitating, she quickly wrote the sentence 'I love my husband', then read it confidently. My father beamed and looked like he was about to cry all at the same time.

Nowadays, very few marriages last, and some of those who are still married, aren't always happy to be in the marriage. My parents are sadly greatly affected by my mother's illness, but in her lucid moments, they are a joy to behold. As they celebrate their 60th Wedding Anniversary this Saturday, they're definitely (by the Lord's grace) happily married. I am so proud to be their daughter.

Hugs of Love

Ever since living with my parents when we arrived here in Toronto, we've been blessed. However, it's been very interesting, amusing, and even trying for us also in many ways. This is mostly due to my mother having Alzheimers. She has been forgetting many things including us, facts, and what she's saying. Sometimes she'll express the same concern over and over such as tripping over the cable that the computer is hooked up to, or one of the kids not in bed yet. But, what stands out the most to us who sometimes sleep later than she does, is how frequently she comes out of her bedroom to say "goodnight". She'll kiss and hug, say "goodnight", then go back to her room. A little while later, she'll do the same thing again. This sometimes goes on anywhere from 6 to 12 times at night. I, Linda, regretfully admit that by the second week of our stay, I was beginning to get tired of the repetitiveness and interruptions of the nightly routine. Thankfully, the Lord made me remember that my mother wasn't really affectionate to me when I was growing up. She became a lot more expressive when she got older but we then went to the mission field and have been there for close to 11 years. That meant I've missed out on being able to give, nor receive love from her in an intimate way (kissing and hugging). Now that she's saying "goodnight" many times each night, I get to receive in an intimate way each time, whatever affection she wants to give me. I realise that we were unknowingly making up for all the lost times that we couldn't hug because of distance and other reasons. Each hug and kiss she gives me each night (be it the 6th or the 8th) is filled with the same sincerity, warmth, and love as the first one. I am grateful to receive massive doses of her affection each night in lieu of all those times she couldn't give them. Thank you, Lord!

Random Act of Kindness

As we joined the line-up to buy tickets to get in the museum today, we (our 4 sons Evan, Eric, Eli, and Ethan, and their two cousins JJ and Jaime) were all quite surprised when an Asian man handed Eli a bunch of tickets and told him to use it today. While we crowded around to examine what they were, the man nodded to me, Linda, and gave a quick wave before he exited the building.

Upon closer inspection, we saw that they were entrance tickets for the museum. There were two for kids (perfect for Ethan and Jaime), two for Youth (Eric and Eli used them), four Adult tickets (for Eng, myself, Evan, and JJ), and a Student ticket. How on earth did that man pick us to give the tickets to? How did he know how many we needed? How could the timing have been so perfect that as we're walking in, he's walking out? Could he have been an angel? The number of tickets were certainly sufficient for all of us to get in the museum for free. Fact is, we even had an extra one which we then turned around and gave to another equally surprised random person.

We can only attribute the amazing blessing of savings to the Lord. With the tickets was a stub showing how much the man paid for them, $79.50. Thank you Lord for providing for us in such a random way. Nothing is too difficult for you!

The Old and the New

For the last two years, we have been praying for a newer vehicle to replace our 'black beauty'. Contrary to her name, what Black Beauty lacks in looks, she makes up for in her determination to run. She's almost 20 years old but she still drives well. Of late, we replaced her radiator but other than that, she's still hanging in there. If only her doors would lock, her windows would open, her A/C would run well, her lights would function, etc., etc. Alas, slowly her body parts are showing its age. She also reflects how we believed the Lord would provide for us when we got her almost 4 years ago. We felt she was what we deserved.

Along comes Tiger (shown below with Ethan), our new vehicle. We thank the Lord for her. She was the vehicle of friends who are moving on to China. Now we are awed at the remarkable differences between the two. We thank the Lord for His provision. Since we trusted that He could provide for us without our input on what we deserved, this is what we received. What a God. We are grateful not just for this new addition but for His changing us.

Pulsifers

In the picture from left to right are Lindsay, Leslie, Eli, Ethan, Evan, Murphy, Eric, Chris, Eng, Craig, Lib, and Lani.


Since April 10, my sister Lib and her family have been living here in Thailand. They came to work as Short-Term Mission workers at a home for adopted children and to visit with us at the beginning and tail end of their stay. It's wonderful to actually be able to phone someone and it isn't long distance and costing money. It's amazing to actually have relatives here. My children have cousins(!) and we've actually been able to get together on Sundays at church and afterwards. We've been able to 'hang out' and spend time together. With four of our sons and 5 of theirs (1 son and 4 girls), they didn't always get along but for the most part, it was so much fun to have them here. We are grateful for the Lord's goodness. This week-end is the last time we'll have the opportunity to spend time together as they leave the Tuesday following. We'll be so sad to see them go but we choose to be more grateful that they were able to come. What a blessing from the Lord to make it happen. Thank you, Father!

The Yanguangs

For the past week, we've been praying for the Yanguangs of Yunnan, China. There are 0.35 million of them with 0.14% Christians. Workers are currently there. Let's pray for them to be effective and that the Yanguang believers would know how to share about their faith. Thank you and bless you.