My Mom's Here

Mike started medical school with a white coat ceremony.  I wasn't able to attend, but his parents were there to see him receive a waist length white coat, defining a medical student, not quite a doc yet.  As med school came to a close, graduation, then moving to PA, it was an honor to begin residency with a long white coat. Now try ironing the thing, because as the training continued, for the next seven years, the laundry service did not cater to trainees and their stiff 100% cotton long white coats. Well, the other day, I needed to iron Mike's white coat for a photo shoot for his new job.  The photographer even stated in an e-mail that Mike should come to the photo shoot with the "coat ironed."  This was not easy.  I'm not very skilled at this sort of thing anyway, but knowing that this particular white coat could be in a picture that is blown up to billboard size, I better start taking this ironing seriously.   So, a pinky length wrinkle could be lik...

My friend Christine has had an apt word for me many times, always at prime times in my life.  I am so fortunate to be around many edifying friends and family, who have good counsel at perfect times.  I have been thinking about Christine's text from a few months back.  It was just as we were settling into the idea that we will almost definitely be moving.  So here's her text and how I'm applying it. Jo, I believe God would want you to watch a video about how a tree is moved from one place to another. Ok. This is planting a tree from a pot: This is moving a tree from one spot to another. Could it really be, that God has gone ahead of us to our new location, and prepared a place for us to grow into? Could it really be, that it hurts the tree a bit in the short term to run a blade through the outer lining of it's root ball, cutting the roots (some spiraling)? Is it true, that the roots of the tree only branch out as far as the leaves and branche...