Long Absence

Ah, the blog. It gets tucked so deeply in my brain behind the facts about Diabetes, epidural hematomas, and contact dermatitis. Sorry for the long absence.

The days are long, but the weeks are moving quicker than I can keep up. John has started graduate school at Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL. He is taking classes for the "Communications and Culture" program, which I think suits him very well. He's so intuitive...much more abstract than I could ever claim to be. His schedule still allows him to work quite a bit, which is nice.

My days go kind of like this:
5:45 -- Wake Up
6:43 -- Hop on my bike to the train station
6:56 -- Train arrives
8-4 or 5pm -- CLASS
5:30 or 6:30 -- Arrive Home
6:00-7:00 -- Dinner/Decompress
7:00-9:30 -- Study
9:30ish -- Head to bed

Last weekend I studied for 26 hrs between Friday and Sunday. I usually have one or two exams every Monday or Tuesday. So, it's a bit busy. BUT, when I stop and think about what I am doing and why I am subjecting myself to this crazy life, it all makes sense. After a long road of wondering what to do with my life, applying to schools and waiting a year to find out where I'd be going, it feels really good to be IN THE MIDST of it all. And I am so eager to know enough so that I can make a positive impact in someone's life by helping them heal. Medicine is [or should be] of holistic benefit to the patient...it's not just about curing, but HEALING.

Well, nothing else too new here...we miss our family in PA and really, really hope to get out there soon. It's been far too long. Congratulations to Crunch and Gina on their new son, Owen, who was born quite premature and has not been able to leave the hospital yet. We are praying for his health, that he might be home soon. Dad B. still has daily struggles with swelling and neuropathy. We are thankful, though, that he is still CANCER FREE!!

Dad H. is training for his 50-miler on October 11th. In celebration of God's goodness in his 50 years of life, he has decided to run 23.8 miles to the start of the Chicago Marathon, and then run the marathon, totaling 50 miles. He is raising $50,000 for Africa and to start a running/walking/mentoring program in the city of Chicago called "Sole to Soul." I would love it if you'd check out his website and consider giving financially to this endeavor. It will be life-changing, for sure, but he certainly can't do it alone.
http://www.firstgiving.com/timhoekstra50miler
http://timhoekstranumbtoe50miler.blogspot.com/ (His blog)

Thanks for reading...if anyone is reading....

Leah Joy