Thoughts from this week

I found out this week that our friends Donna and Bill Robson are moving to St. Louis. They have been in Evansville for the past several years because Bill's work took them there. Now Bill has the option of losing the job there in cutbacks or relocating to St. Louis. Donna likes her job in Evansville, and her home, and her hairdresser, and nail lady, etc., and has some trepidation about the move to the big city. I told her that while she is somewhat unhappy about the sudden upending, I AM THRILLED! Mario and I have gone to Evansville twice to visit them with Marty and Joyce Stevens, and going to St. Louis will be so much easier. So Bill has already relocated to begin the job, and she is staying on til their house is sold. We have several friends in the St. Louis area, mostly college soccer buddies and their wives, but nobody we feel we can just show up on the doorstep and spend the night. We can do that with our buddies Bill and Donna! O and the best thing of all for them in this move: their first grandchild is expected to arrive in Jacksonville near the end of July. Donna is so excited about being a grandma and will love being 1 1/2 hrs. away from that baby boy who is already named Alex.

I really did enjoy the cancer support group at Madison Park Christian Church on Wednesday. The group has a good supportive spirit, and I can see that the purpose of being there is to be helped by those who have already gone through what you are going through. In my case, I think I will be a helper AND one who is being helped since I am newly through the battle. There are men and women in the group and all kinds of cancer experiences. So this is a bit different from the breast cancer group, who are all women pretty much in the same boat. I am meeting many friendly, spirited people through both groups. And there are many compelling stories with lots of faith and laughter. Shelia, the woman who invited me, is currently being treated for colon cancer. Her OB/GYN found it in a routine exam. She had no symptoms. We must all be on the lookout. Hopefully, early discovery will save her, as it has so many. That's the key--early detection is the best prevention, and you have the best shot.

Blake is holding his own playing high school soccer on the JV team. There are sophs and juniors on the team. He is a sophomore and a bit on the small side, although we can see that the training he has been doing has built that little bod up quite a bit. He knows what he's doing on the field and sees plenty of playing time. And Carrie told me that when he is not in the game, there are plenty of buddies on the bench to have fun with. He's growing up.

I thought about another thing Dan the Builder and I talked about when he called. He was having a hard time being stuck close to home. He has a big black truck that he traveled around in; I think he would light at lots of places in the course of his day. Well, he told me how much he missed getting around to see us. So I told him how much we all love our duplexes that he built, and that he sure has a talent for building nice places at an affordable price, and he seemed so appreciative to hear that. Actually, I would try to tell him that all the time, because he wanted his buyers to be happy with their homes. He was just 59. He had many of Dad's qualities. We talked once about Dad, and I told him he had a lot of similarities to him. Now I am wondering if they will pass paths wherever they are. They would have some very lively discussions, the two of them! I am going to miss Dan. And Mario will definitely miss entertaining him with his jokes and card tricks and magic. He was a great audience.