Day 199 From Eternity to Five Fruit Pie

Dear friends,

Between emails and comments, the name “Frankenfoot” wins in a landslide. Stephen and Frankenfoot went back to work today, but it will take a while for the pain to go away. As predicted, the oxycontin was discontinued as soon as Smitty could stand it, and he switched to Advil. If it was me, with my addictive personality and powerful inner wimp, I would be on the Vicodin until the script ran out. I’m wondering how that foot of his is going to like sandals this summer. And canes don’t do well on the beach…Guess we’ll just have to cross those bridges when we come to them. But the sandals bridge is around the corner.

I got word from our friend Ed Frank at Choices 301: our crashed car is now on display, complete with Stephen’s sneakers still on the floor of the driver’s side (what’s left of it). That was a piece of information I hadn’t known before November 8; that many people in high speed wrecks are knocked out of their shoes. I can’t fathom how that can happen, but it does. It’s one of the eerier details of a horrific car crash. You’ve lived with me through many ugly details. But funerals and cemetery's would have been far uglier.

Even with the lingering problems as a result of this experience (which touch every aspect of our lives), I hope you know how wildly grateful I am for life and hope. Where there is life, there is indeed hope. And for the redeemed, even when there is no longer life, there is still hope! But how sad and broken would have been the road for my boys and I without their sister and dad! So many folks, including some of you, have experienced the death of someone precious. My heart sorrows with you. I think of my friends the Carey’s, whose son was killed in the back of a van by those entrusted to care for him. They have cried many tears, and we have with them, and their pilgrim road will never be the same. But they have the grand hope of the Strong Giver of Life, who created us for eternity. That’s why we always feel uncomfortable in time. It relentlessly ticks away, leaving us as slaves to its religious drum beat. It ever seems to be going by too quickly. We were never made for time…but forever.

Still, we are alive today, and I’m glad for it. I love this scripture:

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13

Hard working Sandy was talking about a “5 fruit pie” at work today. That’s something else I haven’t tried yet, like parasailing (this summer)! 5 fruit pie interests me exceedingly. One fruit pie is good enough, I can only imagine a five fruiter. I’m turning 50 this summer, and I think I’m going to have the man track me down a five fruit pie for my birthday. How I went from eternity to pie I don’t know, but my friend Dick Whitbeck will tell you, there is definitely pie in heaven.

Wish we could have pie and coffee together. When we have our party in the fall, I’ll try to remember the 5 fruit pie!

Your pie loving friend on the pilgrim road,

Loriann