Day 203 Vietnam, Afghanistan and East Greenbush

Dear friends,

I was outside for nearly 8 hours straight today, enjoying what was indisputably a perfect start to summer. Besides weather from heaven, we were surrounded by friends, and in particular 2 stars who made Memorial Day what it was meant to be. In the picture are men who deserve our praise and prayers. On the left, my nephew Daniel, a Marine Sergeant who is leaving for Afghanistan on June 15. On the right, David (most people call him Sarge), a Vietnam Vet who was seriously injured in combat near the DMZ during that terrible Asian war. How do we thank these precious men for their willingness to face hardship and even death to protect us from the kind of evil that flies airplanes into buildings in New York? They consider not themselves, but us, and they look at it as their jobs. God Bless them, mightily!

I played a little volleyball until I hurt my wrist. That always seems to happen to me when I tackle that particular sport. My favorite sport is sitting in the lawn chair talking to people and eating macaroni salad. Ah, summer. Seems a million miles from the waiting room at Albany Med in November when Dr. Dailey warned me my husband might die that very night. Well, he can't play volleyball (and he was good at it!), but he certainly isn't dead. He's a bright light in my every day, and who knows, maybe someday he'll be able to play again.

The other picture is a group shot of our company, another snapshot of the grace of God in our lives. People are the best, aren't they? We'd never make it on the pilgrim road without the ones the Great One gives us along the way. How wise God is! We'll never figure Him out, but He is unfailingly good. And He's there at picnics. And in emergency rooms. And in Vietnam. And Afghanistan.

Happy summer, friends. Bring on the corn on the cob, bonfires, bare feet and beach sand. I'll be here with you through it all. How bout a good idea for a beach book? I'm on the last "Lord of the Rings" installment, so suggestions for summer reading are welcome.

Your friend on the pilgrim road,

Loriann