Last weekend, Thursday through Monday, I was in the air and on the road visiting my older brother, Micah, in Washington DC and driving with him and his friend, Matthew, down to Tennessee for the wedding of a friend. It was a great time of renewing old friendships and making new ones.
I took a bunch of pictures, but they were for matron of honor on her camera:)
Micah took some time out just for his sister after we got back to DC, which meant a lot. After walking around the capital on Monday morning in the cold and wind, I arrived back in Rochester to calm, gorgeously beautiful 70+ degree weather, yet feeling rather tired and emotional.
The trip allowed extra time for reading, so I just finished Philip Yancey's book,
Where is God When it Hurts. In this excellently crafted book, Yancey explores several aspects of pain and suffering, from the physiological purpose of pain, to ways in which people respond to suffering, how we can respond to those hurting, and how God participated in our suffering through Christ. While he touches on the philosophical, I appreciate the practical approach and application that he uses in presenting this difficult but extremely relevant topic. The things he says lend meaning my personal experiences and those that I observe daily in my patients. Rather than attempting a complete book review, I'm going to share some of the thoughts and quotes that made an impression on me.
Okay, I guess I'm still emotional, because I am crying right now about one patient in particular. She's been in the hospital for nearly 4 months now, and the final outcome of her health is still uncertain. She struggles with depression and motivation after so long, yet she is an example of how one can allow the Lord to transform pain to teach and strengthen us and turn us toward Him. A few weeks ago, she was quite emotional, and I offered to pray for her, so we just paused to lay everything before the Lord. Yesterday was a bit tough because she was waiting for another surgery. As I was about to leave, she asked me if I would do something for her, then she asked me to pray for her. That was such a special time to again go before the Lord with tears and faith in His love. I don't know the why behind her hurt, and I don't know if she will recover, but I do know that she is allowing something beautiful to come of her pain.
Suffering has the power to draw a family together in ways not otherwise possible. It has the power to change both the sufferer and those close to him/her. Yet the power lies not in the pain, but in the response to it, for it also causes people to turn bitter. It causes many to wonder how a loving God can allow evil. I don't know the answer to that question, but as we are not exempt, neither was Christ.
"On the cross, God himself obsorbed the aweful pain of this world...God did not give us words or theories on the problem of pain. He gave us himself. A philosophy may explain difficult things, but has no power to change them. The gospel, the story of Jesus' life, promises change." ~Yancey
Just to know that Christ was tempted and tried in all ways as a human like me is such a comfort, because I know I am not alone and that He understands.
It's interesting to look at pain philosophically, but I think it is an issue that must be looked at personally as well. Why do we have to get old and go through the be dependent on others? Having worked in a nursing home and with hospice, I have thought about that a lot. Some people seem to become more beautiful through it, but others, such as those who no longer have mental capacities, are unable to grow through it. In those cases, I think the lesson is primarily for those who must care for them. One of the most lovely ladies I know spent 26 years of her life caring for her husband after he had a stroke. He could only speak about 5 words for those 26 years, yet this lady gave so much of her life for him, and that is probably a part of what makes her the sensative, caring friend that she is now, ministering to the lonely and needy in her community.
"I think God has planned the strength and beauty of youth to be physical. But the stength and beauty of age is spiritual. We gradually lose the stength and beauty that is temporary so we'll be sure to concentrate on the strength and beauty which is forever. It makes us more eager to leave behind the temporary, deteriorating part of us and be truly homesick for our eternal home. If we stayed young and strong and beautiful, we never want to leave!" ~J. Robertson McQuilkin
"The Bible consistently changes the questions we bring to the problem of pain. It rarely, or ambiguously, answers the backward-looking question 'Why?' Instead, it raises the very different, forward-looking question, 'To what end?' We are not put on earth merely to satisfy our desires, to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. We are here to be changed, to be made more like God in order to prepare us for a lifetime with him. And that process may be served by the mysterious pattern of all creation: pleasure sometimes emerges against a background of pain, evil may be transformed into good, and suffering may produce something of value." ~Yancey
"The value lies not in the pain itself, but in what we can make of it." ~Yancey
"A wise sufferer will not look inward, but outward." ~Yancey
Often people don't do anything for those who are suffering physically, emotionally, or spiritually because they don't know what to do or say. Sometimes it is awkward. There aren't always words to say. The sufferer is not always appreciative of our efforts. But guess what, it is okay to not know what to do but try to be there anyway. It may make you vulnerable as you expose your lack of know how, but the sufferer is feeling very vulnerable, and to see that in someone else sometimes does him/her good as well.
"I believe we in the body of Christ are called to show love
when God seems not to...In moments of extreme suffering or grief, very often God's love is best perceived through the flesh of ordinary people like you and me. In such a way we can indeed function as the body of Jesus Christ." ~Yancey
"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5
James 1:2-4, I Peter 2:20-21, I Peter 4:12-13, Philippians 3:7-10, Romans 8, Hebrews 5:7-9
We went hiking and kayaking and just enjoyed lots of time together. 
I saw a loon for the first time! For some reason, I have always been fascinated with this northern bird that lives on and in the water. Most loons cannot take off from land and are not good at walking, but swim and dive they can. They have very distinct calls and a unique plumage. I didn't take this photo, but it gives you an idea of what they look like.
we were kayaking. Below, my friends are crossing the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi. 
we were kayaking. Below, my friends are crossing the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi. 
Fire towers
such as this one were used in the early 1900's to spot and locate fires. The person in the lookout had a wheel to use in order to get the direction of the fire. Using the direction reported from another tower, coordinates could be determined in order to identify the exact location of the fire. Around 1950, airplanes mostly took over the job of locating fires, though a few towers are still in use. Early towers were simply in the tops of trees, but those such as this one were designed like windmills in order to tower above the tree tops.
