Greetings from the cold north! Sorry that I haven't been able to post while we were away, but the internet connections were VERY slow, and quite expensive. So I had to make you all wait! But we have had an awesome trip, and a very enjoyable time with my siblings and their spouses in Cuba! Even though my luggage didn't arrive until 5 days after we got there, we didn't let anything spoil our trip. We had a great time of relaxing and resting, reading, snorkeling, and just having fun! We celebrated the fact that we were all alive and well, our anniversaries, and they even had the staff at one dinner sing me "happy birthday" and bring out a cake! Trust my siblings not to forget!! But it was also more than just a vacation - my sister called it "a vacation with a purpose". We were able to deliver medical and practical supplies to two doctors, an orphanage and 2 churches! We were also able to attend one of the churches, and shared an amazing time of worship and fellowship with them, even though we understood very few of the words being spoken. The pastor's wife translated for us, but the meaning and spirit of the service was more than clear! To see God at work transcends language barriers!
After arriving in Vancouver, I spent 2 days there having appointments again. I met with the urologist, the voice clinic, my physiotherapist from GF Strong, and the neuro-ophthalmologist. The urologist wants to run some more tests on me, so I'll be back for that in January. The doctors at the voice clinic noted that my voice has improved a lot, and that I am doing what I need to do to keep improving. The best news came from the neuro-ophthalmologist. My eyes have improved as much as they are going to, and so now he wants to have me see a specialist that will schedule surgery to correct them completely! We had hoped that they would improve on their own, but that's okay - the surgery will set everything back to normal. The success rate is 90 - 95 %, so that sounds great to me! It's day surgery done under local anesthetic, so it won't even be that bad. That will be scheduled for sometime next spring.
So we're back at home, relaxed, refreshed and ready to get into Christmas. Things were just starting to show up in the stores before we left (except at Costco, which has Christmas stuff out in August!), but things are sure in full swing now! Usually we are able to ease into the season - this year I feel like I've been hit with a Christmas sledgehammer!! But it will be a meaningful celebration this year, that's for sure. Aaron will be coming home next week Friday, and it will be so good to be back together as a family again. It should be the most restful Christmas that we've had in a while, as I am not involved in anything at all! Usually this time of year is so busy with concerts, recitals, church programs to prepare and be involved in, but not this year! So it should actually be a time of doing what we should be doing - celebrating the birth of our dear Saviour and Lord, and enjoying our family!!
We trust that this season will be as meaningful for you as it will be for us! May you find the time you need to focus on what is important, and to treasure the ones you love!
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