the rest of the week

The rest of the week, outside the NICU, music and community and sports and celebrations and just plain life. RVA choir sang this morning. Strong voices, inspiring song. You can see Caleb and Julia, but Acacia is in the front row of girls on the left that are perpendicular to our view. Caleb was asked to help lead worship for church today, with teacher/coach Ryan Dahlman and some other kids. He and we were thankful for this opportunity. I remember a little book I made the kids in poetry form: the Bundibugyo Bhana bhana (four kids) when Caleb was about 4, and described him as musical even then. He has taught himself guitar over the last few years. In the middle of the set of songs I started thinking about how much I'll miss him next year. Tears. Julia and Acacia went on a hike with me on Saturday morning, exploring a new path I'd been curious about . . .note Mount Longonot in the background. Note Acacia beneath a spectacular Acacia Tree. And by a dry river bed. The rains finally stopped in the last couple of weeks, and dry season blew in. The days are suddenly hotter, but the temperature still drops with strong winds at night. Amazing to me that we live in a place where we can walk out our front door and hike for an hour in relative wilderness. Girls' soccer season begins: two games for Julia this week, and one for Acacia. The Kijabe community's annual gathering to celebrate Dr. Ase Barnes' birthday, his 16th here at Kijabe and his 79th here on this earth. The Barnes leading Wednesday morning hospital chapel, singing in Swahili with the pathology and chaplaincy departments, accompanied by the accordion. I only hope that by the time I'm in my 8th decade I half as much fun and inspiration as they are. Ryan left this week, the little boy who almost died Christmas night, with TB and heart failure. Because his mom lives in a single room with four kids and an open fire for cooking, he could not have oxygen there, but transferred to a smaller clinic nearer his home. Pray for his lungs and heart to heal.

I've been thankful for a couple of times to pray with friends this week, to talk about life or hard things or decisions. To skype with Luke. To have pizza with our old friends the Chedesters, to create meals. To be more than a paediatrician, even though I love it, to remember there is more to the week.