When The Tumbling Stops

Like Dorothy at the beginning of her journey, I have been caught up in a cyclone and I have been... tumbling. Someone said yesterday that it's like I'm in a clothesdryer...tumbling, tumbling, tumbling, always tumbling. That's exactly what it's felt like for many, many weeks now. I've been unable to get my feet under me (OK, unable to get my foot under me- no weight-bearing on the other one!).

This past weekend, John and I went away to the coast because we realized that, since this began, there hasn't really been time for us to be together alone and simply to talk about how we are doing, what this is like for each of us. Together we read the research articles on osteonecrosis and developed a list of questions for the orthopedic surgeon I will see tomorrow. And we were quiet, too, and enjoyed the beauty of creation.

Oh, that really helped! I started to feel like I was getting my bearings again.

And last night the Journey Center's board of directors and a couple of wonderful spouses gathered in our home to be together, to talk, to listen, to pray and to discern...where is God in this? What is the Spirit doing and saying in the midst of these unexepcted challenges and changes and the unfolding opportunities that continue to come to us at the Journey Center? What are the implications for the Journey Center's mission and how are we being invited to proceed?

By the end of the evening, I felt as if the tumbling had stopped. The prayers of so many have held me during the tumbling and now the presence, commitment and prayers of those who share the vision helped both John and I to find ourselves standing on solid ground again. Our gratitude is immense....

This morning, as I think of Oz, I realize that now I am ready to step onto the yellow brick road and engage in this adventure more fully. It is amazing how the prayers and love of companions (near and far) and the strength that comes as a gift from the Spirit make such a difference as the journey unfolds.

And I am grateful that this has happened before I see the surgeon tomorrow. How good it is to get my bearings for the Inward Journey regardless of what happens next on the Outward Journey. There will likely be more tumbling ahead, I know, and today I feel ready for whatever comes.

Thank you so much for your companionship and prayers...
Joanna