Mike & Steph: 01.2007

Bye Bye, Nana
Monday, January 29, 2007

You were the picture of dignity and class until the end. You never complained about the lot you were dealt or the pain you must have been feeling as your once beautiful body was replaced as host for malignancy. Your life, Nana, was amazing. You graduated Magna Cum Laude in a time when a women’s roll was to raise a family and cook. You were a translator for the National Security Agency during Korean War intercepting and decoding messages in Chinese and Japanese, and these were not the only languages you mastered in your life – Spanish and French completed your linguistic talents. You met my Grandfather at the NSA, married him, and started a family. You raised two wonderfully bright children and you were devastated when your husband of nineteen years left you to be a single mother. You were bitter, but as always your tenderness and faith pulled you though. You were a wonderful grandmother, always gentle and never harsh. You were blessed in your later years with a second husband that loved you deeply, and you loved in return. You were transformed from a single working women living alone in her sixties to a vibrant new women, in love. When the Commander died you were sad but you continued to live life to the fullest. You were diagnosed with cancer and despite the six months prognosis, you lived two years. You never complained. You basked in the sun when Aunt Tammy took you to Hawaii last year, what a wonderful gift to experience such beauty on earth. You died with dignity and grace, with your mind and memory totally in tact. You are in heaven now with a new body, your soul and mind no longer bound to a broken vessel.

I will remember the Nana who loved to stay up until 2AM watching old movies and the home shopping network before she would start vacuuming. I will remember your strawberry shortcake that you would make for me every time I would come to visit. I will remember your faith, not always spoken, but always acted. I will remember that your mind, even when your body was frail and wasting, was sharp and your memory vivid as you often recalled to me stories of the past. I will remember how you loved to drink regular coke and eat snickers even after you were diagnosed with diabetes. I will remember our late night conversations while I was driving home from Orlando telling you about the man I would marry. I will remember how in the end you did not want me to come and visit because you did not want me to see you not well. I will remember how I wished you had let me join in your suffering even though I know you loved me too much to do so. Most of all, Nana, I will remember your life and I will tell my children about my Nana and what an amazing women you were.

Posted bySteph posted 8:46 AM 3 comments

Learning from Talladega Nights?
Saturday, January 13, 2007

So Steph and I watched "Talladega Nights" last night. Neither of us had seen it, but she had some friends at the hospital who either loved it or hated it, so we thought we'd give it a shot. The comedy was as anticipated: funny at times, a little crude at times, and sometime just plain dumb. It did make me laugh (the part where Ricky thinks he's on fire, and the cougar in the car, among others), but it also made me really uncomfortable (the kids before their reforming by their grandmother). Anyways, I was having my quiet time this morning, and a phrase from the movie popped into my head: "If you're not first, you're last." No, it doesn't make any sense, bu Ricky's dad told this to him when he was a kid. Ricky lives his entire life by this statement, and he actually becomes a highly successful driver until his world falls apart after a crash. Then everything falls apart: his career, his marriage, his friendship with his best friend (sort of...you have to see the movie to understand).
And here comes the redemptive part..the phrase just made me think of how Jesus has called us to live our lives: not seeking to be first, but striving to be last. Two passages came to mind. The fist was obvious. In Mark 10:35 , Jesus says "if anyone would be first, he must be last and servant of all" (ESV). But it also made me think of how Jesus showed his love for his disciples. He took on the duties of a servant, and he washed their feet (John 13:1-17 ESV).
I'm sorry, Ricky Bobby. You're story was entertaining, and it was heart-warming, but I'm not inspired. The words and actions of Jesus are inspiring. Now if I could only consistently follow what he says...

Posted byMike Fennema posted 7:46 AM 0 comments

Avery's New 'Do
Tuesday, January 9, 2007

It was finally time for Avery to get her first grooming...and boy did she need it. She was becoming one big fur ball. You could hardly even see her legs, and she was always getting her fur all dirty! Now look at how cute she is! and you can even see her eyes! Unbelievable!
(By the way, to see more pictures, either click here or click on the picture below, and it will take you to our photo album site!)

Jet and Avery

Posted byMike Fennema posted 3:54 PM 1 comments

Weekend Project
Tuesday, January 2, 2007

As you can see from the following pictures, Stephanie and I had fun paint the office over the weekend. I included an old picture so you can see how drastic of a change it is! I love it!