What.

If you haven't already heard, in an unfathomable twist of events, there has been a case of mistaken identity with two of the girls from last month's van crash that killed 4 Taylor students and 1 employee. You can read the article and watch the video from the Indianapolis NBC Eyewitness News here.

My heart is breaking all over again for the families of these girls and for the Taylor community. My head is spinning with all the implications.

And yet God is good, and faith is real even when nothing makes sense. I spent some time this afternoon on the blog the VanRyn family has been keeping for the girl they thought was their daughter, Laura, and I am astounded by the depth of their faith and the extent of their graciousness even in the face of this gut-wrenching news. At a time of speechlessness, they have spoken to a watching world words heavy with grief, but rimmed with hope. Incredible.

We Wear Many Hats

This past weekend's 3G02 reunion in Galena was splendid. Some of my favorite things (at least the ones that are appropriate to post online without incriminating anyone):

1. Lisa and Lori's spectacular spread of desserts waiting for us upon arrival. Cake balls: torture for one's diet but delight for the taste buds.

2. Exploring the quaint shops in downtown Galena. (Appreciating art, discovering stylish earrings, getting harshly reprimanded...)


3. Turning heads in our assortment of beautiful and/or ridiculous hats.


4. Bedtime stories.

5. Laughing til I cried, smiling so much my cheeks hurt, experiencing the freedom that comes with being so well known.

You Gotta Gotta Get Up to Get Down

If you need something to make you smile today (or if you just have a few minutes to kill), watch this.

Return to Spring

Well, the glorious Spring weather we were having seems to have gone into hiding, so in memory of those days of sunshine and warmth and in (belated) honor of Mother's Day, here are a few pics from my recent stroll through Lilacia Park with my parents. (Love you, Mom & Dad!) Between the beauty of the tulips and the scent of the lilacs, I was pretty much drunk with visual and olfactory glee.






P.S. Pics from the 3G02 reunion coming soon!

Off to the Country...Again!

It's finally here! This weekend is the 4th Annual 3G'02 Reunion, the cherished event held each spring that brings together the girls (11 in all, 8 this year) from my class and floor at Taylor for a weekend of quality female bonding.

This year's reunion is taking place at Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa in "historic, folkloric" Galena, llinois. I'm a little bummed about the inclement weather forecasted for the weekend, but remembering that last year's late-April reunion in Indy was christened with snow puts things in perspective.

It kind of looks like this is shaping up to be the "Year of Rural Weekends," which I didn't really expect, but find myself enjoying very much. Maybe there's just a little bit of "country mouse" in this settled suburbanite.

Way to Go, Ladies!

Just want to give a quick congratulatory shout out to Lori, Lisa, Lynn, and Becca, my lovely friends and fellow 3G ladies who will walk across a stage tomorrow, shake some hands, accept a little portfolio containing their graduate degree and, most likely, heave a hugh sigh of relief. Congratulations girls!

When We Are Old and Gray...

In following some of the continuing coverage of the accident, I came across this story. This past Saturday, two women from the Taylor University Class of 1929 reunited on the Upland campus for the first time since their 50 year reunion in 1979. Dorothy, 99, and Althea, 100, were roommates during their Taylor days, and have kept in touch all these years through letters and birthday cards.

The providentially planned reunion, according to the Chronicle-Tribune article, "helped ease the pain for many on campus." I love God's tenderness in the timing.

I also love that these two women are still friends, and that 77 years after their time on campus, their hearts still break for Taylor. When she first heard of the accident, "I was sad, as though it was my own family," Dorothy said while struggling to maintain her composure. "I was really touched."

With the 4th annual 3G'02 reunion coming up next weekend, this story is especially sweet. Thank you, Lord, for Dorothy and Althea, and for the lovely ladies of Third Gerig. May our friendship endure until we are old and gray, and then for all eternity, for we have that hope as an anchor.