Daily Archives: March 2, 2008

Today.  So much, today.  Today we celebrate my mom’s birthday.  Read “Dear Mom” to learn more about how amazing my mom is.  She is truly remarkable and today I celebrate her life.

This afternoon, we drove down to Corvallis.  Our dear friends, Aaron and Candi, the main characters from The Road to Santa Clara (right under Featured), have moved back to Oregon!  Jeff and I couldn’t be happier to have them home!  As an adventurous business venture, they have bought Big Town Hero in Corvallis, a sandwich shop in a prime location right off the OSU Campus on Monroe.  A major univerisity hotspot that’s gone to pot because of some absent-owners.  But now, under the stellar management of Aaron and Candi Seifer, this sandwich shop will be the best!  If you live in Corvallis (or even if you don’t!), stop by the store and have a sandwich on their fresh-baked-homemade-from-scratch-every-morning bread.  We devoured the first batch he made!  So, since the store has been somewhat abandoned, there was some major cleaning to be done.  As you may recall, Aaron and Candi are the faithful ones who scrubbed the absolutely nasty kitchen and entire apartment of the ghetto window-less cave we moved into in San Jose.  Ever since that day almost 3 1/2 years ago, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to get my hands on something dirty to help them clean–not for paybacks, but just to show them a tiny bit of how much it meant to me how they served us. So today, Aaron, Candi, Candi’s parents, Candi’s sister and we donned our grubby clothes, pulled on the gloves and got dirty–literally.  We scrubbed floors, walls, nasty bread pans.  They shampooed carpets, scoured bathrooms, and scraped the cooked on goop on the oven.  We made the new storesigns with the new hours and I even got to put the napkins and sandwich tissue paper in the bottom of the newly washed sandwich baskets.  We all devoured Candi’s homemade chile for lunch then attacked the fresh baked bread with our hands like hungry bears.  It was a sweet time with our friends.

Then, as we drive home, we receive word about Ron.  Ron, son, husband, father, and grandfather.  Ron who came to know Jesus just in the last year, who now loves Jesus with all his heart.  Ron and Holly who come to the Foundations Bible Study class that Jeff teaches. Ron who has had multiple heart surgeries and suffered terribly from a serious heart condition.  Ron who came down with the flu this weekend … Ron who is now home with Jesus.  For about three hours now, he’s been home with Jesus.  Of course my first thoughts and prayers are for Holly, his precious darling bubbly wife, who must be absolutely stricken.  With his kids, with his little toddler grandbabies. 

Just this past Tuesday, in our Bible study, Jeff taught on Heaven.  The timing of it all is just so miraculous to me.  Ron sat there, absolutely engrossed in the study, nodding as he understood and swallowed and digested what Jeff was teaching.  Though I tried not to, I couldn’t help but look at him, watch him, during the study.  Something in me realized that he would be there sooner than the rest of us.  Something told me he was ready. 

One of my thoughts this evening is, I wonder if Ron is thinking, “Wow–Jeff was really wrong about this heaven thing–it’s way better than he even described!”  I have no idea.  But I know he’s there.  I love Ron loved Jesus, and I know he’s with Jesus. 

So much today.  Today.  My mom’s life continues.  Aaron and Candi birth a new beginning in their life — a new baby girl in their arms and new sandwich shop–a crazy adventure for the two of them to embark upon together.  And an end, an end to life here on earth for Ron Hordichok–a dear father, husband, friend.  ANd in that end, a new beginning too–a new life for him with Jesus.

In all this, God is good.  It’s strange how things so good and perfect and so devestating and tragic can be taking place at exactly the same time.  In it all, God is good. 

Father, please surround this hurting family with Your grace and love that works in miraculous ways.  I cannot even begin to fathom the pain.  The shock and sorrow and confusion and pain and even anger.  Please make it ok for them to feel those things. Please be near to them, God.  Somehow, in Your power, please comfort them.  Thank You that Ron is with you.  Thank you, God. Amen.

Dear Mom, (of course others may read this and celebrate her with me!)

 Happy Birthday!  Today, even though we will spend most of the day apart (because you so generously gave up your birthday plans so that we can help our friends clean their new business!), I will be celebrating you.  What can I say to the woman who has devoted her entire life to my good?  How on earth can “thank you” even begin to scratch the surface of the enormity of how you have loved me, trained me, forgiven me, cherished and nurtured me?  I’m only finally beginning to understand your love for me now that I have a little one, toddling around and capturing my heart all over again every second.  Well, I cannot begin to cover all that I want to thank you for, but let me start …

Thank you for loving Christ.  I remember always having worship songs on when we were little and me dancing around to the music while you watched from the kitchen.  I remember dad listened to Elvis and I used to cry because somehow I thought he would go to hell because he listened to Elvis (where do kids get these ideas?!).  But you always reassured me that it was ok for him to listen to Elvis and that he wouldn’t go to hell.  Thank you for doing all your Bible studies and letting me witness you reading your BIble and praying and gathering with other women to do the same. 

Thank you for loving Dad.  Your witness as a wife is perhaps the most amazing way you have impacted my life.  I cannot name a better wife.  You are the epitome of selfless love.  I love how you love Dad.  I love watching you two, after 37 years, still loving each other and better friends now that ever.  Thank you for demonstrating, silently and faithfully, what it means to love and respect and serve your husband.  You have never criticized Dad to me. That is astounding.  What a witness.  And in return he has been such a loving faithful husband to you as well.  You two make marriage look like what it’s supposed to be!

Thank you for loving us.  Kris and me.  Thank you. You sacrificed your career to stay at home and be with us, even to homeschool us when most moms couldn’t wait for their kids to get school-aged so they could get out of the house.  Thank you for field trips in the woods behind our house, collecting leaves and bugs and flowers for our plant books.  Thank you for the preschool you taught, where we got to play with other kids.  Thank you for letting us experiment with what we loved.  Piano, soccer, basketball, ballet, tap, tumbling, t-ball, football–goodness!  We did it all.  Thank you for your faithfulness to give up your car-vanity and drive a mini-van (you’re worlds ahead of me in that department!) to tote us and all our stuff around.  THank you for taking us in when Daddy was work and letting us go in his office and visit.

Thank you for becoming a friend.  I’ve read that you can’t be your child’s friend until you first become their parent.  You definitely did it the right way. You were my parent, training and nurturing and disciplining me while I was young, so that now you can be my friend.  And that you truly are. You’re my best friend (other than that guy I married! :-)).  I’d rather sit and talk to you than anyone else.  You are the most amazing listener, totally compassionate, loving, sympathetic and wise. I value what you say.  I value your insights, thoughts, perceptions.  You are truly wise.  I pray someday I can be half the woman that you are.

So today I just wanted to say that Mom, I’m proud of you.  I’m proud of how you’re handling the difficult things in your life. I’m proud of your courage, your joy, your perspective on life. I’m proud to be called your daughter. Yesterday, someone at the retreat suddenly made a connection and said, “Oh! You’re a Zyp!” ANd I had to smile and proudly say, “Yes I am.”  ANd I am proud, Mom.  Proud to be your daughter.  I love you so much.  Thank you for being my Momma.

Happy Birthday.

Love,

me