Beginning again and giving them wings

Hard to believe that I haven't posted to this blog in well over a year. It used to be such a big part of my life. While it was a way to keep everyone posted of our life in the Philippines, it also was my journal of life, joys, and struggles. So even though no one ever probably checks it anymore, I thought I would start again; just for me.

The last time I blogged, both kids were still homeschooling and we were just settling into the new normal of life in Greenville. How can so many things change in a year? Emily started public high school a few months later and got her license to drive in the fall. Will made great friends through a homeschool PE class and began to not miss the Philippines quite so much, shot up 6-7", dropped his voice an octave or two, and today I sent him off to his first day of public high school where he is playing tackle football on the 9th grade team.

Here is a little now and then shot of the kids from long ago and today:

Kindergarten and Second Grade

Today: Freshman and a Junior

Sending them to public high school has been a step of faith. Questions and disapproval have come from some of our homeschool friends, while great support and encouragement have come from others. I understand the questions, I really do and I know this isn't the path that God calls every Christian to walk. I would like nothing more than to hold them close and protect them from all the bad things of the world, but Allan and I strongly believe that God has called us to be in the world, but not of the world. How can they learn to stand on their own 2 feet, secure in Christ, if we don't help them through with stretching and spreading their wings and learning to fly.

Last month, Will and Emily left Allan and I alone for 2 weeks while they had a blast at camp. It made for some deep thinking and praying on my part as I got a taste of the coming school year.The following is a letter written to Will during that time.

Dear Will-

I know you are having a great time, but since you've been gone, I've been thinking about a lot about life and about you and Emily growing up. Going off to camp and going off to school are big things in your life right now. It's a time when you step out from the familiar and the comfortable and into a situation that makes you vulnerable, exposed to the world. Things may be going really good right now and I'm glad, but I know life isn't always easy. No matter how hard your dad and I try, we cannot keep you safe and sheltered forever. We cannot save you from evil, from the bad intentions of others, from those who don’t care what happens to you. As hard as we try to protect you, people will discourage you, fight against you, make life harder for you, be mean to you. We would love to hold you tight and never let the world have a chance to change you, to hurt you.

But we can't.

What can do is pray really hard. We ask God to save you and protect you. We seek His paths for you, even when it seems those paths may be filled with pain and hurt. We rejoice with your triumphs and cry with you when the disappointments come. The world won’t always make sense to you, but we are here for you, to help guide and direct you to the One who can heal all hurts and give all wisdom. We will help you find true joy in life through good things that God desires.

When the rain and storms of the world pound you,and they will, we cannot stop it. But we will hold you. We will brace ourselves as a family and hold tight to the promise that you belong to God first and then us. You will always be ours and all the kisses and hugs and laughter that we share will only make this trip through life that much better. I'm so proud of the man you are becoming. Of the strength as a man you are beginning to display. So many changes will come as you move into high school this year. I pray you will remember to keep God first and that you can always come to us no matter what.

There is a song by Sidewalk Prophets that I love that always makes me think of you. I wish I could write as eloquently as this, but These ARE the Words I would say...

It's Three in the morning,
And I'm still awake,
So I picked up a pen and a page,
And I started writing,
Just what I'd say,
If we were face to face,
I'd tell you just what you mean to me,
I'd tell you these simple truths,

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,

Last time we spoke,
You said you were hurting,
And I felt your pain in my heart,
I want to tell you,
That I keep on praying,
Love will find you where you are,
I know cause I've already been there,
So please hear these simple truths,

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,

From one simple life to another,
I will say,
Come find peace in the Father,

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
Thank God for each day,
His love will find a way,
These are the words I would say

Happy 15th Birthday, Emily!

Last week, Emily reached a milestone....She turned 15. She is excited that she got her beginner's permit and is learning to drive. Over the weekend, we were hanging out in her room, when I noticed she had a picture on her desk of herself and her cousin, Laura taken on her 8th birthday in 2003. Back then they were so enamoured with makeup.

They still love to wear makeup. I'm just glad they have learned how to put it on. The picture below was taken at Mellow Mushroom where we celebrated her birthday. These 15 year olds are becoming such wonderful young ladies. Next year they will be attending the same high school. I'm glad they are not only cousins but the best of friends.

Here are a couple pictures I took of Emily driving today. She drove the two of us around town shopping for summer clothes. I've loved spending time teaching her how to drive. She has done so well. There have only been a couple heart pounding moments. Hard to believe she's been driving less than a week.

The Valley of Vision

Lord High and Holy, Meek and Lowly
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is t possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be sen from the deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine;

Let me find Thy light in my darkness,
Thy life in my death,
Thy joy in my sorrow,
Thy grace in my sin,
Thy riches in my poverty,
Thy glory in my valley.

A Puritan Poem

Skiing

Snowboarding, Luge, Figure Skating, Skiing; watching these events this week has really put us into the Winter Olympic Spirit. Since the kids are out of school for winter break, we have been able watch the games late into the night. To experience a little of that first hand, yesterday we spent the day on the slopes less than 2 hours from us at the Cataloochee Ski Ranch. With all the snow this winter, the conditions were near perfect with all lifts and runs open. The kids had a great time and are getting really comfortable on the slopes. The only thing that would have made the day better is friends to share it with. Unfortunately, the cousins and our church friends are in school this week and none of our homeschool friends were able to join us.
The temp on the mountain was 13 degrees with strong gusting winds. It was freezing! In order for the kids to be able to stay out for long periods of time, we had to buy neoprene face masks. The kids joked that they looked liked bank robbers, but it did the job of keeping their faces warm. I noticed most of the skiers and snowboarders had similar things to protect their faces.

Snow day #2

Total snow accumulations seem to be just over 4 ". Enough to cover everything completely and be beautiful. I am inside thawing out while the kids are sledding, rolling, and trying to make a snowman. It's a little powdery so I don't think they are being very successful on that front. Here's some pics from this morning:

On a snowy walk with my Valentine

Allan by the Enoree River

Em and Me!

Mags and Will love to romp in the snow

Bob! by Will

Emily trying to sled

A final shot of Maggie

SNOW!

All winter the Gilmer family has been waiting and hoping for snow. Living at the base of the Smokies means that we often get teased by forecast snow that only falls just north of us. While Asheville and Flat Rock are probably grateful this southern storm is mostly passing them by we are rejoicing that it is far enough north to include us.

Maggie, our golden retriever, particularly likes snow. It makes her just a wee bit hyper and crazy. It's kind of funny for a Filipino born dog to love cold and snow so much. This afternoon she stood at the back door barking at the flakes falling until I let her out to scamper around in the downfall. A few weeks ago we had a minor ice storm and she spent the afternoon out with the kids sledding down the steep hill in our side yard. Even when the kids were finished, she continued to try and slide down on her belly.

After about 1 1/2 hours, we already have an inch and snow is expected to continue until the morning. While we won't get near the amounts that the mid-Atlantic states have gotten this past week, we are hoping for 6-8 inches. That will probably be a bit too much to expect.

For now, I am just sitting by the window watching the big flakes fill up my deck while listening to my new favorite album by Sidewalk Prophets. Too bad the large flakes don't show up in this picture.

Maggie is passed out by the fireplace with the gas logs burning. She's probably dreaming of the big fluffy white stuff.

I love winter! Got to go play in the snow with Will!

Updated Pictures:

These pictures were taken just after 5pm. The clinic closed so Allan came home from work while we were outside. By 8:00pm we had at least 3" and it has continued to snow all evening. The kids can't wait to get out again in the morning! I'm sure we will have more pics tomorrow.

Maggie loves to stick her face down into the snow and push it around.

I have no idea what she's doing.

Emily in front of the new house.

Christmas Performances

This year the kids have been involved in some extracurricular musical activities.

Will began playing the trumpet through BACH Festival Choir and Band, a homeschool group here in Greenville. He has really taken off and his band director says he has natural talent. In December, he had his first concert of Christmas songs. Here are a few pictures of that night:

Just before performing and he's not nervous at all

Playing Jingle Bells!

Emily is still playing the flute, but not taking formal lessons. She has been showcasing her musical talent by playing in the hand bell choir at church and singing with an all girls choir, Vox Angeli. In December the Vox Angeli Singers performed 2 evenings at an annual Medieval dinner feast called The Madrigal. Emily loves singing with these girls which includes her cousin Beth, and particularly loved dressing up for the Madrigal Feast!

Both kids have more performances scheduled for the spring.

The Vox Angeli Singers

Emily and her cousin Beth

Emily squared

Emily and one of her best friends, Emily

2 Moms and a Minivan

In mid-December, Allan and I made a major purchase cementing our decision to remain in the US for the next few years....we bought a house. Allan has taken a job at a new clinic opened by the Greenville Hospital System and we will be remaining here for the time being. So 9 days before Christmas, my sister-in-law, Chris helped me begin moving from the rental house to the new house. She came up with the clever name of our moving expedition, a play on 2 Men and a Truck. Since we didn't have bunches of stuff to move, we rented a UHAUL and hired a couple of guys from church to help us move the big stuff. We are just beginning to get settled and looking for furniture. Just for the record, I don't recommend moving the week before Christmas! I have lots I want to blog about from the last few months, but time marches on and I probably won't. For now we are busy finishing up the house and continuing homeschooling. Thanks Chris and everyone else who helped with the move!

He's 13!

A couple weeks ago, Will had a couple of changes. He reached a major milestone as he left childhood behind and entered his teen years. That same day he also got something that made him look really different. Can you tell from the above picture?

For his birthday, Will invited some boys over to an airsoft war in the woods behind our new house. 4 boys and 2 dads spent the afternoon tromping around and shooting at each other. They had a grand time. Below are a few pictures from the afternoon:

2 Dads and 2 boys prepare for battle

Fun shooting holes in the silt screen

Seth and Austin sharing war stories over cake and ice cream

Seth and his Dad debate over where who shot who

Dalton tells his story

Will just enjoying the tales

Emily invited Austin's sister Olivia over to keep her company

By the way, if you didn't notice what's different about Will, he now has glasses.

Happy New Year from the Gilmer's New Home

2 weeks ago today we moved into our new home and it has made for a crazy Christmas season. We spent a relaxing evening last night welcoming in 2010 by eating at the Chinese restaurant with my parents and then hanging out at home shooting off a few fireworks. Since we don't yet have tv service, we toasted the New Year by watching a web cam of Times Square on the computer and listening to James Taylor sing Auld Lang Syne. We look forward to see how God is going to work in our lives in the coming year.

Happy New Years!

The Gilmers

My life condensed in 13 suitcases

The last 2 weeks have been somewhat of an emotional roller coaster for the Gilmer family. We have returned to the Philippines to pack up our belongings, visit with friends, say some tough goodbyes and participate in some medical outreaches to areas hit by the heavy flooding.

Allan and I have spent many hours in the last 14 days going through our belongings and deciding which to keep and which to give away. It's amazing how our earthly treasures often looked like trash after being stored in a cardboard box in the tropics for 15 months. When we left the US 4 and 1/2 years ago, we left very little behind. Most things, we either got rid of or shipped here. We came to the Philippines for what we thought was a lifetime and therefore brought many sentimental things along. We leave taking with us 13 suitcases/boxes, roughly 520 lbs of stuff. So what does the last 18 years of our marriage condense to? The kids Christmas ornaments and other special Christmas decor, the clock Allan gave me for my birthday and Mother's Day during medical school, a few pictures, a few dishes given to us when we married, some Filipino mementos, and some toys and things special to the kids. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to let things go. My dear friend Ling Ling took all my dishes. She wanted something new and said these would remind her of us when she used them. Others came and chose things they needed or wanted. It was nice to be a blessing to those Filipinos involved in our ministry.

Today we had a final clinic lunch. It was a surprise despadeta for us. That's a going away party. 16 people were there to share with us some final words. There were lots of tears, some sweet prayers, and a wonderful time of sharing memories. It was a precious time. These people mean so much to Allan and I. There are many things about the Philippines we won't miss; the traffic, the heat, the noise at night, drunk karaoke, but we will truly miss these dear friends; times spent eating meals and sharing fellowship on our lanai; investing our lives together.

Tomorrow we will board a plane and close this chapter of our life. It's tough to leave it behind. In many ways we are still in the grieving process. We know God has a plan for the future even though it doesn't seem to make sense to us now. We leave trusting the same promise that we trusted when He led us here:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Tonight's final sunset overlooking Manila: