The Blank Page Revival Website

Hey everyone!  The Blank Page Revival WEBSITE is up and running.


From now on all blogs will be on the site.  Bookmark it or put it on your favourites page and check in on us every now and again...


Here's the link:
www.blankpagerevival.com

Trapped in Paradise

Let me begin by encouraging you, if you ever get the chance, to go to Marine Land on the first Tuesday of back-to-school week.  It was like a deserted playground for mammals!  The girls fed whales, hung out with deer, and had their way with every ride they could find.  


We spent the week down at Niagara Falls... It seems, try as we might, that we can't get out of Ontario.  On the up side, we are learning to appreciate how beautiful and ENORMOUS our province truly is (Ontario is 3 times the size of Texas, I'm told).  


As for Operation Indiana, good news so far.  It appears that the growth on her liver is not cancerous, but the doctors are still not sure what this thing is, why it is growing, and what the next steps are... So we wait.  Thank you all for your continued prayer and support as we wade through this uncertain time...


As for me and Blaise, we have never felt so desperate, and so dependant on God.  We set out on this thing imagining that God had 'called' us to go out, but life is keeping us right here.  Furthermore, there are no options for us, nowhere to go, nothing to do, but wait and wonder what's next.  On more personal matters, which I can't go in to right now, we are being challenged financially in a very sudden way that we did not see coming...  


It's like God is forcing our hands open on every front. Your children belong to Me; wait and listen.  Your money belongs to Me; wait and listen.  Your time, your hopes, and your abilities belong to Me; wait and listen.  I can't put it adequately into words, but we feel as though our very belief in God is being challenged, anted-up... like this is all or nothing... Like this is the fire where people get changed and it's impossible to wrap our minds around what's happening, why it's happening, and how long it's going to last...  


There is so much to share, and just no more room.  So I apologize for this long and obscure entry.  We are sincerely aware of the miracle of life, the fleeting nature of it, and the value of caring friends... this much we know.  As long as we're trapped here in this province with butterflies, belugas, and with all of you, we're trapped in paradise.  

Rich Nana, Poor Nana

Staying at Nana's house is a real blessing!  Our square footage has increased, there's cable TV (HGTV for us, Treehouse for the girls), good food (we're having salmon tonight!), and toilets with plumbing (don't laugh, the plumbing in an RV is manual, if you get what I'm saying)...

Also, it's nice to be with family and friends again.  But take a good look at this picture...  Poor nana... her once neat, attractive and quiet home has become a breeding ground for lego, pet shops, games, snacks, the crumbs and spills that accompany snacks, doll houses, and stuffies...

On the other hand... rich nana, for all the same reasons.

Indiana is well.  We will keep you all updated.

Life Without Plans...

The girls are hard at work...  And that about sums-up our day...  

We are quite literally, and for the first time, living without plans.  It's a unique way to live.  We don't have a house, or jobs, or any place to go, and nothing to do... We are in limbo; waiting to hear the results of Indi's biopsy, eating, sleeping, and, as you can see, working at serious play time together.

We are so thankful for our health, and for our time together today.  We are in God's hands.  And what comes next is a mystery...

Recovery

With the sounds of the best hospital in the world still ringing in my head, I realize that Indiana is not the only one in recovery.  

When someone we all love faces uncertain and unusual circumstances, we worry.  We fear.  We pray.  We hope.  We cry.  We wait.  We wonder...  And when it is over, and we see her lying there for the first time and she smiles, the whole world suddenly slows right down, and we smile back.

The rest is just recovery... for all of us.

Thank you everyone, for your prayers and your support.  We don't know what the next steps will be, but for now we are thankful, and that's enough...

Back to Life

Scrolling back through the last several blog entries I am glad to see the joy of it. Truth be told, the kids are happier and healthier that we have ever seen them. We are so grateful for this time with our girls. Picabo is laughing louder and more fully than ever, and Indiana is doing so much better. She is wonderfully curious, and funny, and full of life...

As for me and Blaise, we are... We are uncertain - perhaps more than ever. Why are we out here? What are we doing? Where is God in this? This last question is the toughest to wrap our heads around... Let me tell you why.

We were about six hours from Thunder Bay when we heard from Sick Kids Hospital... Indiana has a growth on her liver that has been growing, and they want to do a biopsy. The news broke our hearts, and when we told Indi, the news broke hers. She just wants to be okay. We, of course, are now almost home - - be back tomorrow in fact...

It doesn't make any sense. Maybe that's the way it is supposed to be...?

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" says Phil. 4:4. Note here that the verse is not followed by "unless you are struggling in any way or if you are unsure about your purpose in life..." Instead, the verse is followed by "Do not be anxious about anything." But that is hard to do. Indi cries at the thought of going back to the hospital. And we do not sleep as peacefully as the girls do night after night...

The vacation part of our trip is over... Back to life now.

Name Contest Winner!

To catch everyone up, a little while back we had a name contest for our home-on-wheels...  

Up until recently the front-running entry was “The Star Ship,”  submitted by our good friend William... you were sooo close!  Thanks for your brilliant mind (hey everyone, go to the Loblaws at McCowan and Hwy 7 and ask for William, in the health food section.  He will give you some great tips on healthy eating, healthy living, and how to throw a serious party)!  

The official WINNER of the name contest goes to auntie Anne-Lis.  DUSTY ROSE was her entry, and we love it!  (Dusty for short... and it’s a girl - according to our girls).  Your prize is coming Anne...