Graduation Days

Stan Here:

Time for a little update.  Deb did achieve one of her goals of attending the graduation events of both Ross and Rumy this past Friday night and then on Sunday the graduation for Mieke and Aaron.  I had kind of pictured the one for Ross and Rumy being somewhat of a intimate event.  I mean how many advanced degrees can there be.  I was thinking maybe about 40 kids and a little time putting on the hood, a picture with the president of the university and then on with life.  Instead what happened is a packed Breslin Center and a bunch of people (I think about 2200) getting masters and doctorate degrees in their respective fields.  Not as many doctors as masters but still a bunch of people getting degrees.  They have a doctor degree for about everything. Music, English, Social, Grass Clipping, Hand Signals, Cow Manure, and about everything else you can think of.  All I know is that our kids worked really hard for theirs (and I am sure everybody else did too) and we were really proud of them.  Ross had a little party in his back yard before hand and we wheeled Deb in a wheelchair.  This was her first outing and she made it.  A little tired when we got home but still a special event that she would not miss for anything.

Then on Sunday the graduation from Hope for Mieke and Aaron. I do not think they teach much about meteorology at Hope.  At the morning Baccalaureate service they announced that they had checked the weather and they were going to hold the graduation service outdoors.  By the time the 3 PM graduation service came around it was raining pretty hard and about 4000 Hope faithful were sitting underneath a sea of umbrellas.  It was kind of a striking scene.  The way this was arranged you had to feel a little sorry for the guy on the end.  It seemed to me that the rain from one umbrella would leak on the next and the guy on the end would experience something of the equivalent of Niagara Falls.  You really could not see the people in the stands underneath the umbrellas.  It looked like a pretty dumb scene for what was supposed to be a pretty smart crowd.  At 5 minutes before the thing was to start a huge thunder burst hit and the Dutchmen were running for cover.  A quick announcement that they were going to move the thing to the field house and about an hour later they got it started. Shortly thereafter our smiling daughter, and her husband to be Aaron, strode over the platform and picked up the certification that they were now college graduates.  Rain or shine it still was a good day.  Mieke and her roommates threw a party at their house afterwards and we got a nice backyard cookout finished right before the sky's cut loose again.

Earlier postings mentioned that these events have been very high on the wish list for Deb.  Not very long ago I would have told you that there was no way.  But they did happen and she was there, so strike one up for perseverance. Not quite what we might have pictured, but as they say a safe landing is one that you can walk away from and we landed at home in each case safely with a few degrees in hand.

Progress is slow but sure now on the health front.  She fights some weakness after any type of exertion but you can see improvement each day now.  For now that is what I can report.  One really nice thing that happened for me is that a group came over from Harderwyk church and helped me with the spring clean up of the yard.  These people worked real hard for a couple of hours and when it was done the place looked really sharp.  I felt a little guilty receiving this favor but they came over anyway and really helped me out.  All I can say is a big thanks to all of them!!!!

The meals have started from friends who have signed up on Mary's Take them a Meal. A huge thank you to Deb and Amanda B. for the great dinner last night.   Stan

Hi, Deb adding a few lines to Stan's page. A little neighbor girl came to the door after school today. She was delivering some cookie dough that someone around here must have ordered while I was "out of commission". Anyways, she was so cute and asked how was the lady who was in the hospital. I said, well that is me. She said, You mean she's not going to die?? I said, well I don't  think so. She said, I didn't recognize you. I'm sure with my chemo curly grey hair I will get that a lot.  There have been so many kind expressions of care and concern, flowers, cards, food, visits and things that I am not even sure about because I was so out of it in the ICU. Please except my sincere thanks for everything.