To say that last night may have shaved a few months off my life would not be an exaggeration but OH. WAS. IT. WORTH. IT!!!  Not only was it DP GLAX’s last home game of the regular season AND Senior Night AND Olivia’s 100th Varsity Goal but it also included a nail-biter of a game that went into double overtime with friendly local rivals San Marcos!!  Oh my gosh.  SO FUN!!!!

This is a story better told in pictures and, lucky for us, Greg Lawler captured all the action!

San Marcos played a really strong game from the start and the SM defense targeted Olivia most of the game 🙂 …

…but she was able to score 3 times and this is the celebratory stick click after goal #100!

We’re not bitter or anything but Greg captured proof of a bad crease violation call that cost Brooke a key goal!  Look at her amazing foot placement (white cleats) outside the blue line  ! !  😉  Ha

Celebrating Sydney’s double OT, sudden death, game winning goooooooooooooooooal!

 

The boys were close at heart as evidenced in the family text thread after the game!!!

 

My heart is full and I share in Olivia’s Insta-gratitude…

The girls have one more big game against Thatcher before play-offs.  Watching Livy and her team play is the highlight of my weekly routine right now…oh how I hate to see the regular season end…may they go far in the play-offs!

Happy Easter from our family to yours…

Warm up with some classic Tommy Walker:

Ok, I know I’m over posting this week but I was really moved by the Good Friday service we went to last night and I wanted to record it here for future reference.  The service was personally significant because everyone in my family participated in it but me…Rolf was asked to share a reflection on a passage from Isaiah, Olivia sang and the boys were in charge of the “hammer” and bell percussion.  It wasn’t hard for me to feel a little left out at first (I’m finding that it isn’t hard to let go of things I no longer have the energy to do but it is difficult to no longer feel useful…especially in the areas where I had legitimate skill) but then my heart responded to the invitation to engage in what was happening and I was all in.  🙂  I know I’m going to want to reflect on it some more so I’m including my favorite parts below…you’re welcome to join me.  The videos aren’t much to look at so I recommend you find a comfy place to sit, dim the lights, close your eyes and soak it in…

The heaviness and sadness of Christ’s crucifixion continues today on this dark Saturday of the Christian calendar but the celebration of the resurrection is just hours away!!!  May the weight of all the sad and difficult things in life be lifted for us all as we get swept up in the joy and hope of Easter Sunday…and may we bask in a holy weightlessness for a long, long season to come!

Wilson is getting a lot of blog press this week!   😉  He is two weeks away from graduating so there will be more fun to report soon but this is a packed season for him both literally and emotionally as he turns the page on this very special chapter in his life at APU and transitions to the next.

Thanks to technology, we got to tune into a livestream of Wilson’s last chapel on campus and his worship team led the students in one of my favorite hymns.  How special!  Wilson’s prayer after the song ministered to me specifically when he prayed “may we be reminded of the visceral reality of the crucifixion”.  More on that in a minute but here is the hymn and prayer filmed from the comforts of home…;)

I led worship at our church on Palm Sunday and got a little weepy missing Rudy as the children paraded around the sanctuary with their palm fronds…

Through my tears, I shared an insight that came to light for me the day before while reading the gospel accounts of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (what we commemorate on Palm Sunday).  I always considered Jesus’ suffering beginning in the garden of Gethsemane right before He was arrested when he asked God to take away what was to come and cried tears of blood…such a vivid image of his anguish.  When I read Luke’s account, however, it’s clear that Jesus was heartbroken even before entering the city days earlier.  He knew what was coming and wept for Jerusalem.  What a sad and lonely few days that must have been for Jesus.

Although I’ve spent lots of time thinking about it,  I’ve never really been able to identify with Christ’s suffering.  I don’t know why…maybe it’s because of my Protestant upbringing where we can sometimes rush past the sorrow of Good Friday to indulge in the much more fun truths of Easter morning…or maybe it’s just how I’m wired but because I have the benefit of knowing Christ’s amazing victory, the depth of His suffering is hard for me to grasp and I think that’s okay…maybe the practical take away and value of pondering the Passion is not that I identify with Christ’s suffering but rather that I know that Christ is able to identify with my suffering…particularly comforting to me now.  So, for me, today, to be reminded “of the visceral reality of the crucifixion” is to be reminded that my God, my humble Savior, the One who conquered the consequences of sin for me understands what it means to suffer and therefore understands my deepest heart cries.  Thank you Jesus!  Thank you for your empathetic love in the here and now and for the gift of eternal life to come…your journey of suffering gives me both!!!

In other news:

Olivia is TWO goals away from reaching her 100th varsity goal…we’re hoping she’ll reach this LAX milestone at Tuesday’s home game against San Marcos.  If you’re local, you’re welcome to join us at DPs football field at 6pm.  No individual athlete reaches these kinds of milestones alone…it’s a reflection of the whole team working well together and it’s such a delight to watch these girls play!

The MOHD Squad is excited to have the boys home this weekend.  ‘Wishing you a blessed Good Friday and Happy Easter dear ones!!!!

Our biggest boy turned 22 on Tuesday and he spent a good bit of his birthday preparing for and sharing at an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) meeting on his campus.  Luckily a friend taped it so we could enjoy it too.  I’m so grateful for Wilson’s willingness to share and glimpses like this into the kids’ lives whether it be them sharing from the heart or their musical performances or athletic competitions because it’s all evidence of life being fully lived – especially important to me right now.  Being able to process and finding healthy outlets are key to navigating life’s challenges and I’m grateful the kids are learning these important life lessons early.  We’re also learning that we process differently (i.e Olivia’s art, Rolf’s poems, Max’s songs, Wilson’s testimonies, my blog posts to name a few)….and that’s not only okay but is something I cherish because the variety makes the collective experience so much richer.

Wilson, thank you for your loving tribute, for the reminder of all the goodness in Psalm 23 and the challenge to “maximize God”…well done!

 

Speaking of healthy outlets, here’s some more…

The DP Lady Laxers are on a fun winning streak as they near the end of their regular season…

 

 

Rolf’s latest poem:

Put down the scalpel
Take off the apron
no need for the broom or the gloves

Too many words only bring more confusion 
The deepest mining won’t unearth a reason
Or uncover any satisfactory solution