Slice of Life

Slice of Life - index

Plymouth Kroger

Michelle
I work with such interesting people. Michelle is a full time pharmacist in Plymouth Indiana. She has an incredible love for horses. She raises, trains, and rides them in competitions. I believe that she has six or seven horses. Often when she walks into the pharmacy she has just worked with for her animals for some hours. After long hours of work as a pharmacist(some times 13 hour shifts), she will go back to her animals for more hours in taking care of their needs.

She has an amazing story of a horse named Pig Pen. He has a quite a story. When he got very very sick, the vet recommended him to be eutonized. Michelle did not agree and decided to take the matter in her own hand. She nursed him back to health with her own knowledge of medicine. He won a ribbon, third place in a state competition, his way of thanking Michelle.

She is also a farmer on the side. There is no money in it she says but it is for her love of outdoors. She is a real "tom boy" yet with a beautiful flowing and wavy and deep blond hair reminiscent of a princess from the Middle ages. I cannot fathom the energy required to live such a life.

Sheryl
She is my dear friend. I work with her almost every time I am in Plymouth. We talk about our families, children, church, faith, and so many human experiences and we pray for each other. I have seen her share a quick gospel to our customers many times.

We were both talking about how incredibly busy our lives are. She told me, "I want to do and learn so many things yet I am so overwhelmed by all the responsibilities, and necessary projects;like selling her house, moving to Arizona, to lean a new professional skill, to look for a job, an apartment in Arizona, the list continued .... I would like to paint, write, sew, and learn to play Organ. It is my aspiration..."

I said, "If you could spend 5 minutes a day, what one thing would you do?"

"JaeHi, I want to learn to play Organ. I will spend 5 minutes every day. But you must write every day for 5 minutes" She challenged me. She has been nudging me to write no matter how busy or tired I am.
"Yes, Sheryl. I will write 5 minutes every day. We will check on each other once a week, even after you move to Arizona. OK?"
"It's a deal and a pact"
She called me 2 days later. "Well How did your 5 minutes go?" The second day she found herself on her organ and spent 2 hours. She was lost in her enjoyment. That evening just before getting on her organ she wanted to check up on me. I started to write again and interestingly, every day I found something to write about.

Nancy

Nancy is a dear lady that I work with when I am not with Sheryl. Nancy is 72 years old. She has gone through much suffering and sacrifice in her human living. At age 49 she lost her husband to a cancer. Four years prior, according to the recommendation of an oncologist, he went through surgery to remove all the cancers; which were like balls in major lymph nodes through out his back, front, underarms etc. The surgery removed cancer yet left him in a torture chamber of pain for the next 4 years. He died cancer free yet riddled in pain. She nursed him tirelessly beyond her human endurance. When he passed away she was able to rest for a couple of years. Then her mother's failing health called her to Indiana. For the next six years she would care for her mother ever so diligently until her death.

She tells me that it was her choice to not get remarried. She no longer had energy to take care of another dying person and she did not want to put another person through what she went through.

She loves her job. She loves meeting people and talking to people. She is still talking about developing another creative way to earn money like refinishing beautiful antique picture frames and selling them to museums.

Slice of Life - Quilt Garden & Music Man

Slice of Life - Index

Wow! What a wonderful evening.

These are the moments that life is made up of. I wish I did more of discovering Chicago when I lived there for so many years. Well, we have a home to go back to, and I look forward to discovering Chicago with all of its ethnic culture and neighborhoods.

This year, Elkhart County is hosting a Quilt Gardens Tour. There are twelve quilt gardens, eleven quilt murals, and quilt displays. We visited the gardens and murals in Wakarusa and in Nappanee. The flowers are planted to mimic the designs of Amish quilts. A local artist painted murals of actual Amish quilts.

Then we went to Amish Acres consisting of a restaurant (a large barn turned into an eatery with Amish home cooking), inn, the Round Barn Theater and I don't know what else. We ate their Amish Threshers dinner. Oh, the food was so good! Fried chicken, ham soaked in apple cider then baked, mashed potatoes, stuffing, seasoned beans, hot rolls, a slab of butter, homemade lemonade, Amish noodles cooked in beef soup,...topped off by pies and apple dumpling. Then we walked over to a play, The Music Man, in the Round Barn Theater. I was comparing it to the ever so elegant Chicago theaters with plush velvet seats, winding staircase with gilded golden trim, opulent furnishings and thick carpets, the ladies in mink coats and long dresses; to this rugged barn-like theater, the walls and flooring were wide wooden planks, simple chairs with cushion, men and women who could have been on a farm during the day time, and many elderly couples from elder communities.

It was so enjoyable. Tom and Lizy watched this movie just the night before. They loved the movie, and they loved the real play. So did I.

We will be coming here again.

Slice of Life May 2008

Dear Family and Friends


Elizabeth has started a small business. She created a flier about her "babysitting service". We walked to the park and she handed out to mothers with young children. Within a couple of days she got 2 responses with 20 fliers. She interviews parents then baby sitting starts.

Recently she has shown me another side of herself. She got into her middle school musical. I did not expect much but was very impressed by the 90 minute play. She is in school orchestra which did its grand finale last week. She plays violin. She joined Goshen Youth Soccer Organization and she found out she loves playing soccer. She may even join the school soccer team in the fall. Some how I did not expect Elizabeth to be involved in so many things.

She also has 2 best friends now who are in the neighborhood. She had longed to have best friends the way she had in Chicago.

Seth is active with Obama campaign. He has spent some time in Pittsburgh, then Indiana, and now he is in West Virginia. He loves to design, implement, then follow through large projects...He can judge a person's strength and weakness and give them duties that would best full fill their ability. One night he brain stormed a course of action, wrote it up, and implemented it the very next day with volunteers. He was more than happy with the outcome. Of course this is bits and pieces I gather from what little I saw of him.

I am starting to see patients, spend upto an hour in their medication therapies. For some patients who are on 30 medications, even 1 hour may not be enough. I have always wanted to get involved in clinical work, but as a part time pharmacist that has not been possible.

We have decided to keep our Chicago home for several years until the housing market picks up. For right now I am happy to keep our home, where Henna and Christian and Justin (our nephew) can reside. Also we have a home to come to when we are visiting Chicago.

JaeHi

Slice of Life

Slice of Life Index

My Friend Angie

My friend and coworker Angie from one of my Chicago jobs told me her story. It is quite a testimony of the experience of Christ. I loved working with Angie. She was a hard worker and it was a joy working and sharing our life experiences.

By the time I moved to Goshen (January 2007), she relocated to another job within the same hospital campus. She had requested this move. There had been a major personality conflict between Angie and the part time technician, Jay. Offense had occurred between them. His presence made her sick. She avoided him in every aspect and him with her. They were not in speaking terms. She wanted to work where he was not. Little did she realized that trying to move away from Jay, she would find herself jumping from hot frying pan to the fires of hell.

In her new job, she was working with a manager who would cause intolerable suffering. She does not know when and where he decided to be her enemy. He was out to get her in trouble. Each morning she was in fear and trembling. She prayed that her manager would have mercy on her. Her mental and physical health deteriorated daily.

We prayed over the situation many times…as time went on I suggested that she quit her job. She is a talented and excellent worker and that she would be a good asset to any employer. She endured one year in a situation that I could not have endured.

By November of 2007, her husband was seriously worried about her. He begged her to quit her job. She told him,’ I pray for you day and night that God will keep you safe and that your heart will turn to Christ. Instead of telling me to quit my job, please pray for me.’ He was at a loss. He could only do one thing…that is to start praying which he has not done before. The next morning he woke up early and went to 5:30 am prayer gathering at the nearby local church. He started to go every morning and continued to go.

After a few months, another job in the medical campus opened up for my friend. She moved on to a much more rewarding employment that she loves, in fact she feel so blessed that this job opened up for her. Meanwhile, she told me that her husband still goes to prayer gathering every morning. The Word and prayer has been her life sustenance. She told me that triple blessing has occurred in her one year suffering.

1. By leaving her original job, it created a full time position for her co-worker Jay who was the very reason she left that job.

2. Through the trial, her husband found Jesus Christ. Even when he is on a business trip he still looks for a church which has daily prayer gatherings.

3. Through the trial of fire, the Lord spoke to her. ‘You were not willing to forgive your co-worker. Forgive him even now.’ She saw how she was not willing to forgive. She knelt in repentance and asked the Lord to forgive her hardened heart and asked the Lord to help her forgive Jay. She experienced the forgiveness of Christ and even more unbeliebable thing was she was able to forgive Jay. She told me it was amazing. Her hate towards Jay disappeared. She brought a gift for Jay and presented to him. She was released from the bondage of offense.

Now she goes to morning prayer gathering with her husband daily. She always went to bed at midnight but now she makes point to be in bed by ten so that she can get up at five in the morning. A new fresh joy and love has entered into their lives and especially their marriage.

If you had known Angie the way I knew her, you would realize that what an incredible work God has done through her trials. You would also have known that her forgiveness towards her co-worker also was the manifestation of God’s grace and love.

Wings to Fly - 23

Memoir Index

My Frail Body

When I watched Evita (Eva Peron of Argentina), I was pained much at the end as she died. She had so much energy and desire to be the leader of her people yet she became a prisoner of her failing body and eventually death conquered her at age of thirty three. I looked at myself. I always have such intense desire to accomplish so much in my life, yet my health has always been so delicate. I was always so sickly. Working three days per week wiped me out. I found myself having to rest most of the other non working days. Why is it that I who want to accomplish so much is imprisoned in this sickly body. Deep melancholy would set in. This is when I wish for what I cannot have. That I would be in security of Tom’s provision instead of me providing for the family. The greater wish should be that I would be so healthy that I could continue to work part time and be so fulfilled with my life. The irony is that I need to have a professional life to be satisfied. I find profound fulfillment working outside of home and having a significant financial impact. Often I go beyond whatever energy I may have, finding myself sick again … my frail body has no respect for the desire of my being, and leaves me in anguish and sometimes in tears.

Just this past weekend, our small church had a conference. It was wonderful. As a small church, we were hosting one hundred fifty guests and we were less than thirty. Our preparation to get ready was profound. Sherry and other few women worked tirelessly from morning to night in serving meals and other preparations yet I was not able to help. Sitting in the conference meetings in my sickly body was all I could do. The sense of remorse overwhelmed me in my helpless state. I could not help them in hosting our guests.

As I remember my childhood, I was always frail. I got sick easily. During school years I remember that I always took naps after school. In high school my mother commented that I may never be able to handle a household due to my weak physical disposition. In my twenties I knew that I did not have the stamina or the energy that my mother had (she was in her forties).

Why dear God, some one like me could not have abundant energy? This is the moment of anguish, when I am forced to be resting, I am forced to be in a wasteful mode, like watching TV or just laying in bed reading. And when I am not able to do anything, I find myself writing and painting. And the sweetest time for my soul is when Tom sings to me, plays guitar or piano for me, reads to me, and when we share sweet nonsense.

As I am with my family, I remember what my mother said. She always worried about my health. She still does. I wonder if she remembers about her comment to a frail high school daughter. She said, "You may not be able to carry a home, husband, and children. You are so fragile..." I am still that frail daughter but with four children and a husband and I am the one providing for the family. Life is so ironic.

Slice of Life

Slice of Life Index

Dear Family and Friends

Happy New Year!

It has been one full year in Goshen for me and one and half years for Tom and Elizabeth. We still have our Chicago home and it is happily occupied by our three older children.

As I reflect the past year there were so many experiences. For me 50 years of city life to adjusting to a small rural community is vastly different. Tom has found himself a home immediately. Elizabeth also adjusted to new school better than we thought possible. Yet she misses her Chicago friends much. Thanks to modern technology she communicates with them with ease.

Goshen church life is small, more like home meetings, and very close knit, and I love them all.

We have visited Chicago often (usually 24 hour visits), wishing always we had more time for our friends and family. My life is richer for having known you all. As I am immersing myself into a church life and community life in Goshen, I am thankful for all the paths I have traveled. I am thankful for the roads the Lord has paved for us.

I meet so many interesting people in my work and life here. Recently I have joined Painters’ Guild in Goshen. Although I have just started to paint it is exciting to be with significant people in the community and in March we may have opportunity to sell our work.

JaeHi and Family

Wings to Fly - 22

Memoir Index

Leaving Chicago Home

2007

By January 2007, I was in Goshen studying full time to pass Indiana Pharmacy Law exam. I also needed some time off to recollect my life and I was in no hurry to get back to work. Tom would be in Chicago full time working on the house. He would regularly put in twelve hour days. Tom came home to Goshen on weekends. Our older children continued to live in Chicago.

In May, 2007, we finally put our Chicago home on the market. The preparation to sell this home had taken nine months. We were finally together in one home in Goshen as a family. Now the three of us were coming up to Chicago on Friday afternoons and going back to Goshen by Saturday evenings. I loved it. Each Saturday we were in Chicago, we hosted a breakfast and had visits or bible studies. Sundays were filled with Goshen church friends and activities. I loved our busy weekends. Our lives were so full.

We were discovering Goshen. It seemed unimaginable that I who have known only big cities was here in Goshen. Tom and I started to explore the town. This became a sweet time to rediscover the joy of spending time together. Sometimes after being married for so long we can forget to do simple things in life that builds up our relationship.

We were praying that our Chicago house would be sold. Financially and practically it needed to be sold. It was a real struggle. I did not want to sell it. As our finances became difficult, we had two houses and no income to support them for six months. I reluctantly told the Lord that I would be willing to let go of our Chicago home.

In June of 2007 I got a part time job in Goshen working for Kroger Food and Drugs. Now I was secretly hoping the Chicago home would not get sold. At this time my father’s health was declining rapidly. I was once again glad that we had this home in Chicago. I was practically commuting from Chicago to work in Goshen to be near my dying father as much as possible.

It seems that I am always battling between two choices, in this case, to sell the Chicago home or to keep it. I told the Lord that I was willing to have Him take away the hold I have on our home. Tom wanted to sell it as quickly as possible. He wanted to ease my life of financial stress and that I could stay home more if my health required it. It was not until January of 2008 that my heart was free & clear. My heart no longer had any hold on it.