My Incredible Summer 2011

First of all, my summer has shown me how truly blessed I am!!!

I started my summer by attending the Carolina Summer Institute in Auditory-Verbal Therapy in Chapel Hill, NC. It was a 2-week long practicum that taught us how to best use Auditory-Verbal Therapy to help teach deaf children to improve their speech and language. I really enjoyed being on UNC's campus as I had not visited in over a year! I am so thankful to all of the people that made the practicum possible! I will use the knowledge wisely!

Zak and I on the beach in Roatan, Honduras!

The next big trip of my summer was to Honduras!!! Zak and I flew down and spent around 10 days exploring the jungle and the Bay Island of Roatan together. One of the goals of this trip was for us to get outside our comfort zones and explore the beauty of Honduras. You can see my pictures from this vacation by clicking HERE !! We spent the first day horseback riding up the mountain in the jungle, the second day hiking straight up the mountain and seeing waterfalls, and the third day kayaking through an estuary and seeing lots of wildlife! Our time in Roatan mainly consisted of sitting on the beach, swimming in the clear water, and eating lots of yummy food!! I highly recommend a trip to Honduras!!!

The whole Matthews Family at the highest peak of San Francisco (Twin Peaks) 

The next jaunt was over to San Francisco, CA for the Matthews Family Reunion. We do this every two years and it is such a joy to be able to spend time with some of the most amazing people I know. They just so happen to be related to me as well!! I had never been to California so it was a fun trip with lots of exploring in the city and catching up with my family (on my Dad's side). You can see some of my pictures from that trip HERE !!!

The amazing BMPC Youth Group in the front pews at Montreat Youth Conference 
 

Last but not least was my trip to Montreat, NC for the Presbyterian Youth Conference. As you may have noticed, I am no longer a youth, but went as an adult leader with the youth group from Brownson MPC. I went to Montreat for 5 years as a youth myself and know how it can change your life! I asked to join this group of 29 high schoolers because they impressed me so much with their passion and talents at Youth Sunday (when the youth put together the entire church service). I have never seen a group of high schoolers as close and loving as this group. I am SO HONORED and BLESSED to have been accepted into their group for a week. I believe they all grew in their faith and as a group which is more than I could have anticipated. What an outstanding group they are!! You can see some of my pictures HERE !

I have truly enjoyed every minute of this summer and am thankful to all who made it possible! The next step this summer for me is to move to Washington, DC! I am hoping to move up in about 1.5 weeks and start my new job on August 25. I am nervous to begin again in a different place, but am excited about all that awaits me! It will be such a joy to return to DC despite knowing that I will be paying twice as much for everything!

Mom and I at one of my birthday parties in Alabama

Also there are only 39 days until the Gail Parkins Memorial Ovarian Cancer Walk 2011!! Please see the top of my blog or click HERE to join our team or donate to the cause!  The Walk and 5K Run will be held on Saturday September 17 in Raleigh, NC.  For full information please visit HERE. "Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

2011 Gail Parkins Memorial Ovarian Cancer Walk

Hello all! I just wanted to fill you in on my newest adventure! I have signed up for the Gail Parkins Memorial Ovarian Cancer Walk again this year!! It will be held on September 17 in Raleigh, NC. (http://www.ovarianawareness.org/). We've named our team "Ovarian-portant Cause". Despite our light-hearted team name, I certainly appreciate the seriousness of the event; but I expect that we'll have the opportunity to celebrate life even during the ongoing battles against ovarian cancer as well as remember those whose battle is complete.

As you know, my mother Mary Wynne battled stage IV ovarian cancer for nearly a decade. It began with a swollen lymph node in her leg and a quick check up by a family doctor. Little did we know that it was the beginning of an ongoing 10-year fight with the cancer. Over the past 10 years, my mother had some remarkably good times in which she was considered by all medical measures "healthy". However, we were frequently reminded of the insidious nature of this disease with the whispers of signs and symptoms of a recurrence. With each recurrence, we experienced the devastating effects of this disease as well as the devastating effects of the treatments. Through countless surgeries, medical consults, diagnoses, chemotherapies, and even victories, my mother pushed on hopeful for a cure.

Thank you all for your love, support, and care you have shared with my family over the years. I'm confident in saying that we could not have battled this long without each and every kind word, deed, and prayer. We're hopeful that a cure is coming. But in the meantime, the fight to raise awareness and money for research is always looking for new voices. We invite you to join our team, being present in person or spirit. To do so, visit our team page:

http://dccc.convio.net/goto/marywynne

To join us, simply click on Join Team at the bottom of the team page.

To donate to our team, simply click "Donate to Ovarian-portant Cause" on the right side of the team page.

Please do not feel like you have to give. You each have already given so much to our family already in terms of friendship, love, care, and support. However, if you have the means and interest to do so, any contribution will be a step forward in the fight against ovarian cancer.

While we walk in memory of my mother's fight against this disease, we encourage any and all support whether emotional, financial, or even spiritual for the global fight against this disease. In my mind, this event will raise money and awareness about an insidious and dangerous disease. Contributions will benefit the future generations of children and grandchildren. Please consider giving your time, energy, or even money, not specifically for our fight, but for the future cure. I firmly believe that a cure is inevitable.

Ovarian-portant Cause 2010 (Mike, David, Vickie, Fu, & Melissa)

Holy Spirit, Cocoon, River

Dad, Me, David, & Vickie in front of Cinderella's Castle in Dec 2010
It was decorated for the holidays!

This blog post will be a bit different from most of my others, so bear with me.

I want to start this post out with a devotional from a book that my Mom bought for me (and one for herself) a couple years back. The book is 365 Daily Devotions for Women by Jewell Johnson.

I spent my drive to work one morning wondering why I don't hear much about the Holy Spirit outside of church. Of course, we pray to the one Triune God and praise Jesus for his mercies...but who talks about the Holy Spirit outside of the confines of the sanctuary? Funny enough, I've been reading a devotional book at night and this is what I read that exact evening...

"Day 59
Hannah Whitall Smith: Author 1832-1911
It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. John 16:7 KJV

When Hannah Whitall Smith's five-year-old daughter died from a bronchial infection in 1857, Hannah was inconsolable. She wept and questioned God. No amount of talking or comforting by family and friends relieved her grief.
That summer the family spent their vacation at a beach, and Hannah took only one book with her to read during the holiday-the Bible. While the water lapped on the sand and gulls called overhead, Hannah read on and on, day after day, looking for the elusive, needed comfort.
Then it happened: One day as she read, the healing, comforting peace of God touched her entire being. She rose from the beach chair and shouted, "I believe, oh, Lord, I believe!" Later, she shared the experience in her book, The God of All Comfort.
Perhaps you, too, have been touched by tragedy until your heart feels like one gaping wound. You question whether the struggle of living is worth the effort. Jesus made a special provision for your grief; He sent his Holy Spirit, the Comforter. Allow the third person of the Trinity to clean the sorrow from your heart and gently push together your wounded spirit until only God's peace remains."

Imagine how excited I was to read that on the same night that I had been pondering the Holy Spirit. Someone was trying to tell me something, perhaps.

I am also currently reading, The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion. I have found it an interesting book but enjoyed the first portion of the book more than the later portion. I have not yet finished reading it, but will see it through to the end.

One excerpt that I would like to tease out and put in this post is as follows:
Didion quotes from the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine...
"Subjectively, survivors may feel like they are wrapped in a cocoon or blanket; to others, they may look as though they are holding up well. Because the reality of death has not yet penetrated awareness, survivors can appear to be quite accepting of the loss."

I appreciate Didion throwing in some scientific viewpoints of grief, as it makes me feel like less of an outlier and more like a regular human.

I have spent the last 5 months "...wrapped in a cocoon...because the reality of death has not yet penetrated awareness..." with no strong desire to step outside of this warmth and safety. I know that the day will come when the cocoon spits me out, but for now, I continue to try and keep my eyes closed and push forward. I just don't know any other way to survive right now.

This does not mean that I do not appreciate the outside world and what it has given me the last 25+ years of my life. I am so appreciative for the family, friends, and coworkers that have supported me through thick and thin, better or worse. You are the reason why I am who I am today. With your support I have found the next stage of my life...a new job and a new city.

I was offered a position at The River School in Washington, DC on Monday of this past week and gladly accepted the offer on Tuesday afternoon. I am more than excited to start a new chapter in a new place. I have enjoyed being close to home in NC and have had a great boss all year, but need a new place to start again. The River School is exactly what I have been hoping for and so you can imagine my excitement when they called me last week. I will start in August and hope to dive right in! It is a school that has classrooms of students who are both hearing and deaf. I have wanted to work with deaf students for many years now and this is my big chance!!

As of yet, I have not found a roommate or a place to live, but it is still just a few days since I accepted the position. As many of you know, my boyfriend, Zak, is living in SW DC, so it will be quite nice to be close to him as well. The past year has been difficult being so far away from him. I urge you to peruse The River School's website and their mission statement. I have several friends that currently work there and have really enjoyed their past year or two years there. They say it is challenging, but they love what they do. I cannot wait to join The River School team!

I asked my cat, Yoshimi, the other day if she wanted to move to DC and she responded with what I believe to be a resounding 'YES!' Here she is enjoying the sunshine soon after I found her stranded and homeless in October 2010:
I am looking forward to 2011 and all that it has to offer. I will plan more vacations and enjoy the little things more often. Thank you for all your prayers and support. They really help me get through the day.