I Left My Heart...Again!

Jim and I just returned from a long weekend in San Francisco. It had been 18 months since our last visit to this city by the bay, and the one U.S. city that we never grow tired of. We have made many trips to that beautiful place, and with each return trip we find something new to see and do. Here are a few highlights:

1. We managed the BART transport(train) both from the airport and back. We had to link the BART with a city bus ( and one short taxi ride due to an error on our part) but for the most part it was smooth sailing to and from the city. Saved a lot of money on cab fares as well, and exciting to learn new things.

2. We enjoyed a couple new restaurants in the area. One was a fantastic Indian called Dosa and the other was Thai, also outstanding food.

3. We caught two Farmers' Markets, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. The hightlight of those was the freshly popped Kettle Corn. Yum!

4. Having received a tip from the concierge of our hotel we took the bus to the theatre district/ Orpheum and put our name in a lottery drawing to see the Sunday matinee of the Broadway musical WICKED. About 60 people gathered at noon for the drawing. If your name is chosen from the group of people you are then given the opportunity to purchase tickets in the 'limited view' seats. The seats are somewhat obstructed, so you miss about 20% of the scenes on the side where you are seated. But you can't beat the price...a normal ticket sold for $99.00 ( and they were sold out for the next 3 weeks) and a lottery ticket was $25 cash only. Well, wouldn't you know, our name was drawn and we had $50 cash so we saw WICKED on Sunday afternoon! GREAT SHOW! OH!! This was so cool, Patty Duke had one of the lead roles! AWESOME afternoon!

5. A lot of running and a very long walk...Jim and I had several runs on the Embarcadero and a long walk from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate. We had done that the last time we were there ( photo is from that earlier trip Oct. of 2007) but this time we stopped only briefly at the Golden Gate and then continued west to the Cliff House. Almost all of this hike was along the water/cliffs and the scenery was beautiful. The total trip was just shy of 8 miles! It was so much fun!

Good weather, good companionship, good food, and a time with no schedule and only a few business calls that Jim had to take. Not too shabby!!

JOY!

Birthday, Balance, and Blessings!

Greetings to all of you,

Jim and I were so grateful to make a trip to Albuquerque the last days of February to celebrate Nolan's 5th birthday! The picture on the couch is in our home in Albuquerque, and was taken the day after Nolan turned 5. We are so thankful for his very life, considering the challenges that he has had to face in his short lifetime. And the recent blessing is that he is cancer free! The scans taken on March 3 came back clean. Praise God for that answer to prayer! However, the advice of the doctor was for him to undergo two more rounds of chemo, which he will have. So please continue to keep all of them in your prayers during these next two months.

The second picture amazes me! Beth has one posted on her blog that is very similar. This was taken on Sunday, March 1st in our Albuq. place as well. Claire was one day shy of six months in that photo. Beth has said that if it was anyone other that Eric doing this trick she would not allow it...but because it is Eric, we are all fine with this balancing act, as we know his capacity for balance and reflex!

One final blessing...Jim's latest job assignment to divest the coal mines in North America has one success to date. One of the coal mines has been purchased and he has succeeded wonderfully well!! We were in Gillette just a week ago today when it hit the headlines...Arch Coal buys Jacobs Ranch mine...front page Top Story!!

I write this blog with thanksgiving and send each of you love, from Jesus and me

Connections and surprises!

Greetings to you all!

Some little things of late that make me smile!

FINDING FORMER STUDENTS! Jim and I went to a musical production on February 7th because we were invited by one of the performers. Natalie is in 9th grade and goes to our church. She was excited for us to see this show and it was a dressy event, and had a silent auction to benefit the Christian Youth Theater so we thought it would be fun. The show was wonderful, and we had a very fun evening. But the really interesting thing was that the vocal director for this show is a woman in her late 20's. She is a former student of mine!! She was in the 5th grade when I taught a half a year at Christ Lutheran School in Phoenix in 1991. Isn't that just too crazy! Fun to reconnect.

That, then, led me to the quest to find another former student who lives in the area. I'm still working on that one. But if anyone out there reading this knows Joe Gullekson, tell him to call me, please!

MISSION/ OUTREACH/ RECONNECTING AGAIN! On Feb. 11th I was happy to reconnect with a dear friend from Salt Lake City who now lives here. Our younger kids ( Sarah and Drew) used to play with her kids...and Eric and Ingrid used to babysit Lisa's kids. Well, as it turns out now Lisa works for a wonderful non-profit organization called Food for the Hungry and I got a tour on Feb. 11th. We then went to lunch and we talked about the international kids...her oldest Emily in Africa doing nursing with AIDS/HIV patients, Drew just coming back from China and getting ready to go to Ukriane to see his sister. Sarah living in Ukriane now and will for two years teaching English for the Peace Corps. We are just amazed at the places these kids have been and will be going! Another friend of mine, Susan, has a daughter who just returned from Ghana. This is not what I would have pictured, but God's plan is always something to anticipate and celebrate!

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: Tonight Jim and I went to help out at the International Friendship House. A group from our church was going to serve a meal that we provided. We made soup, salad, brought bread and cookies and drinks. Then we were given the opportunity to chat with the students from places all over the world. They gather to eat and then to practice their English with local folks. I was wearing a T shirt that said " THIRST" which was given to me by Ingrid for a District Youth Gathering a few years ago. A young man(not an international student) walked up to me and said, " Did you go?" as he indicated my t shirt. I said, "Yes" and his reply was, " I was a speaker there" and then the light bulb went on!!! "You're Sarah's friend! I remember you!!" As the conversation unfolded he said he had seen Drew just last Friday at Concordia. He spoke of his wife and their plans to go to South Africa for 16 months.
I can tell you why I didn't pick up on it right away...his name tag said "KEN" and if it had said "CHIT" I would have totally caught it!! Small world. We got to hang out with international students as well as friends of Sarah and Drew from days past!
And, another familiar face that I figured out was Lisa's aunt...the Lisa from the previous paragraph! I knew her when Jim and I attended Christ Church 18 years ago!

To all of you reading this, whether you're stateside or somewhere else in the world, I'm so thankful I had the chance to RECONNECT with you tonight! JOY, always, in Jesus!

January JOY!

Hello All!

There has been an amazing answer to prayer in January. Eric and Beth went to an appointment to get the results of Nolan's recent scans in order to decide the next steps. They were hoping that the tumor in Nolan's right lung would be small enough to operate/remove it. What they were told when they went was, 'There is no evidence of cancer in the lung!' The tumor is GONE! Praise God! NO SURGERY! Nolan will still have a bit more chemo, two or three more rounds. But this is wonderful news, a miracle! Thank you all for your prayers and support of this family.

In other news for January...Jim and Sue completed a FULL MARATHON yesterday, January 18th. We have been training since August with Team Diabetes and we both finished the PF Chang Rock and Roll here in town. It was the 4th marathon for Jim and my first. We are thankful that we only have sore muscles, no injuries. The weekend was especially fun because Ingrid came and had two friends join her as our houseguests for the weekend. Her two friends ran the half marathon, both of them running this distance for the first time. They did well! There was a lot of laughter, eating, drinking celebratory beverages, and just plain JOY! Great to have the company of Ingrid, Chris, and Laura! (and HONEY!)

Finally, we enjoyed the company of friends Phil and Donna from Gillette last week. They are dear friends and they were in town for a conference. We were able to spend some quality time with them as they were staying just 5 miles from our house. What a treat!

January JOY is the best way to put it!

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS from the Bersons

Greetings in the name of Jesus, our Savior born in Bethlehem. We wish you JOY in Him!

On January 18th of 2008 my mom went to her final address, heaven. It was a very sudden death and we are thankful that she went quickly and without pain. We think she had a heart attack after shoveling snow. Mom had spend about 6 weeks with us in AZ just weeks before, and we cherish those special memories.

Our family is ever changing as our children get older. There is another grandchild to celebrate, and we welcomed Claire Shelby Johnson into the family on September 2. She and her dad, Eric, mom, Beth, and big brother Nolan(4 yrs.) live in Albuquerque. Nolan's cancer returned in April and they battle on. Chemo and radiation brought some wonderful results, however, and healing is taking place. We thank God for that, and invite you to keep this family in your prayers. (check earlier blogs)

Jim travels a lot with his work. This past year it has been mostly within the USA, with an occasional trip to London. He was also given an additional responsiblity as CEO/President of Colowyo Mining Company in Craig, CO. Rio Tinto is shifting and redirecting its holdings as many companys are doing in this challenged economic time. We are thankful for this new opportunity for Jim. I am still subbing, but haven't had a lot of jobs this fall. I am hoping that picks up soon...love the kids.

Volunteer stuff includes: Music at church, Life Care message for me once a month, prayer shawl knitting ( you guess who does that!!), Jim is an elder, and we've served on various think tanks/ committees. I've joined the prayer ministry team. We are also both training for the Rock and Roll FULL MARATHON with Team Diabetes and raised money as volunteers to support the American Diabetes Association.

Summer brought about more change: Ingrid moved from CA to Albuquerque and is currently working for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New Mexico. She enjoys being near the Johnson clan! Drew and Lindsey remain in So. CA where they both work and both attend school. Drew finishes at Concordia in May of 09. Lindsey is currently working on her degree as a Nurse Practitioner. Sarah made her final arrangments with the Peace Corps and awaited her assignment...Ukraine! She said farewell to us on Sept. 19th and has just received her two year placement assignment in Tartarbunary!
July also included a trip to LaCrosse, WI, to bury Mom's ashed next to my dad's. Jim and I also attended my 35th High School reunion in Fairmont, MN. Fun!

I had the honor of being trustee of Mom and Dad's trusts. They were distributed by the beginning of August and after we considered our options Jim and I decided investing in a property rather than the stock market seemed wise. We were able to buy a small home in Albuquerque. We continue to keep our Scottsdale home as our main residence. It's nice to have a place to stay when we visit the grandkids...and this summer it will offer an escape from the desert heat for a week or two at a stretch.

A momenteous occasion was celebrated in Denver the weekend of Aug. 8th...the 60th wedding anniversary of Jim's parents, Dwight and Carole Berson!!It was a great party and such a wonderful tribute to two people who have been dedicated to their union and family for so many years! We are thankful and blessed.

Full circle..January 18th, 2009 is the date of the Rock and Roll Marthon...Jim's 4th and my first. Being the one year anniversary of mom's death you can bet I'll have have a HUGE smile as I think of her and her enduring spirit. JOY!

May the Peace of God, the Love of the Christchild, and Hope in the Spirit be yours, today and ahead in 2009.

Much love,
Jim and Sue

STRENGTH!

It is with great joy that I write this entry. The picture you see in this blog was taken almost a year ago, Thanksgiving 2007, in our condo community pool. I am choosing this photo because I want you to join me in giving Thanks to God for His strength being poured out on Nolan, Eric, Beth, and little Claire. Here's the latest, greatest news:

Eric called today with the best news we've heard in a long time. The area in the upper leg that had the turmor removed last summer has NO SIGN OF CANCER! The tumor in the lung has shrunk by nearly 50 percent!

The next steps are: Do two more rounds of chemo and then the doctors will look at removing the lung tumor. After he recovers from the surgery there will perhaps be two or three more cycles of chemo. But the bottom line is this: HEALING is taking place and cancer has been defeated in one area. God be praised!

As Eric said in his email, Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I concur, and ask that you would please continue to pray. It was amazing just how strong Nolan was through all of this recent chemo and radiation, and I know that's because so many were storming the gates of heaven!


Philppians 4:13 I can do everything though Him who gives me STRENGTH!

Not Even A Month!

Hello Readers!

It hasn't even been a month since my last post. That's pretty unusual!

I'm going to steamline my bits and pieces of news and hopefully post a couple of pictures, maybe even three:

. Sarah made it to Ukraine safely and she's loving the experience so far. She lives with an older woman who teaches English. They still try to speak Russian in the home, as this will move Sarah along more rapidly in her grasp of the language. She attends formal classes in Russian as well. Her attitude is positive and happy.

. Nolan has had two intense weeks of both chemo and radiation. Trips to the hospital Monday through Friday for two weeks straight took the entire afternoon. He has a break from chemo now for two weeks, but the radiation will continue. Beth is a trooper and Claire cooperates by being an easy baby. Nolan's spirit is strong. He takes it all without complaint, and he enjoys playing a lot! Even his appetite remains good. God is pouring out His strength on Nolan and the family. Keep praying!

. Jim and I are running in the Long Beach Half Marathon this weekend, Oct. 12. Then we'll reunite with the Team Diabetes training group to prepare for the Rock and Roll Marathon that will take place in January of 09. I am fundraising like crazy. I have set a personal fundraising goal of $5,000.00 for the American Diabetes Association. My sincere THANKS to all of you who have donated so far. If I reach my goal I'm hoping to run/walk the FULL marathon this time, with my doctor's permission. If you haven't donated and would like to, I'd appreciate it! The donation link is:

http://www.active.com/donate/teamdiabetes/SBerson1

May you know the Joy of the Lord, today and every day! sue :D