Fall and Falls

A lot of people dread this time of year. The cooler nights and drying leaves mean only two things: the peaceful, warm summer is gone and the long, cold winter is just ahead. Some things we’ve have learned over the past few years is instead of looking back at what was and peering too far ahead, be sure to notice and embrace what is here now.

The colors that burst from the landscape in New England Fall are breathtaking. There are roads that go under a canopy of trees with streaks of sunlight tickling the pavement. Others are lined with trees so tall it’s like driving in a deep canyon. A few weeks ago only the ferns along the ground had changed into dark red colors. A lone tree would proudly display glowing red leaves standing tall in line with its green neighbors. Then the oaks started changing. Their large leaves turned gradient colors from green to red to yellow, giving it an orange glow. Now all the trees are taking part. There are pink, orange, yellow and red leaves exploding from the scenery. God truly is an artist.

 There are not many updates about dad. He has had a few falls from the wheelchair, giving him a couple bumps and bruises. We are trying to figure out why he is often so tired that he falls over in his chair. Other than that, he is healthy and happy. He has wanted to take a few excursions and visit old friends from his previous neighborhood. His spirits have been high and he is getting along well.

As for us, we are happy to announce that we have been blessed with the upcoming opportunity to go to Cambodia! We will be there for the first two weeks of November and cannot contain our excitement! We will be staying with Ryan and Nikki, seeing their ministry and visiting our grandkids. They have a conference out of town while we are there, so we will get to do some travel within Cambodia and see the countryside. All of us have that familiar feeling we had when we were kids on Christmas Eve: the excitement for the next morning, keeping us awake and restless in our little beds.

We have been blessed with all aspects of the trip. We found visiting nurse care for dad while we are away, which will be covered by Medicare. We were uneasy to tell him we would be gone for a few weeks, anticipating he would be apprehensive, but he received the news with excitement. He is very happy for us. Little Riko will be staying with his aunt and uncle, Pat and Jim. They graciously offered to take him in while we are away. So with just a few more weeks to go, we are finalizing our preparations with grateful hearts for the opportunity.

We will post another update when we return to tell you about our trip. Until then, God bless!

With Love,

Mike and Jeanine Gooch

A Sunday afternoon hiking trip

Mike had a quick trip to Phoenix over Labor Day and met his newest niece

Some of the foliage

Went to dinner with dad. He asked for a side of corn with his chicken. They misunderstood and gave him a side of chicken with his corn.