 |
| First things first. |
|
| People continually approach me asking about the latest on my health. Here's the quick scoop: |
|
| Vision is pretty good, meaning some days it is 20/20 and other days, usually when I'm tired, it is a bit blurry in the right eye. I’ve noticed a few times a small amount of bleeding going on inside the eye. Sometimes there is a little swelling, a little discomfort - then the next day it seems perfectly fine. From what the doctors told me this is all part of the process. I was told the tumor would go through changes; swelling/shrinking as it reacts to the radiation. I am hoping to get the six-month follow up visit before the end of this month, if not, I should be in Atlanta sometime in January. That is when, ideally, they will begin measuring the shrinking of the tumor. |
|
| Life on the road: a calling and a challenge. |
|
| Every family has a need to reduce stress. Traveling 29,000 miles in 13 months with three young ones is not the ideal set-up for reducing stress and to some degree, it has taken a toll on all of us. The boys have been real troopers going without a bedroom for a year. Each night setting up their pull-out couch in the living room and each morning folding it up to start their school day. |
|
| Imagine the world from the eyes of two-year old Therese. |
|
 |
|
|
| The walls of her home expand and contract, her crib is set up and taken down, her back yard changes every few days, and outside her front window she sees sun, snow, rain, tumbleweeds, rivers, mountains, deserts, oceans, truck stops, parks, churches, grandparents and cousins. She just goes with the flow. As long as she has her family, naps, apple juice and ‘blanky’ - all is right with her world. |
|
| Looking back and looking forward. |
|
| On December 2, Mary and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. Each year we like to daydream about what the coming year might bring. Last year we were both really hoping to be building our new home by now. This year we are not dreaming of building a home. It occurs to both of us that our current outreach is not meant to be just a one-year effort. |
|
| We are dreaming of transitioning into a motor home that better meets our needs. Don’t misunderstand; the one we have now was an answer to prayer. This one would be a dream in and of itself for any couple going on summer vacation. For our family of five it is not practical if we are to continue traveling full-time for an indefinite number of years. |
|
| Encouraging every Catholic family to become a Holy Family. |
|
| Traveling takes a toll. Meeting many wonderful people along the way is amazing and we can attest to the well–known fact that good things are often stressful too. In prayer, we both sense God calling us to continue this effort. We wish He would explain how. Until He sends us an e-mail, we have begun taking the practical steps we believe can help preserve our own family identity. |
|
|
|
Overcoming the daily obstacles to "normal" family life.
|
|
|
| It has been said that you should live in a house at least a year before you remodel anything because by then you have a better idea of how you will use the space. After a year on the road, we've come to know what works and what doesn't for a family of five living (and working) full-time in an RV. There are several key areas where our current vehicle is lacking, even for "business basics" like storing all of the equipment and CD's necessary to present concerts and missions. |
|
|
Key needs.
|
|
|
1) Bunk beds (that don’t fold up) for the boys. As they face another year without a bedroom, at least they will each have a bed (a small space) of their own that doesn’t ‘disappear’ each day.
|
|
|
|
2) The table we have now might work for a retired couple. At first, it was humorous when we began unfolding the slanted 'leaf' so we could try to fit around the table - only to watch the cups slowly slide toward the edge. Not funny anymore. Sharing family meals... this a very important part of establishing and maintaining family identity.
|
|
|
|
3) For all of you from coast-to-coast who have kindly shared your advice on how better nutrition - including lots of fresh juices, vegetables and fruits - would help me combat my cancer, our college fridge equivalent is quickly overwhelmed by even a cantaloupe or two. We want to do better but we need a larger refrigerator. For this full-time adventure we are on... fresh food and leftovers are necessary ingredients of life!
|
|
|
|
4) More storage below. Picture your garage and attic. We travel between seasons all the time so we need to pack Summer/Winter clothes for a family of five, as well as toys, schoolbooks, and things most take for granted; like an ironing board. Now on top of that add space for CD's, Sound System and Guitar. And why not mention the things we left behind? Recording equipment and the full keyboard that we would bring if we had more storage. (The answer to when my next project will be completed?) After one year we are certain of this: the limited space for people in any motor home, especially full-time, should be used for living – not storage.
|
|
|
|
5) More horsepower to pull a vehicle and still be able to make it over mountain grades.
|
|
|
|
6) Better gas mileage would be prudent with all the miles we cover.
|
|
|
|
Our "hoped for" solution.
|
|
|
|
Looking over our list of needs, it is obvious that there are some pretty simple solutions out there that foster our sense of family. These solutions, as a friend of mine says, are ones that make us work smarter, not just harder. They help us organize and be more effecient - and God knows we need that!
|
|
| We had the opportunity a few months ago to speak with an RV dealer we trust about our needs. After seeing the full range of options - most much more extravagant than we need, we focused on a model that seemed to answer our specific needs without adding unnecessary features. We prayed about the possibilities and the manufacturer checked our credit to see if we could manage the purchase. After being told we were pre-approved (they don't start building until you are), we put down our deposit - another leap of faith to answer the call to be on the road, a call so many of you have encouraged. |
|
| Faith is definitely required in today's climate of crisis in the credit world. Our faith was tested as the lending requirements changed even while our RV was being built. We were informed that the RV would be ready by Christmas - and then we were told that the new down payment requirement would be much more substantial: $46,000... an amount that is simply beyond our abilities. |
|
| We were overwhelmed to hear this at first but we have been encouraged by a number of you who felt we should share this news. We know God can do this - through many people or a few, through small gifts or large, in a few days or in a few months. |
|
| Where our faith is placed. |
|
| Mary and I are greatly encouraged by the many families along the way who tell us how this ministry makes a difference. More than ever through prayer and discernment, we feel called to continue our travels to parishes nationwide. Everything we have is in this ministry - and everything we have is a fruit of God's providential will. |
|
| So we present our practical needs to you and ask you to share this with those you know whom our ministry has touched. |
|
| Mary and I keep paraphrasing a quote by Blessed Mother Theresa regarding funding. If Jesus is interested, he will fund it. If he is not interested, he won’t. Amen! |
|
| If the various limitations of the motor home we use now are meant to be a type of 'cross' He is asking us to bear - so be it - we are committed to continuing our efforts. |
|
-
-
-
-
| Finally, a wish for you in this season of anticipation. |
|
| Like those of you preparing for the coming of the Christ child, we too are preparing our hearts. We have just completed a series of concerts and missions in Phoenix and are entering into what we hope will be a time of restful renewal for our family. It is an added blessing to be visiting the place where we began our married life and started our family. We pray you will discover a place of quiet renewal for your family during this season of promise and hope. |
|
We wish you a Blessed Christmas
and a Joyful New Year! |
|
|
Michael, Mary, Joseph, John Paul and Therese Poirier |
|
 |
|
