Child-like Living

Last week our daughter's family came from California to visit. We had been anticipating it for months... Lindsey has three daughters and that means three grandchildren came to play! I love being with these young ones not only because I love them, but because they remind me how to have fun like a child does.

One afternoon we all went to the Oregon Children's Museum where there are lots of interactive exhibits. What fun to see the girls who love to go grocery shopping with Mommy put their own (fake but real-looking) food in small buggies and take them to the cash register that actually makes a noise when items are passed over it! What fun to see Calysta (ten) serve a plate lunch she had "cooked" for her grandpa. And the water area was dousing at it's best for even Ryenn who is eighteen months. We took Maycn when she was that age and she loved even more at age five.

Then on Sunday we went to the Clark County Fair. (Was I ever glad it wasn't a scorcher like we had the week before!) Calysta and Maycn rode the Ferris wheel with me and oh, I enjoyed as much if not more than they did!

When we moseyed through an exhibit room there were several trampoline bungee jumpers--all children--having such fun. I yelled, "Can anyone do that--my age, for instance?" And guess what--I got right in line with Calysta and Maycn. What a BLAST for me--from my power chair (which I use for this type of all day event to get around in)--to crawling on the huge air-filled trampoline.

My attendant asked, "Have you ever done this before?"
"Never! But I'm soooo excited!"

I even did flips! You can see me doing so by clicking here! It's the video at the top called "Just for Fun - Jo Trampoline Bungee Flipping". Every opportunity to have an adventure is absolutely amazing for me. I laughed so hard I could barely jump. As I flipped backwards I felt so many joints and muscles crying out I knew I'd regret it, but I didn't care.

My poor husband hadn't wanted me to do it because of my cervical spinal cord injury in 1994 and neck problems ever since. He could see me breaking my neck. And, to be honest when I watched the entire video, I barely made one back flip. But as he video taped me he cheered me on, yelling this and that. He said all of the adults around him were cheering me on and looking envious.

I'm reminded that Jesus said to come to him as a little child. He wants our lives to be filled with child-like faith and wonder and his love that overflows into our hearts cheering us on to the best abundant life he has purposed for us. Do I have limitations with MS that make life difficult? You bet. But I have such love flowing into me from Jesus I shout with joy at seeing my granddaughters roll in the grass. I want to always be child-like.

How about you? What can you do today to be child-like with wide-eyed wonder?

Jo

PS You can also see lots of fun things I've done and places I've been here! You can watch the same video at the bottom of the page!

Traveling to Africa with Multiple Sclerosis!

Posted by Jo Franz


Well, it looks like my husband and I will be traveling to Lagos, Nigeria on April 28! I've asked for an air conditioned car to transport us to and from the airport, air conditioned hotel rooms, convention center venues--every place I can think of--in order to keep me as cool as possible. I'll take a spray bottle to cool me off. I have a mini fan that is battery-operated. Tylenol taken at intervals will help keep my temperature down. I was given a band you can wet and wear around your neck that keeps you cool due to the herbs/chemicals in it... But it might still be a challenge.

Guess what? It's a challenge we're putting in God's hands! He can keep me cool enough to prevent overheating and exacerbating of my MS symptoms! He can keep us safe in an area where we'll need it.

Excitement grows within me as each email goes back and forth between our host and us. I can hardly wait to minister to teenage girls and women about a love that took God's son to the cross in our place so that we might know him intimately and sense his presence in our lives every single moment of every single day by his power, as we put our faith in him.

Have a blessed Easter!