Faith (an essay I wrote in school)

After three weeks of chemotherapy Lynn went back to the hospital to find out if her cancer had responded to the treatment. As she sat in the uncomfortable plastic waiting room chairs, Lynn became very anxious. “I shouldn’t be nervous about this, I’ve done it enough times” she said to herself. In the past three years Lynn had many chemotherapy treatments to fight the cancer, and anxiety in a waiting room should not be an issue. Just as she was really starting to worry the doctors called her in to have the MRI. However, before a woman could have an MRI they needed to do a pregnancy test. To Lynn and the doctors surprise, it was positive. “How can that be?” Lynn exclaimed “I was was told I would never get pregnant again”. Lynn had no idea what to do with the news she was given, so she called her husband Bob. He came down to the hospital to meet Lynn and discuss with the doctors about the next steps. As Lynn was getting ready to have an ultrasound, one of the doctors pulled Bob aside. “In my expert opinion I would not go through with this pregnancy” he said. “You’re wife will not be alive in nine months”. He was advising that they terminate the pregnancy so that Lynn could continue treatment. 

Lynn and Bob were Christians and had faith that God would protect Lynn and the baby she was carrying. They believed that “He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it” (Philippians 1:6). Many doctors were certain that terminating the pregnancy was the best decision and tried to convince Lynn and Bob of that. The doctors were worried about the affects the chemotherapy would have on the fetus. The baby could be born with multiple defects and deficiencies, along with learning disabilities and other serious problems, but Lynn and Bob were putting their faith in God and had their minds made up.  With their decision to keep the baby, Lynn and Bob had to present the next steps that they were going to take regarding the pregnancy to a board of doctors. The doctors did everything they could to change Lynn and Bob’s decision, but their minds were set. 

After nine months of a healthy pregnancy Lynn was induced into labor on May 5, 1994 at Woman and Infants Hospital in Washington, D.C. To the doctors surprise the delivery was normal and went smoothing. That afternoon Lynn gave birth a beautiful baby girl, Ashley Jean Ford. Lynn and Bob thanked God for His blessings in their life and for giving them this healthy baby. 

As time passed Ashley grew and Lynn’s cancer got worse. Lynn struggled with everyday tasks and it was hard for her to move around the house. Ashley showed her love to Lynn by helping her when she needed it. If Lynn dropped something, Ashley was right there to pick it up, she was always willing to do whatever her mother needed. 

The cancer inside of Lynn was growing and her physical strength was deteriorating. She was now in a wheel chair and would soon have hospice care in her home. She knew her time was near. Lynn prayed often and she always gave thanks to God for the precious gift of Ashley. She wanted to honor God with praise and had two simple requests. First, that God would grant her life until Ashley started school. Second, that when her time came He would take her quickly. Lynn’s one wish was that she would live long enough to see Ashley go to preschool. Just months later Lynn was lying on a hospital bed in her bedroom taking her last breaths. Ashley was outside playing when she heard her father called, “Ashley, come on inside, it’s time to say goodbye to mommy”. She walked into the house not exactly sure of what was going on. Stepping into the bedroom, she saw her mother and her face beamed. “Goodbye mommy. I love you” was all Ashley said.

Camp Spofford

In the Summer of 2003 I experienced my first week at Camp Spofford, and oh what an experience that was! Camp Spofford is a Christian camp in Spofford, NH that is absolutely the best place on earth. There are many different things you can do at Camp Spofford. When you are just in elementary school you do Junior Week. In Junior Week you play all kinds of different games on the field, in the water and even in mud! It is so fun and everyone is there just to have a good time. Every day you experience high energy worship, funny games and great Bible based lessons during chapel. It is a time where the whole camp can come together and worship and learn more about God. Another daily activity is Beach Time. At beach time you can go down to the lake and go swimming, tubing, skiing, or swim out to the raft. It's basically a relaxing time. At Spofford you gain friendships and wonderful memories. After my first year I went consecutively for 8 years after that. It's always been the greatest week of my summer. But I'd have to say that the most fun I had at Camp Spofford was during Water Ski week. During Water Ski week you basically do 2 things: Water ski and play volley ball. IT. IS. SO. FUN. You get split up into 4 teams and at the end of the week there is a big volley ball tournament where the top 2 teams face each other. While your in the water you first learn to water ski with 2 skis, and then once you master that you can try 1 ski. The great thing about Water Ski week is that there are only 20 people that can do it (10 girls, and 10 boys). With only a limited number of kids, it makes the experience more personal and you get to know everyone better, and when you come back the next year, you pick up those friendships like you never left camp. 

At the end of the week, if weather allows, there is a big bon fire. The whole camp gathers together and we sing songs with just the help of an acoustic guitar. As you're singing and look up at the sky, you can see the hundreds of bright stars and it is so beautiful. One of my greatest memories at Spofford was 2 years ago during the bon fire. One of the directors was talking to us about the greatness of God and how he created the beautiful earth we live on and everything in it. He told us to look up at the stars that God crafted and as everyone looked up, a shooting star went by. It was awesome! God was totally showing off his creation that night! 

I am just so blessed that Camp Spofford has been part of my life for so long. I will never forget the memories that it has given me.

"How are you?" "Good"

So, a normal conversation usually starts with "How are you?" and then the other person says "Good, how are you?". I was on the phone the other day, and the person I was talking to asked me how I was, and I automatically said "Good, how are you?". When the other person responded, they started to say "good", but quickly took it back and confessed to me that she wasn't good. It made me think, how many times to do we robotically respond with a "good" when we are so far from good. I know that I have done this many many times. Now, I understand that you're not going to spill everything that's going on in your head to a random stranger that asks you how you're doing, but what about your close friends? Don't they deserve to know what's really going on? I feel like such a hypocrite right now because that it something I completely fail to do--tell my friends what's really going on. I have failed miserably when it comes to that. I feel like I have trained myself to alway say "good" when somebody asks me how I'm doing. 


Opening up is something that I struggle with tremendously. If someone is asking me question about how I'm doing specifically I do everything to avoid answering those questions, and if I have to I'll just drop the one-word answers like good, okay, fine, nothing etc. I just wish I could always answer honestly to how I'm doing. But the truth is, doing that scares me! It scares me a lot! The last thing I want if for someone to know what is going on in my head. And I feel like once I open the door, there is no way I'll be able to close it and I don't want that. 
I guess I'm just going to have find a happy medium. I need to choose my words wisely and always answer honestly.