Gail is still smiling down on us.

Thanks, Gail.

Love,

Coastside Cougars and Jon and Devon

Hero Tales

Our Heros. We are meeting @ LaDiDa Coffee House in Half Moon Bay. We will be using the Overcomer Series.

True stories of ordinary people who became Heros. Please join us.

Catching Up

Mom and Dad Yoshimine came up to stay with Devon and I between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. This was a welcome and timely visit for us this year. I work on Fridays of Thanksgiving weekend, so there are no trips down to SoCal for Thanksgiving. Since our move to NoCal, Thanksgivings have been small gatherings. It was a treat to have Mom and Dad with us. With Dad being almostg 85 and Mom over 80 now, it is really something for them to travel, but they do. And it is a big deal to us. This visit was a perfect segue into Christmas 2008, which was particularly lonely for me.

We didn't talk a whole lot. Their love was a quiet love, but it spoke loudly. We sat in the same room doing our own thing, keeping each other company as time passed. Theirs was a comforting presence to Devon and I.

The loss this past year, felt more 'in your face'. I felt empty, moving on into a New Year without my love, facing an uncertain future. I began to realize who and what I had lost in my relationship with Gail. I felt extremely 'poor'. Then God stepped in...in fact Mom and Dad's presence served to remind me of God's presence with me.....memories of how good God has been to me and how he had blessed me with such a wonderful, loving and fun woman, kind of overcame me...and filled me...It was his continuing revelation of his enduring Love.

I read Luke 2 before Christmas as the angel reveals some bewildering and amazing promises to Mary. He talked about the future and Mary's part in His plan. I love her response to her Lord: "May it be done to me, as you have said." I prayed this prayer about my (our) future with Him.

God gave me such wonderful encounters with family and friends during the visit to family down in SoCal. A nice walk to the Huntington Beach wetlands with Mike Toguchi, Vince Chiya, Devon an I. Touch football with the family. A lunch with guys that I met with for years when in their high school years. The annual Hunt Tamale New Year's Eve party and visiting with friends. A breakfast @ Corner bakery in Brea with Jeff Sano, Steve Yahata, Jordy, Devon and I to talk about the June Lake Fishing trip. Breakfast and a walk with Brian.
All needed. All good.

Then later in January, 2009, the Lord opened up other opportunities to share conversations with other widows and widowers. This has been very helpful for me because we are able to understand one another. I had a lunch, a breakfast, a visit, E-Mail conversations and a lasagna dinner with Devon and another family. A grief group is starting up at my church soon. I plan to attend.

Devon may have a similar opportunity. We recently completed an intake for Devon for a grief group of teens that have lost parents. I hope that Devon will have this opportunity. Please pray that this, or another opportunity.

Please pray for our Bible Study Fellowship study of the life of Moses. It has been the best study yet for me, even in Leviticus and Numbers!

So Empty and Yet So Full

I feel void of that listening ear....Gail had a good one...and it was always available...well almost...but there when I needed it...

Now alone and kind of empty....sometimes lonely, sometimes desperately so. What to do??? What to do? Where to go??? Now what???

I stop and remember....how I got here and who it was that got me here. And I don't think there's any miracle in that???

A sometimes 'silent' partner is still a partner.

I realize what I have is because it was freely given to me, without any expected in return. Love was given not randomly, but wholly and fully for me.

He is sitting by...hanging out..

There is much abundance here. What matter of love is this???

Hope for the Future

I am in the process of planning for Devon's future after high school. Sometimes it feels overwhelming because I haven't done it before. I want to do the right/best thing, but what is that look like? I don't know.

But I can't just stop there. There are two friends of ours whose daughters have already gone this path so I am meeting with them soon to hear how they processed the decisions that they came to.

Support services. A source for services/funding for individuals with disabilities is "Regional Center". Devon was a client when we lived in Orange County and then was reassessed 6 years ago and was found not to be eligible. His disabilities are not apparent. Anyways, I have contacted "Regional Center" to appeal the decision and they have asked me to provide all the information since the last test in 2002 so that it can be reviewed and a decison can be made.

Please pray for this outcome. It is not a dealbreaker, but it would sure be helpful.

More to come....

Jon and Dev

Dear Mama

Devon has been missing Gail lately. He likes this song called 'Dear Mama' by Tupac. It makes him cry. That's good because Devon doesn't cry too much usually.

We are getting by ok. I probably don't ask for enough help when I need it. Gail seemed to be telling me early on, 'if you need help, ask for it'.

I'm meeting with Devon's vocational instructor on November 7th. We are going to talk post high school options for vocation and education. Devon, I think wants to go to CSM College of San Mateo which is cool. The fact remains that the cirriculum is college level and he will have to perform at this level.

One possible option is for him to take one or two classes and work. This way, he can ease into the college scene and focus on doing well. He certainly has the drive and tenacity that Gail had. He's like a bull-dog and doesn't give up easily. He is really resilient in a God-shaped way. That's encouraging. There is a CSM extension in Half Moon Bay, so it may be possible for him to take his courses here in town. At some point, I would like him to get onto the college campus.

Please pray for this transition.

We are wrapping up our counseling. The last time we met, my counselor asked about the future like Devon transitioning into the post high-school life and me transitioning into life without Gail and Devon. Wow. How is that going to happen? Please pray that I go the Lord with these questions and hang out with Him through this and get his take.

Thanks.

Jon and Devon

time out

Life goes on......



I like the fact that devon and i are continuing to walk together in the mornings. It's not a long walk, but it's important and something that we have been doing together on a regular basis.



I've come to take these walks for granted because they have become routine.



This morning, I was thinking about Gail back at the hospital and their was some grief and pain and then God took me sovereignly by the hand and showed me how our lives have been ordained before the beginning of time and how He made it possible for us to be here in HMB for 9 years being family. I again saw how loving he is and how he has taken care of us every step of the way and will contnue to do so.



Devon is a senior in high school now and enjoying school. He is taking the following classes:

Us Government

Mass Media

Weight Lifting

Workability

English

Independent Study



He gets to give announcements to the entire school on TV once a week a LOVES it. He's such a ham.



He's enjoying watching football these days and is a huge niners fan. We went to a recent niner/green bay game and he went crazy. Where did that come from???



Devon will, after two years hiatus begin BSF on September 30th. This year it is on the Life of Moses. I'm thrilled that he has an opportunity to do this again as it was great the three years that he did it earlier, studying the Minor Prophets, Acts and Genesis.



He is enjoying time with friends that seem to always like to come to our place. So we always have guys over. This weekend, we are inviting some girls over for a hoops activity and a barbque for some hang time.



He is also part of a team ministry to some elderly residents here in Half Moon Bay. Our sunday school class helps with this once a month ministry. Devon recently gave his testimony. If you want to hear it, you can go the Mariners Community Church Half Moon Bay website and go to the podcast on August 24th.

His testimony goes back to our days living in Anaheim when Devon accepted Christ at the Harvest Festival when he was about 5 years old. It's rich, and classic Devon. If you listen in, you'll get some laughs too.



Devon and I were all set this summer to go to Redwood Christian camp with family and friends, but the Lord had other plans for us as we went with our church high school group to work with the Navajo on their reservation in Arizona.



What follows is a snippet from our time there.

Elsie, the matriarch of the Navajo family gazed at the horizon as approaching storm headed toward us, and said, "It won't rain here."

"It will rain over there", pointing to her left, then pointing to the right, she said, "It will rain over there, but it won't rain here."

It poured down rain for two days in that parched, thirsty desert. The cisterns underground that catch the rain water off the roof were filled to overflowing. Wow. There were pools of water everywhere.

It reminded me of Psalm 84.

This 'interruption' in our work gave way to going under cover with our Navajo friends, the Codys and we talked and laughed and spent time together.

We all knew, that God was up to something way beyonod our limited comprehension. I knew that God was speaking to my barrenness and desert wasteland of my own soul.

He couldn't have ever spoken more loudly than he did that day.

Our three day sojourn with 4 adults and 9 teens onto the Navajo reservation 30 miles east of Flagstaff, became walk of healing in the midst of great sorrow, for they had lost the martriarch of their family Betty, 6 months before we came to the Rez.

They were not sure if they were going to let us come because of their grief.

The very first day of work with the Cody family brought a sense of what our trip was going to be about as the patriarch of the family, Johnny Ray and I sat on a log taking a short break. He told me that he had lost his wife earlier in the year. I shared briefly about my loss as well.....

What flowed out of this was a wonderful three sojourn with the Codys through their grief. Indeed there were Streams in the Desert.

May these streams continue to flow into your hearts as the Lord who provides.

Love,

Jon and Devon