Brooke Chao

Lately I’ve been really disconcerted and disillusioned with all the blind support for war I’ve seen in my church. All the railing against perceived enemies to America, to Christian “values” and the list goes on. I don’t mean supporting our men and women, but actually speaking of the war itself and using might and force as though this is a great and noble thing.

I’ve come to the conclusion that while I admire the bravery and conviction with which our men and women serve, and want nothing better than for them all to come home safely, I cannot support or condone war – any war – “just” or not.

The more I read Christ’s words about loving our enemies and doing good to those that persecute us, and repaying no one evil for evil. The more I read words like “If someone demands you cloak, offer your tunic, also” and “turn the other cheek”, and Christ’s rebuke of Peter drawing the sword to defend Him, the more I read words like “for we wrestle NOT against flesh and blood” the more I become convinced that we are called to model this peacemaking spirit to others – even in the face of threats to our freedom or very lives.

This is not weakness. This is not a wishy washy, namby-pamby peace, but a peace that comes from strength of knowing that our lives and our possessions are not ours to defend. All we have is given to us by God, and if God chooses to take that away, then so be it. I will not grasp the things of this life that tightly. That this life, and our property are not worth killing over, and that if we truly, TRULY believe the Gospel, then we should never raise a sword or gun to an “enemy.”

If I truly claim to be “pro-life” and value the sanctity of life, that should extend beyond the womb, to ALL lives, White, black, Christian, Muslim, and pray for the redemption and love of Christ to touch anyone who may wish me harm. THAT is how you conquer – through grace and love. Bloodshed just leads to more bloodshed.

My husband and I have gotten to the point that we really cannot understand how FEW Christians think this is important. Some actually get it. Some listen politely and some outright snicker and tease us about becoming hippies.

Too many either think it’s too big a task and therefore impossible and not worth the time, or flat out don’t think it’s important and reject any notion that involves environmental concerns and write off any warnings about how our wasteful attitudes are destroying the planet as “myths” or propaganda by “liberals”. How can this be?

We’ve even heard one friend say they saw “An Inconvenient Truth”, that they believed what it said, and it effected them….but not enough to do anything about it. Sort of, “Oh, well that’s a real shame.” and then on their merry way.

Of course “An Inconvenient Truth” was part of it for us, but this really hit home after watching a documentary called “The End of Suburbia.” We are TOTALLY dependent upon oil for EVERYTHING. So many of our goods are shipped either across the nation or from overseas. Many companies, and by default, the consumer, rely on cheap products produced and shipped from overseas – that takes petroleum, and so those lower prices are predicated upon gas and oil staying as cheap as possible. The whole “American Dream” and American way of life is predicated upon cheap, plentiful oil, which was destined to end, and by all accounts will be ending shortly.

Many of us live in suburbs and have to commute to work, sometimes great distances. That takes LOTS of oil, and even more oil if you drive a bohonkin’ gas guzzling SUV.

Many of our larger farms are using fertilizers and pesticides that are made using petroleum. Many of our manufactured goods are created using petroleum – either in the products themselves, or the machines that create the products. Petroleum is involved in energy production, even if only to lubricate and run certain machinery.

Anyway, my husband and have really decided that we’re going to at least TRY to make a difference. We’re going to sell our house in the ‘burbs and try to find a house much, MUCH closer to where my husband works, and as we replace things in the house, try to do so with the most energy efficient, environmentally conscious manner possible. We’ve already made a good number of changes, but we’re also going to look at buying locally grown produce, join a food co-op, composting, look at Solar energy and Geo-thermal heat pumps, low solvent paints, and just whatever we can. We’re going to try to support companies, candidates and programs that espouse protecting the environment and support environmentally responsible practices.

It’s not all about oil, either. It’s about the consumerism and disposable mentality many of us (ourselves included) have in general that leads to us being such poor stewards of our environment. And unfortunately it may take a situation where we HAVE to make changes for anything to really change on a larger scale.

Well, we don’t want to wait until then. We may not be able to make all the changes in the next month or even the next year, and maybe some of our friends are right and it’s impossible to really make a huge difference, but don’t we owe it to the God that gave us this planet and entrusted it to us, not to mention our children and future generations, to at least TRY? We just can’t see any justifiable reason to throw up our hands and continue to behave irresponsibly and not at least see what we can do to lessen our impact.

It was last minute, but I finally found info on entering into our local County Fair photography competition. Of course they were due that day, but I managed to pick three photos, frame and mat them and get them to the fairgrounds and checked in, on time.

The day of judging came and went, and the next day we went as a family to enjoy the fair. I went into the Exhibit hall, really not expecting much, but to my surprise and delight, two of my three photos won first prize in their category.

I can hardly wait to enter again next year.

It took a little getting used to, but I can’t believe I waited as long as I did. The change has been good!

We beat the thrush (after more than 2 months), we’ve eliminated the most offending allergy culprits (dairy and wheat) and the heart defect has healed to the point that it’s no longer affecting her nursing.

It took 6 months, but we’ve finally gotten into a more normal, and enjoyable nursing routine. Hallelujah!

Wanted to share something that has just, yet again, underscored the goodness of God for us lately….

We just had Jade’s first check up with her regular cardiologist after the heart cath and being told she no longer needed surgery (on Nov 3rd). After months of hearing how she needed surgery, and it wasn’t a question of “if” but “when” – we’d struggled with really believing the news, especially from a doctor we had never met before that day, and so we were looking forward to hearing what her own doctor had to say.

Boy was that an interesting appointment. He told us a few things we hadn’t known, or fully realized. First of all, she is considered somewhat of a medical marvel among his peers, and has been quite the topic of conversation since the cath procedure. Her case been discussed in group meetings of the cardiologists and cardio-thoracic surgeons at UVA.

Apparently while he never outright told us so, she was in heart failure when he referred her for surgery – this is why he never ordered a catheterization – there was no need in his mind, because she was clearly in need of surgery. Then when the surgery got postponed, and they did the echo and saw she was no longer in heart failure, that’s when they decided to do the cath, to get the whole picture. Apparently, when they did the cath, they were able to see the outline of how large her defect was before tissue from the tricuspid valve started growing over it. It was apparently HUGE – the size of her aorta. Apparently, that explains a lot of the symptoms we saw early on. Kids with a VSD that size, generally don’t close over as much as hers has, and heart failure does not usually go away on it’s on. These things usually worsen, not get better, especially in the space of a couple weeks. They are quite frankly amazed at what has happened with her defect.

He said the hole probably will not ever close completely, and she does still have a slight narrowing of the pulmonary valve, but at least it’s to the point that she won’t likely be affected by it, and will only need the usual (for kids with a VSD) antibiotics before dental exams or any medical procedures. He said she has some chance of developing a leaky aortic valve, since the VSD is right next to it, and the turbulence could begin to affect it, but that’s something he’d catch at an appointment, and nothing we need to be looking for or worrying about. Barring that happening, she should be just fine.

Alvin and I both spent the day fighting back grateful tears for God protecting her and sparing her surgery. God’s timing was perfect, as usual. The fact that they didn’t detect the murmur till she was almost a month old (which allowed for the VSD to close somewhat before the cardiologist saw her the first time); the cold she caught that delayed surgery, allowing her to heal further. The fact that we were spared the knowledge of how serious her issues were, and how it should have gone, until after God had healed her.

God is good. Of course, God would still be good if we’d only been granted a couple of blessed months with our precious baby, but for whatever reason, He has been merciful to us and to Jade. :-)

Jade had a diagnostic heart catheterization this past Friday, and what they found was that tissue from her tricuspid valve seems to be beginning to grow over the VSD. Also, while she does have a pulmonary stenosis, it doesn’t appear to be serious enough to warrant intervention.

So, while she does still have some defects, and will probably require antibiotics anytime she has dental work done (when she gets teeth, that is), surgery is off the table.

Praise God!

I have always wanted to have an herb garden, but past attempts have been marginal at best. Some things flourished, other things wilted and died almost immediately, or in some cases, never grew at all.

This year is the first time I’ve had every herb I planted grow and flourish. (And not only that, but I dug out the sod for the area, transferred all the stones from our old house to the new house, and planted the herbs, all while “great with child.” LOL)

It was awesome to be able to grab the kitchen shears, run out front and cut pretty much whatever I needed for the meal I was preparing, whether it was mint tea, rosemaried potatoes, dilled salmon, salsa with fresh cilantro, or tomato sauce with fresh oregano, basil and rosemary.

I knew when my first child was born that I would want to breastfeed if at all possible. I was raised in a home where all the kids were breastfed, and my mom was a lactation counselor for a while so it was just a given for me.

When he was born, we had a bit of a rough start (high palate, colic, etc.) but we worked at it, and within a couple months, we had a great nursing relationship firmly established. Even so, I thought I’d maybe nurse to a year, max.

A year came and went, and we were still both very much enjoying the nursing relationship. It was awesome to have the ability to bring almost instant comfort any time my child was sick or hurt. It was especially helpful when he had a tummy bug and needed constant hydration. If he couldn’t keep anything else down, there was always my milk. ust being able to provide that extra bit of perfect nutrition was awe inspiring to me.

I am very proud to say we made it to 2 1/2 years before he was weaned.

With my second child, things have again been difficult, some of it for the same reasons, some of it for others (heart defects, a couple food allergies). Despite all of that, we’ve been able to stick with it, even though I have had to supplement a little bit here and there.

I am hoping, after her heart surgery that we’ll be able to resume our nursing relationship, and that we’ll make it to at least the two year mark.

This is something I’ve been dealing with for years, and unfortunately it still goes on to this day. Who is currently mad at, or not speaking to, whom may change, but the song remains the same, and the cycle of hurt and anger unfortunately perpetuates itself, eventually affecting the younger kids.

Thankfully, I have been able to experience a great deal of healing through Christ, but I fully admit it can be a daily struggle not to get sucked into the fighting and bitterness that still goes on so often, and so I have to pray for the ability to step back, and see all of it for what it really is – people who have been hurt and don’t know how to find healing or find constructive ways to deal with the past.

Therapy, and in some cases medication, are definitely things God can use to heal and bring people to a place where they can see an deal with things more clearly and rationally, but by themselves, they only address the symptoms of the problem. What really needs to happen is for God to change hearts – that is the way TRUE healing will take place.

I pray every day that the members of my family can begin to heal from past wounds, learn to forgive one another and most importantly let go. We each need to have God show us where we are part of the problem, so that we may become that change we wish to see in others.

It is my fervent hope and prayer that one day we can all hopefully love each other despite our differences and failings as sinful human beings, and once again be a united family.

http://www.jbcphotography.com/

I love photography. I am admittedly self-taught, and probably most of my stuff is fairly ho-hum, but once in a while I get a shot that makes me think I’ve got at least an ounce of potential.

I have gotten into (and continue to get into) at least one show that really makes me feel I’m on the right track, but it would just mean so much to really get at least one shot that really makes people sit up and take notice. What I’d really love to do is to win an award – you know something that tells me that I’m not just a hack with a good camera.

I’d also like to get into a reputable gallery at some point, but one thing at a time.

Jade’s doctor heard a heart murmur at 2 weeks, and at 1 month, she was diagnosed with 2 heart defects. Thankfully, they are rather easily (well, relatively speaking, anyway) repaired, and so now we’re just waiting to hear from a surgeon about when she’ll actually have the surgery performed.

I vascillate between being terrified (even though I know the surgeries are very common and very successful) and just being eager to get it done and over with so life can return to some semblance of normalcy.

I think what helps me maintain my sanity is just knowing that God is sovreign. More than anything, this has been a huge reminder that our children are not our own – they are entrusted to us by God to love and care for, and that I need to trust Him and realize that even when things seem horribly out of control, they are within His very capable hands.

We’re keeping everyone updated in a blog I started: http://www.blog.the-chaos.com/

My husband and I only wanted two kids, and I really wanted to experience a totally med-free VBAC after our 1st child was born via C-section due to breech presentation. I realize that’s not always possible, and really, the most important thing is that the baby is born healthy, but it was something I really wanted to at least get a chance to attempt.

We were so incredibly happy that our daughter stayed head down and I was able to have the birth experience I’d always wanted. I was finally able to put all that research and practicing relaxation techniques to practice and it really couldn’t have been a more blessed, awesome experience.

15 hours of (back) labor, and 15 minutes of pushing, and the goal was accomplished, and worth every second. :-)

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers this should not be.”

Currently in a study of the book War of Words by Paul David Tripp.