July 22

Hi,

It's been a very good week in so many ways. First, Denny continues to get a little stronger each day. His physical therapist has stepped things up a notch, which means Den has to follow through on the days he doesn't have pt. Starting tomorrow we have to walk at least 600 feet (no stopping) with a goal of increasing that 10 feet per day. It's quite a workout because he is still feeling weak, but this is the only way to build up endurance. We tried to establish a walking routine when he got out of the hospital, but it's better that he has to be accountable to someone else.

Next, I am grateful to report that the mess at the house on State Street is diminishing. What was so overwhelming at first has now become a real project that I don't resent anymore. So many people have helped the kids and me--it's been an incredible couple of weeks. Besides Kathy and Adam Bates, (for any alumni reading this, Adam is off to college next month! Time flies!!) Sarah Simon, and the Voss family, Lori Schuh also helped me paint. Then last week, a service group from Texas
spent three full days working there. Eleven students and two chaperones divided themselves into groups and during their time there accomplished more than I ever could have imagined. They cleaned out and painted the basement, finished painting all of the bedroom closets, and scraped and painted the lower half of the entire house. They were the greatest group of kids. Their dedication to serving others and to helping us was inspirational, to say the least. I'll never forget those kids or their leaders, David and Troy. I was happy that Denny was able to get there to meet and talk to all of them.

But, it doesn't end there. As I write this, the wonderful Lingg family is over at that house refinishing the hardwood floors in the upstairs!! They came over to see how the service group was doing, and suddenly Mike was hauling all of the junk from the basement to the dump, taking down the old clothesline poles, and he and Jackie were offering to refinish the floors! It's all so humbling. I took Denny over there last night so he could see the transformation and he left with tears in his eyes. When people say that Xavier is like a big family, it's true. You just don't realize how true it is until you are on the receiving end of all of the prayers, meals, and incredible gifts of labor and love. That's the real Xavier--not the circus portrayed by the media last spring.

So, that's been life with the O-Team for the last couple of weeks. Den has an appointment with the oncologist on Friday, so I'll write again then. I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful summer!

Love,
Carla