Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Where do I start?

Life has been crazy here! Since my last post we've had my Mother in law go into a hospice care center, my Mom had a double mastectomy and my BIL and SIL along with 4 kids came home from South East Asia. It's been a whirlwind and I'm still trying to catch my breath!

My Mom is doing great since her surgery on Thursday. She is full of jokes which helps her and the rest of us cope with the whole thing. I'm so proud of her! As she woke up from surgery she told my Dad and I, "I did my best you guys!" Then a little while later when my sister, Aunt, Dad and I were there she said, "I'm going to be a survivor!" It was so special and brought all of us to tears. It's been neat watching my Dad take care of her. He holds her hands during walks and tends to her every need. What a love the two of them still share after 28 years of marriage!

My Mother in law has declined so much in the last week. She is getting very confused about what's going on around her. She can't really keep track of time. It's so hard to watch. On Sunday night we took the 7 grand kids down to basically say their goodbyes. We honestly thought we might wake up the next morning to a call that she had passed in the night. For some reason she continues to hang on. It's only a matter of time though. We just know she's in so much pain and pray that she will be released from it soon. God knows and we just keep reminding ourselves of it!

My house has been filled with laughter, tears and lots of people over the last week! We have had a total of 11 people... 4 adults and 7 kids ages 3-7. It's been so much fun and we've really enjoyed having them here. It's been such good bonding time for all of us. We sure miss seeing them after 6 months apart. Tonight will probably be their first night in their rental home and we're going to be so sad not to have them right down the hall from us!

I have some very special shout outs to make...

Julie & Karina - Thanks for the yummy dinner you brought last night and tonight... what a blessing to have such wonderful friends in our lives!

Shalee - Thank you for the wonderful prayer you sent my way for my Mom's journal! She was so touched when she opened the book and saw over 25 prayers from women around the world!

Monday, October 08, 2007

Please pray with me...

Well, today has been a rough day. One week ago today, my Mom found out she has stage two breast cancer. Not words anyone wants to hear about their Mom. She is going to have an double mastectomy on Wednesday the 17th.

It was discouraging but right away I knew how my Mom would handle it... with laughter, tears and faith.

She has a wonderful sense of humor and I'm blessed by it all the time. I don't know how she comes up with half the funny things she says but I'm glad she does. It really creates a great environment around our family! There have been many jokes about just having a double because what's the use of a uniboob? Or tonight she told me "This is going to be a lot of weight off my chest!" It cracks me up to think that she is so silly in a time that most people wouldn't come out from under the covers. What a nut!

It's also been a time of crying and tears. We've all been sad and struggling to keep it together. It's such a part of being a women. I don't know the words to say but I know that just hugging her and crying about it is sometimes just as powerful.

Then comes the Faith... what a strong woman of faith! She's already wondering what God is planning to teach her and all of us around her through this trial. It's truly amazing to watch. I haven't heard her once question why this is happening or what God was thinking. In fact, she quoted something my Dad always says "It's going to be neat to watch God work this one out!"

So please be in prayer for her! She is so special to me and I love her so much. I can't imagine life without her by my side. It's going to be awesome to travel this new path with her and see how God works it out. How He teaches us each our own lessons. I pray that we will all walk away stronger and more faithful than ever before!

My 3 year old put it best this morning when he said "God's the Man!" I know He's got a plan and I can't wait to see it unfold in our lives!!