Time to Come Clean

Ok, I admit it. I've been avoiding talking to my in-laws. There has been good reason though - I knew I would cry. I look at my own two children and can't imagine what it would be like to watch them go through what their child is going through. I have felt like I needed to hold them up in some way but didn't have the strength. Tonight, I knew I had been incommunicado for too long so made sure I participated in our weekly Skype call. Sure enough, I cried, and continued afterwards until I had achieved one of those gargantuan headaches. Real smart, Pam. After talking I was again reminded how much our families love us, how much grace they show us, how much faith they have, and that we can only rely on God to do the carrying.

We had a fabulous weekend as John felt pretty darn good! We spent time doing what regular, healthy folks do and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Puttered around the house, talked about things we want to do, went to church (yay!) and picked up a sandwich on the way home. We even got in the hot tub. To our surprise, son John phoned Saturday night saying he was 90 minutes away and coming for a quick overnight visit.

Whoop, whoop for Audrey! Our oven hinge broke this week and since it is not our practice to farm out repair jobs, under her dad's direction from the recliner she went downtown and purchased the part, took the stove apart and installed the new hinge with only one odd screw left over! Girl power!

Prayer request - John's Aunt Lou went for a knee replacement but has been in the hospital several weeks and needed multiple units of blood for severe anemia. Progress in deciphering this has been slow and her knee has become somewhat frozen during the wait.

Below is a poem that I'm sure most of you have seen and sometimes, when I'm feeling like cancer has stolen our lives, I have to remind myself of it. If you are having your own challenges, replace the word "Cancer" in the title with your own burden.

Cancer is so limited...

It cannot cripple love

It cannot shatter hope

It cannot erode faith

It cannot eat away peace

It cannot destroy confidence

It cannot kill friendship

It cannot shut out memories

It cannot silence courage

It cannot invade the soul

It cannot reduce eternal life

It cannot quench the spirit

It cannot lesson the power of the resurrection

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5

And with my husband softly snoring beside me, I wish you good night.