Under His Wings

First off, I got a call from my dad this morning saying my mom had a bad attack of dizziness last night sending her to the hospital in an ambulance. By time my mom got to the hospital, she went into one of her attacks where she was awake , but couldn't respond to anything. That sent her into the ER in front of many people who had probably had been waiting for hours. Today she's very tired, but doing much better. She was up to walking a few houses down with my dad. That was a good sign. On the home front, it was one of those days where my kids did not want to cooperate! I was trying to get them to ready to take a friend on an errand. They didn't want to get dressed. Then I took my friend grocery shopping. My 9 year old had a meltdown. He actually ran out of the store and was trying to hide. My friend was so angry with him (as was I!) I was so embarassed!!! It was like my kids were trying my patience to a T today. I really tried to stay calm. My husband informed me I wasn...

Yesterday was one of the most stressful, scary days of my family's life. As I posted before about 5 weeks ago my mom was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Yesterday was the day of the surgery to take the diseased thyroid out. I was heartbroken to see my mom so sick beforehand and so much in pain and grogginess after the surgery, but one inspirational thing that came out of the day was to see the deep, deep love my parents have for each other. (tears are starting to come) My mom and dad met nearly 43 years ago on a blind date. My dad's best friend at the time was dating my mom's cousin. They thought my parents should meet. Well, they did that was around Thanksgiving of 1965....they were married August 20, 1966. My parents have gone through some really bad times in those 43 years, but they have always come out of them stronger. There was a moment yesterday just before the surgery where my parents were standing next to each other with that starry eyed lovey dovey look. I comm...

On Thursday, my wonderful mom is going to be having some major surgery. She is going to have her cancerous thyroid removed. She is now struggling to talk. The tumor is apparently pushing against her voice box. It's been scary to observe her go downhill the past few months. The prospect of having a parent with cancer was one of my worst fears. For a few weeks in May and June I thought maybe both of my parents had it. Thankfully my dad's biopsy came out ok. I was really sure under the circumstances, that my dad was the one with cancer. Yet, my mom's history was that she had a benign growth on the thyroid about 14 years ago. We all thought it would be the same thing. On June 19, my fear became reality when I got the call from my mom only a day after her biopsy. The past few months, especially in the past few weeks has been a test of faith and courage. My temptation is to get all worried and honestly angry about what is going on with my mom. She has gone through so ...

My daughter Anna was born with a heart condition called Mitral Valve Stenosis. Her valve is thick and narrow. From day 1 (literally), Anna has baffled her cardiologist. Except for a bad cough during her first month or so, she has shown no symptoms of having a heart problem. Anna went to her cardiologist today for her annual echocardiogram. I could actually see the blood struggling to flow through the thick, narrow valve. I told the technician, Patty, that it was neat to watch, but I wished she didn't have to have the echo done. The dr. described to me again today what her problem is. I can see how he is so surprised how she is doing. People have been praying for her since she was born. I know those prayers are part of what has kept her well. Today's dr. visit was another reminder of God's goodness and mercy! Thank you, Lord, for keeping my sweet girl healthy and strong!

My son is on the Little League All Star team this year. He's quite the pitcher. I'm so proud of him! This picture is of him waiting at first base during a recent game. It's so fun watching Elijah blossom into a great baseball player. Also, my 2 younger kids have been making some new friends. At yesterday's game a little 5 year old girl was holding hands with my 5 year old Nate. That was so adorable!

Have you ever met up with a friend you haven't seen for a long time and it's like you talked to them yesterday? That's the feeling I got many times as I attended the 20th reunion for my Christian school I attended from 1975-84. I was invited to the reunion by my friend Terri (the second woman from the left) back in March at our dear friend Sheli's funeral. That was a wakeup call! I had the opportunity to get back in touch with Sheli after her mom died last summer and I didn't do it. Now it's too late, so when I was invited to the class reunion, I vowed to myself I'm not going to let these friendships get away again. Going to the reunion made me sad in a way hearing about the fun I missed. I never really clicked with my high school friends. Now it's time to make new memories. There are a few of my friends that we said we would get together. They have kids my kids' ages. I've been invited back for the 25th reunion. There's o...

I'm joining the world of blogging. I hope you enjoy your visit. The eagle picture on my home page was taken on July 4 at my parents house. We were renewing our family tradition of playing croquet in the backyard on July 4 when we looked up and found the eagle soaring over a neighbor's house. I thought of that Stuart Hamblin song "They That Wait Upon the Lord" Our family has sure had to do a lot of waiting on the Lord. My mom was diagnosed with thyroid cancer 2 weeks ago. It was the latest and most serious of many health problems my mom has been diagnosed with in the past few years. Another song that has become a favorite of mine in the past few weeks is The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" I picked out the song for a solo before my mom's diagnosis. I was set to sing it a week ago Sunday. I practiced it before Sunday School. I did fine then. However, when I started the second verse during church the thought crossed my mind how true the words were. God...