Thoughts on life and death

In the past week two of my friends lost a parent. Its heartbreaking....but there is a side of it that comforts and allows us to rejoice. I cried as I ran today my mind moving from memories to prayer and back again. It was very strange, but comforting.
One man, a husband, father, grandfather, will be buried today. Taken in the "prime" of his life by someone else's carelessness that led to an accident that killed this man. He was a man I can't remember without a smile on his face, an active grandfather and father. He was witty and fun. Most importantly he KNEW the Lord.
One woman, a wife, mother, grandmother, who passed away last night after all the things that make you "you" were stolen from her by a horrid disease. She was funny! Always cheerful and kind. And...most importantly she KNEW the Lord.
So there is the comfort and rejoicing. These loved ones knew with absolute certainty where they would spend eternity. Do you? We rejoice because we know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and that as they passed from life to death they were greeted by the arms of a loving Savior.
I know I will spend eternity in heaven with the Lord? Do you? If you don't please talk to me. I am eager to share what I know. Not believe, know! This is not about religion or doing the right thing. If it were I would fail miserably. Its about knowing Christ as your personal Savior. Its about a personal relationship with God. And its not about being perfect. God doesn't want us to wait for perfection to seek Him. He wants us to come to Him in our brokenness so that He can do the perfecting work He desires to do in us!
My heart aches with the Eaton and McEntire families and my prayers are with them that they will be comforted by a peace that passes understanding and by the knowledge that the ones they love knew Christ, lived for Him and loved Him.

So, hmmm?

Two of my friends' had a parent pass away this week. You want to talk about a reality check!!

Coffee shop

Today the kids and I took a bike ride and found ourselves at Stonehouse. We enjoyed a yummy treat and the boys played chess. Sarah looked at her book. On the way home we stopped at the park to play. I am so thankful for days like these to have spontaneous fun times with all 4 kiddos. Especially because I see how fast they are growing up......

HOME

....there's just no place like it!!!

:)

The Fever that just kept going....

So our recent saga begins on July 4th in the PM when we noticed that Sarah was running a high temp of 103. We gave her some meds to cool her down and just assumed it was a virus or ear infection or something simple. And likely it was as simple as a virus but when the fever persisted I took her in to the dr. for a check up. Since she can't tell us what's troubling her I tend to take Sarah in sooner than the other kiddos. Everything was clear so the dr. assumed a virus and set us home with instructions to return if the fever persisted, which it did. On Thursday the 9th I took her back in to see the dr. This time it was still assumed a virus but we were given instructions to obtain a chest X-ray if she was still running hot in the AM. Sure enough Friday arrived with her temp continuing to linger in the 103 range....so this is day 6. The X-ray showed pneumonia and antibiotics were started. Things got worse from there and the short of it is we ended up being admitted to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning on July 13th...10 days of fever. The fever very well may have been due to a virus but Sarah developed pneumonia so the fever continued. Sarah's received some amazing doses of antibiotics and the fever only just dropped to 99 today. But I happily accept that progress! We arrived at St. Joes to a SWAMPED emergency room and waited 30+ minutes before even being seen in triage. Then it was another 30+ mins before we were actually seen in the ER. But (perhaps this was a blessing) then in the ER bed Sarah developed a rash and hives, likely reacting to all the antibiotics, and because one of her regular meds has a life threatening rash as a possible side effect the doctor came to see us right away. More tests and pokes and another X-ray followed. Sarah and I dozed off in the ER as things began to settle down. Around 3am we were brought upstairs to a really nice, private room. There was even an adorable teddy bear waiting for Sarah on her bed. After the nurses checked her over and got us settled we fell asleep. Its amazing how deeply you can sleep in an awkward position when you are sleep deprived. The doctors and nurses have provided us with excellent care and we are hoping we can go home tonight or tomorrow as long as Sarah's fever stays down. We would appreciate continued prayers for healing and recovery.

Sarah

We would appreciate prayers for Sarah. Sarah has been running a fever of approx. 103 (+/-) for the past 8 days. All tests have come back clear and her blood count looks good. She was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday and began antibiotics. However the fever persists. This is as puzzling for the doctors as it is for us. Please pray for healing and wisdom for the doctors to accurately understand what is going on. She is resting well and we have been blessed with lots of snuggle time.

Camp

Jacob has been away almost 2 weeks now! I really miss him. He was very excited to go to CIT (Christians In Training) this year and also have the opportunity to volunteer for Jr. Staff. He was asked to stay the next week to Jr. Counsel for Juniors 1. He sounded excited on the phone when he called to step things up. Its amazing how this growing experience is for both of us. I am proud of him for giving his time and energy to help young campers have a great camp experience and hear the gospel. I am excited that he has had this opportunity. I am thankful for a sister who's family is on staff at Bair Lake so that he could spend the evening between camp sessions with her (and get his laundry done!!) Its really awesome...BUT...I really miss him!! That said, Saturday can't get here fast enough. I am quiet eager to pick him up and have a nice visit on the ride home!! He's truly a blessing to our family and his absence is noticed. Its good practice for coming years as all of my children get older and begin to test their wings.