Is that a real number?

 Monday afternoon three of Bobby's great-nephews came fishing. The youngest is 4 yrs old. When he wasn't irritating one of his brothers, he was keeping up a steady stream of chatter. After one of the boys knocked our bait container into the pond, the turtles began making their way to the pier. When the fifth one popped its head up, he looked at me in amazement and squealed "There's a hundred and a thousand out there!" I laughed and told him there wasn't quite that many. He got quiet, then actually whispered "Is that a REAL number? I know a hundred is, but..." and he shrugged.

So we had a math lesson on what comes after 100. For some reason he found it funny that the numbers simply started over.

I think he had fun. I'm not sure if he enjoyed catching more than his older brothers (and constantly reminding them of that fact), or just the newness of this "disgusting" activity. It was my first time to really be around him, and he made me laugh. Though I think the turtle his brother caught startled as much as it amazed him.

Hopefully we can have them back again this summer. And this time I'll be a little more prepared to keep the bait safe.

the waiting game

The ending of March and beginning of April did not go as any of us had dreamed or planned.

Long story short:

Dad is in quarantine until April 6th.

Mom is in the hospital. As of noon today she is fever free and the doctor told Dad she is "much improved". At this point we do know she will be in the hospital at least through Sunday, though it could be longer. The doctors do not think she ever had bronchitis, but that the entire month of March, even before her first vaccine shot, she has actually had covid.  I don't know how they figure that, but I wasn't there for all the tests and explanations, so I'll just take their word for it. She still has headaches, but felt like texting last night and this morning, so we are all so thankful for that. She and Dad face timed this morning, and I think that made him feel a lot better. I am so thankful for modern technology.

She did have a plasma treatment, and is going through ongoing breathing therapies. They are hoping to start reducing her oxygen levels a little bit today.  They say when she does go home she will still be on oxygen and will need home health care for several weeks. 

So today has been much better than yesterday (and Tuesday night). Since I was up most of the night Tuesday, I feel like my days are all mixed up. I know Dad does as well. He was thinking today was April 1st.  I would love for all of this to be one big April Fools Joke, but it's not. So we wait for the doctors and the nurses to call and give updates, then for Dad to relay it to us.

I pray that today was not just a high on the covid roller coaster, but that we are truly heading toward healing.

family updates

 Jack came home today!! I'm so thankful his family can be at home together now!

And my niece Ellen posted this yesterday about my great-niece Lucy. The family has been anticipating a similar announcement for some time, but it's still not easy to read or hear. While I wouldn't wish anything like this on anyone one, different family members have said over the past year that Kevin and Ellen have been blessed with love and compassion for teens and children, and I can't think of a couple who would be greater parents to our precious Lucy. I'm posting their letter here today because it shows their heart and for our family's record of just a few of the things our family has encountered this past week.

Jack update

 

Two days ago Jack was doing better on his breathing so they were able to start lowering his oxygen levels. Once the oxygen tube was gone they were able to move his feeding tube to an ng tube, allowing them to start giving him a bottle. The first time he ate very little. The 2nd try he ate almost half of what the goal is, but they were laughing because he would quit eating and just stare at them. When they arrived this morning, they came in to this!! Such an answer to prayer! 

Now he just needs to keep eating, get his body temp up to normal and keep it there without the heated crib, and get his bilirubin levels up.

Emily is exhausted. Some family members got a hotel room near the hospital so she doesn't have to make the 40 minute trip and back for feeding times nor sit in the hospital chair all the time. We'll all be glad when this family is all home together, and I know 2 sets of grandparents and a set of great-grandparents that can't wait to see him in person. Our family group texts have been pinging like crazy the last week (which is rare for us).  Jack's fan club is definitely active.

Jack

Jack V. Vickery, my first great-nephew, arrived today. Six weeks and one day early, he took us all a little by surprise, but we are thrilled. His weight, 5.5lbs, was an answer to prayer. His breathing has already improved a little, but will continue to be on oxygen for a few more days. Emily is doing great, and has her aunts all aghast that she chose to deliver naturally. And while grandparents are chomping at the bit to see him but can't because of covid restrictions, I think it might be great for the new little family to have some time with just themselves.

Trump Thursday

Bobby's Uncle Roger is the farmer behind Balls' Berries & Produce in Garner. For non-locals, it is a small strawberry farm, but also sells other produce throughout the year, some of which he grows himself. Roger, like his Dad was, is a die-hard Democrat. But he had a surprise this past week when he had a call saying it needed to be kept quiet, but Ivanka Trump was passing through the area and wanted to visit some local farms and meet NC farmers. He did call two of his siblings and tell them he couldn't say why, but he needed them to come to the produce stand around 2:30 on Thursday.

Left to right: Sharon Ball and Roger Ball, Forrest Ball, Ivanka Trump (in front), and Cathy Ball Rackly.

Roger Ball, Ivanka Trump, Sharon Ball

the sign in front of Roger & Sharon's produce stand

the original produce stand across the road

We saw Forrest this morning, and he was showing us the pictures from his cell phone...of the cars!! One of the secret service guys laughed and said something about the cars being the most interesting thing. Forrest was most impressed with the Secret Service guy opening the door and never letting go of the handle until Ivanka Trump returned to the car. He said they had researched the family thoroughly, knew that Roger had two brothers name Forrest and Henry who used to farm tobacco and that Henry had died of cancer. We did get a kick out of Ivanka's Facebook post saying that Roger and Forrest farmed strawberries...Forrest has nothing to do with it. Now all the family is wondering if this might sway  Roger's vote any. Who knows?

Either way, it's not often something like this happens in Panther Branch. I'm thrilled that Roger got some recognition and publicity.
 

Hot fries

 When I was a kid, the summer church camp I attended had a canteen that was open after play time in the afternoon and after the evening service. I was allotted $1 a day, which amounted to one drink and either one bag of chips or candy item. 

In Junior Camp, one of the crazy things available was a bag of hot fries. At least once every year, someone would throw out a hot fry challenge.  All her friends would buy a drink, and one person would buy hot fries as the snack. A fry would be passed out to everyone in the circle, and you'd eat it and wait one full minute. If you took a sip of your drink, you were out. The next round everyone still in would eat 2 fries. I made it to the three fry round once. 

The bag from my childhood was snack size, was a Tom's brand, and only cost 50 cents.

Why am I remembering this now? We were preparing a care package for my nephew, who loves spicy foods, and saw this in the grocery store. It ended up not fitting in the box, and during a Zoom class this morning I decided to see if my mouth still found them hot. It does, though not quite as bad as in my childhood.

Angela

March 03, 1969 - October 06, 2020

Tomorrow my family will gather once again to grieve together. The end of July they gathered to celebrate the life of Angela's mother Phyllis, a breast cancer survivor who died of Covid-19. Tomorrow they will remember the life of Angela.

It's strange to look  her age and date of birth. Growing up, I always thought of her as one of the older cousins, one who could reprimand or assist as needed. At family gatherings growing up she was always with her sister Tina and her cousin Ron, and I was never that close to her. But I do remember there was always laughter whenever she was around.

With Dad's job as a pastor and White family gatherings on Sundays, we were seldom able to be with the family except for holidays. As I moved away from home and life moved on for everyone, there were many times when family gatherings seemed awkward for me. Angela was one of the ones who always made them easier.

The last several years we've connected on Facebook quite a bit. We shared a love for gardening and cooking and canning, though her tastes were a bit spicier than mine. I am truly going to miss all the videos and recipes and photos coming through my feed 2-3 times a week.

I grieve for her husband of less than a year, and I cannot imagine what he is experiencing right now. They were supposed to sign the papers for their new house on Tuesday when she died in a car wreck.

I hurt for her children and grandchildren, and cannot fathom the roller coaster of emotions they are experiencing. 

I hurt for her sisters, who have stood by her thick and thin, praying, encouraging, rebuking, helping, laughing, loving. 

I hurt for her Dad Larry, my cousin whom I've always viewed as an uncle, a Vietnam Vet, who has now lost a grandchild, a wife, and his oldest daughter. 

So many thoughts and memories and questions are rolling through my brain. Today I have few answers.

Today I yearn and pray for my family. I pray for that peace that passes understanding. That in the midst of all the anguish and hurt that they will feel held by God. That with all the questions and doubts they can rest in the unknowing. That in all the anger God will prod all of us to do more, to be more.

While today we both celebrate and mourn a life, the reality is her impact will be with us always. Angela will forever be imbedded in our minds. Today we greatly are slapped with the reality of sin and its toil on all of creation. And I yearn for the healing that only God can give.

birthday fun

Bobby told me to surprise him for his birthday. So I tried.

Not only did we manage to get one of his nieces and her kids and one nephew and his family over for supper with his Mom (with a Bryan family staple...hot dogs, with chili and slaw, and Grandma Jean's chocolate cake recipe), but the same kids plus 4 more came over for play time this afternoon. I am tired.  I am tired of hearing my name. I do not know how my sister-in-law does it day in day out five-six days a week.

But we had fun. We made memories. We had an outdoor scavenger hunt. We made a mess inside. We cleaned up. One or two of the kids pouted when it was time to leave. And I think Uncle Bobby was not only surprised, but enjoyed his time with his family.

And "Dillie" blew out the candles before Uncle Bobby could lean over far enough to the cake...HA!  I had the wrong lens on my camera so the pictures were blurry, which is a bit of a disappointment since we don't get to be with them that often.

half the great nieces and nephews (Bobby, Dylan, Jacob, Faith, Ansley, Brantley, Sophia, Ellie)

and the boys reinacting the candles being blown out

trip one down

A few weeks ago Mom's cardiologist told her he would like to schedule an arteriogram. Her nuclear stress test showed some new irregularities that he was concerned about.

I know that arteriograms are routine procedures. But routine heart procedures, like any other physical procedure, can always go wrong. And with Mom's health status, it wasn't something I felt comfortable staying home during when we could be there with a few minor inconveniences.

So we shifted our schedules as much as we could. My mother-in-law had an appointment that couldn't be rescheduled Tuesday morning, so we left about 12:30 Tuesday afternoon. We made it to Irondale, AL about 9:30pm Alabama time (10:30 NC time) where stayed in a hotel. With Bobby's disability, bedtime is never as simple as simply crawling in the bed. It was about 11:45 before I turned off the last lamp. Our alarm went off at 4:30am, and by 6:10am we were on our way to the hospital in downtown Birmingham. We got there in time to see Mom and visit a little before her procedure.

Even though my brother had planned to come, he got called in to work. My niece had a final exam, so my sister had to wait for her to be finished (around 10am) before she could come. I was very glad we went so Dad didn't have to be in the waiting room alone. People often forget that preachers need a comforting word during trying times, too. As time drug on and other family members of people having the same procedures came and went, we knew Mom was either having stints inserted into her arteries or they had experienced complications. Dad was getting very concerned.

Finally the doctor showed up. There was a blockage in one of the arteries and it was successfully stinted. The congestive heart failure had improved, as had the pressure between the chambers. Her leaking valve has not worsened. The bad but to be expected news was the he feels this blockage was caused by her lupus and the chronic inflammation. The best outcome was before she left the hospital the next day he gave her the names of two different pulmonary cardiologists (she's had a next to impossible time getting the required appointments with the one she has) AND both of them are in the county where they live!! So that is certainly one answer to prayer.

I wasn't able to get everything done for my parents that I had hoped or planned, but I was able to get a few things done. And my younger sister (who is a teacher) is now out of school, so she's been a great help to Mom today. My older sister will be arriving there on Monday, so between the two of them I think they'll be able to keep Mom in check and help her with the things that need to be done. I think this will be a very different Christmas for us, though a good one.

I'm so thankful for a husband who is willing to drive 20+ hours in four days and help me see about the multitude of things that need to be done.

role models

Yesterday on the radio station K-Love they were talking about a survey revealing the number of Dads who felt they were not appreciated. Given the media climate that portrays most Dads as idiots, I can see why many would feel that way. The hosts were asking for people to call in and share the things they appreciated the most about their fathers. And I quickly realized for me it wouldn't be a matter of thinking of something...it would be a matter of deciding which one ranked the highest on my long list.

The first thing that came to mind was breakfast. Once Mom started teaching again, Dad got up early every morning to cook breakfast for the whole family so Mom would have time to get ready. Once we hit our teen years we girls were not always the most appreciative of the country breakfasts, but his early rising and making sure our physical needs were met are one of the very first things that popped into my mind.

The second thing was his servanthood. From my middle school years on, my mother has struggled with "flare-ups". At the time we didn't know she had lupus, we just knew when the inflammation hit her body was hot from a distance and she could barely bend her back. Dad, never once complaining, would do what housework he could so she wouldn't worry about it. The only time I ever remember him yelling at Mom was during one of those flare-ups. I was so shocked I went into the hallway to see what was going on. Mom's flare-up was so bad that time she was unable to bend at all, and she wanted the bed made up, so she managed to get on her knees and was attempting to walk on her knees around the bed to make it up. She didn't have to bend that way. Dad had told her to leave it that he would get it after he cleaned up the kitchen and took us to school. He came back to get his shoes and saw her. To say he was an unhappy was an understatement. And Mom being Mom, didn't understand at all why he was so upset.  That memory still makes me both laugh and cry.
But his servanthood didn't end at home.  When older widows in the church, and we had quite a few, would call because they needed a lightbulb changed, he would go do it. Being in a small town that was quickly dying, most of them had grown children that had moved on to larger towns or cities for jobs.  Dad never saw such jobs as beneath him, but simply saw it as ministering to his flock. I'll never forget overhearing a pastor from a neighboring town ridiculing him for all the housework he did. I was aghast. Mom needed help. Dad loved her, and so he did it.  In my mind it was that simple. I never thought much of that pastor after overhearing that conversation.

Dad was patient. He taught 3 of the 4 of us how to drive. Enough said.

Dad provided. After he became a pastor, and funds were tight or simply not there (the year the coal mines shut down thanks to the unions and five families in our church were without income), he would sometimes return to his job at the pharmacy one or two nights a week to help ends meet. He repaired our cars and the parsonage, and would plant gardens when he could to help reduce the food bill. When the older people in the church realized we were not opposed to eating home grown food, they would bring fresh vegetables from the garden to the house, or would bring an outfit by for one of us girls if the local department store was having a "buy one get one" sale.  They didn't have much financially themselves, but they provided what they could with what little they had. And what was lacking, my Dad and God always found a way to provide. And he took the command "owe no man anything" seriously. There were times he could only pay $3-5 a month on a medical bill, but he would faithfully pay what he could every month until it was paid off.

And those are just the memories that come flooding in at the first few thoughts.

I hope he has never felt unappreciated by us. We're proud to be "Jerry's kids". :)

Wrapping up another week

Well, last weekend we were able to spend time with the Stox family. It was so good to actually talk and catch up with them and their lives. My great-niece Lucy is an extremely laid back baby. Ellen says she felt God gave her such a relaxed child because she had such a rough pregnancy. I think she's probably laid back because her Dad is a very laid back person, but she might surprise us all with her own unique personality. She slept through supper Friday night. I had the chance to feed her during supper, and she didn't cry not one bit when I took the bottle from her to burp her or to shift positions. She has a tendency to fill her mouth up before swallowing, which means some of it dribbles out the side of her mouth. Saturday morning she slept the whole time, and only wiggled around in my arms when she needed to pass gas or if I set her on the table without my arm under her. I don't think she liked the hard table (although that kid was so well padded I'm not sure how she could feel it! I couldn't help but think about the play the Princess and the Pea I saw in elementary school.)

We hit the ground running upon our return. I've been trying to learn the songs for the kids' Christmas musical (practice starts tomorrow!), Quilts of Valor has suddenly had a huge number of presentations for our area (after having almost none all year) and one of them involves putting together a veterans day program for a nearby YMCA. Elections training is nearing an end (one more day of teaching and assisting!) and then I need to start contacting all my officials before the election, plus look over the ballot myself so we can vote!

I did manage to get all the pecans washed and cleaned and into a basket this week. Not quite half a bushel, but I'm certainly not complaining with the amount we have. I'll check around the trees again toward the end of the week, as it's still early to be gathering. I honestly think had it not been for the storm, we wouldn't have the ones we have now.

I am very tired. I keep telling myself that November 7th and December 3rd is coming. If I can make it to those two dates, I will survive. Ready or not, they're coming!!!

Finally on our way

After 2 months of planning and trying to figure out how and when we could travel to see my first great niece, today is finally the day.
And it started out with it's own adventure. After the remnants of Michael blew through our area, we had the normal limbs and sticks on the ground. But pecan season is also nigh, so I thought we might have a few nuts down as well. I thought I could spare 30- 45 minutes and pick them up. I thought wrong.
When we hit tree #3 and my bucket was rapidly filling, Bobby went to scout out the rest of the trees to see where we needed to focus. Halfway through the yard his wheelchair got stuck in the mud
 I did my best to get him out, and finally went to get a board before realizing there was no way I could tilt his chair and slide the board under him. We wrecked our brains trying to think of someone who didn't have a bad back or would not be at work or school. We came up with Pastor Chad. He gladly came.
Before he even got halfway there, Bobby's nephew pulled up with his 2 great-nephews. I called Pastor Chad, but he was already near the house.
I tilted Bobby's chair back while Sammy held up the front wheels and Trey helped lift on the other side. Tristan was down in front with the board and shoved it under the feet plates and first set of wheels (that tells you how deep he was). With the bbn board in place we were able to hold the back up while he drove up onto the board. Then he had to drive off the board, and we repeated the process. That last time Sammy held the back so he wouldn't sink while driving until he could get on dry enough land. I think the boys loved every minute of it, though Tristan thought the idea of a tow truck was the best.
Pastor Chad arrived about the time Bobby made it to the driveway.
I wound up with a pack of pecans, and I wasn't able to finish the 3rd tree. Maybe the squirrels won't get everything before we  come back.

The first haul from last week

double the grandma's

 The kitchen table we currently have came from Bobby's Grandma's/Aunts' house. And as of a few weeks ago, the table runner in the middle is one my Granny Read made.

I don't know why this picture loaded sideways, as it's not that way in my computer. But I'm always amazed at all the handwork ReaRea did. If I tried to embroider this, it would not look anything like this!

the newest family member

After Christmas, we found out my niece was unexpectedly (to her anyway!) expecting. And for her, things have been rough. Very rough. So as the time approached, it's safe to say she has been more than ready for Lucy to come on out and join the family. Two weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, as they were driving to church, she got sick. That is the normal part of this story. Her husband, who is a youth pastor, pulled over to the side of the road. Two of their teens came up on their pulled off car, and pulled over to see if they could be of assistance. Except, they thought Ellen was actually having the baby, so wouldn't look in that direction - at all. It was sweet, but also a little funny.
So this past Sunday night, I thought about texting her and asking what crazy thing happened that day. But I didn't. And then Monday morning I got the text from Mom saying that Ellen was having some semi-normal complications Sunday night and they had admitted her to the hospital. So by Tuesday, the doctors were saying she could not go home, but they wanted to keep observing her, continue giving Lucy steroid shots to help her finish developing, and were facing either inducing labor or a Csection Friday morning, which would make her only 2 weeks early. Then came Thursday morning, and things began to change. Labor was induced early, and within a few hours the doctors made the call for a Csection as Lucy was not tolerating all the changes taking place. A little before 9pm NC time, I officially became a great aunt.

She looks like her Dad; I think she's beautiful, and so far I've refrained from repeating the sermon she preached to my younger sister when she became a new Mom. As a 4 year old, Ellen had heard enough of all the first time Momma mutterings, and informed Naomi that her son was NOT perfect, as Jesus was the only perfect baby in the world, and if she continued to say such things about him, then she was committing idolatry. Not only that, but he was just a normal baby. Only the baby Jesus was wonderful and perfect. And she would know that if she went to church. (My sister was not attending anywhere at the time.) Everyone, except my little sis, thought it was a little bit funny. We chalked part of it up to jealousy, and part of it up to the simplicity of a child's views on right and wrong. But there was a time or two today on FB I couldn't help but smile as I read her posts - some of those very same views my sister had stated years ago.  Too bad we didn't have cell phones with voice recorders or video recorders back then.
So Lucy Marie, while we know you're not perfect, you're the best gift God the Father could have given us last night. We're thankful our prayers were answered and your arrived safely, and that your Mom is now doing okay as well. Even with our modern hospitals, things can sometimes be a little scary, reminding us that we're really not in charge after all. Thanks for that reminder.

a day for remembering

Last night we received a phone call that my cousin had been in an accident and was airlifted to a nearby town. For hours we had no other information, but prayers were going up in many states on the family's behalf. This family has been through a lot the last few months, with my cousin losing some of his memory (he's in his 30s) and a lot of tests and struggles with the VA hospital.

This morning they not only took the tubes out, but they allowed him to come out of sedation. Last night he had no reflexes at all below the waist. This morning he was wiggling his toes on command. Last night he once again didn't know his wife. Today he did. Tonight he was moved out of ICU and into a regular hospital room. He still has a very long way to go, and with his illness and being out of work so much the last month, I'm sure the medical bills are going to be unreal. But tonight his wife found the name on Facebook she had been searching for...the name of the woman who arrived at the wreck scene, stopped, called 911, and then stayed until both paramedics and the lifeflight arrived. And her FB post...a pic of his truck, his first name, and the helicopter arriving on the scene, with the request for prayer for his life, and for the family as well. I was almost bawling when I read that. Our family is so grateful for her, but even more for her asking for God's people to pray for a young man she knew nothing about. We still don't know how long or how much of a recovery they have ahead of them, but we do know God is healing and answering prayers, and that has all of us very excited.

Today we also had the privilege of going to Florence, SC to visit with a dear family friend. We had a good time, and it was good to be with someone from "home".

Tomorrow we have some repairmen coming out to look at two windows. The windowsill on one totally broke apart and pulled away from the handle Sunday morning as I was closing the windows before the rain started. Thankfully we were able to close the window enough that no rain came inside, but I'm not totally thrilled about having to replace two windows (maybe 4). That was not an expense we had on our radar for this year! But I am thankful to live in a country where such repairs can actually happen. We don't have to tape plastic over the window and hope the rest of the frame doesn't rot away too quickly because there would be nothing to replace it with when it did. There are many countries where that is a reality, and we are so fortunate to live in the land of the plenty.

God has blessed us, even though we really don't deserve it.

waiting on the word...

A few weeks ago my niece Ellen (niece #2 on my side) called my cell phone. It startled me. I almost never hear from her, so my heart was pounding and I was just certain something had happened either to my sister or brother-in-law. She chatted for a little bit, then asked about my quilting projects and if I had run out yet. I had a suspicion she was wanting a quilt, but still wasn't ready for what was to come. I laughingly told her about a woman I overheard in JoAnn's (a chain craft store) saying she had THREE projects going at one time! I looked at Bobby when I heard that and tried not to laugh. I told him I had so many projects going I didn't even want to count them all. He didn't laugh, but nodded and said "I believe it."  When I shared that story with Ellen, she laughed and said, "Well, you're going to push some aside and make time for one more. I'm going to need a baby quilt."

I'm not old enough (in my mind anyway) to be a great aunt, but I'm very excited for Ellen & Kevin, even if this wasn't on their agenda for 2018.  Here's the post she shared on Facebook:

So even though I won't know colors or a color scheme until March, I am tossing around ideas and thoughts in my head. And in the meantime, I am trying very hard to knock out some of my ongoing projects!

January

I don't know that I can call this month a whirlwind. Perhaps a month of change has been more appropriate. Our church changed schedules last Sunday. Despite the fact that our Pastor doesn't want to use the term "Sunday School", that is what we now essentially have at 8:45am, with our regular service starting at 10am, and no pm service. We're only two Sundays in, so I'm still not totally sure how I feel about it.

The end of December I had a bit of a wake-up call healthwise. We're making some lifestyle changes and I'll meet with the dr again the end of March. Some days are harder than others. I actually drank 99% unsweet tea today at lunch for the first time (on purpose), and thought it was good. I don't know if the changes in our eating habits have made a difference (or that I've quit taking my allergy meds), but I've actually had more energy and am sleeping way better than I was. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a life-long marathon and not a sprint.

I was really hoping to give up group leader responsibilities for Quilts of Valor this year, but that didn't happen. I was all convinced it was not going to usurp as much of my life this year as last, but then I got a call Monday night that a quilt show at a nearby town had a place reserved for QOV and no rep for it. Our group had tried to get vendor spots at previous shows and was told we'd have to pay.  And a volunteer group who's already forking out money for quilts and presentations doesn't exactly have money to throw out for quilt shows. This group was letting us have a spot for free. I actually had a "free" weekend (meaning I was planning to clean house), and couldn't see the point in telling someone from another state that not one person from NC was willing to man a table. So I pulled together flyers for our block drive and quilt requirements, put together an album of most of the quilts our group has done, grabbed a quilt and a card table...and I went. Two ladies from the Fayetteville group joined me Saturday, and I enjoyed having someone else to talk to as well as getting to learn more about how other groups do things.  Tonight I actually went on the group leaders website and saw someone submitted a request for a group presentation of 12 quilts for Vietnam Vets in our town...in 3 weeks. I think we may actually have enough quilts ready/almost ready that we can pull it off, but I'm not sure. It's not officially been assigned to our group, though I'm fairly certain it will be. So I feel as if my role has intensified instead of backing off.

Election work begins again in March. I'm still on the fence about how much longer I'll do this, but I'm committed through this year unless something drastically changes.

And in the midst of all of that, I'm trying really hard to keep the house clean and do more reading than I've done in the past. Hence I'm on the computer a little less, and that is part of the reason why my blog has been so neglected.

Oh...and I will be a great aunt in August. Seems like yesterday I was anxiously awaiting the phone call in China that my niece had safely arrived in this world, and now she's carrying her own child. Nieces and nephews having children are that gentle shove that time has passed me by while I was busy living life.

Hopefully I will find time to write and post pics this week, but I make no promises.

a fun day

We drove to meet up with one of Bobby's nieces today. It was amazing to see how much the littlest ones have grown. Natalie is actually talking and wasn't scared of Bobby today (actually set across from us at the table and laughed at his faces and told him he was silly). I think her favorite food is ketchup. She not only dipped her chicken pieces and french fries in it, she mostly dipped her finger in it and licked the ketchup off. At one point she even lifted the little cup holding the ketchup and attempted to drink it. I couldn't help but think about two people in my church who have t-shirts about ketchup, one which reads "I eat ketchup with my ketchup."
We had a small rocking horse for the youngest, who is not quite two. It has plastic runners on the bottom, and stuffed horse on the top. She was terrified of it. Natalie showed her how to ride it, but she was still having no part of it. We couldn't help but laugh.
The older siblings seemed excited by their cartoon character sheets, but the two oldest were most excited by the $5 McDonald's gift cards  - "credit cards" one of them called them. The parents took the cards to hold so they didn't get lost, but Charlie took the little cardboard cover and put his "wallet" in his pocket. He also wanted to know if it was Thursday. Evidently their McDonalds has a special on Thursdays where Happy Meals are $2, and that's when they get to go.
I don't think there's ever been a time when we've met with this family when we haven't left encouraged and uplifted. I pray we can be the same encouragement to them.

turning a corner

Back in August one my many cousins was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. To be honest, I didn't think too much about it when she was first admitted. I figured a day or two in ICU with breathing treatments and she'd be home within 3-5 days. But then the texts and calls and e-mails got progressively worse. One lung no longer contained infection but was severely damaged from the infection. They were concerned if she picked up a secondary infection it would kill her. All visitors outside of immediate family was banned. I cannot even begin to fathom what her husband, who is a pastor, was/is dealing with as he tries to see about the congregation as well as make the 45 minute drive to B'ham to see his wife.

Fast forward three weeks:
Earlier this week doctors informed the family that if she continued to progress, she might be home by the middle of October, though Thanksgiving might be more realistic. They ended the conversation with a comment along the lines of "We didn't expect her to make it." Today they removed the vent for the first time with the plan to leave it off as long as she could handle it, and as of supper time, it was still of. They also put in a piece that would allow her to speak...a first in three long weeks.

She's not out of the woods yet, but just that little ray of sunshine today was huge. My prayers go out to this dear family who has suffered SO much heartache the last several years. They've seen God work miracles; they've seen God say no. My prayer is that soon she'll be singing with her family again, and testifying yet again that God has sustained her through yet another trial.

May you run and not be weary, Angela!