Back to School

The boys started back to school. It's so hard for me to let them go. I hate not seeing them for 7 hour stretches of time, but it sure makes it special when I pick them up from school and they can't stop loving on me. Hudson is in 2nd grade this year, Corbin is in 1st. The girls will start pre-school next week (2 days a week). Oh! How quiet the house will be. Things are beginning to return to normal. I finally have unpacked our suitcases from Austin. The talk of Papa, though still prevalent, is not the only talk of the day. Dance, horse lessons, guitar, swimming, and baseball are all about to begin. All of the signs of fall are here, except, of course, for the cooler weather.

Blessed Assurance

It's hard to believe that only one week ago, we were returning from a wonderful trip to Austin. This week has held a lot. So much so that I have no idea how a family with no belief in assurance of salvation, or no belief in God could make it thru a week like this.

As our family gathered around "Papa" at 10 pm on Thursday night, we watched as they unhooked the ventilator, the medicines, everything. Although it was difficult to watch, as he struggled to breathe, we sang hymns, laughed at the fact that he was snoring, remembered our favorite "Papa" memories. When he took his last breath, I nearly collapsed to the floor in tears. The room was filled with emmence sorrow, but also with the greatest joy I've experience in many years. The words of the hymns "The Joy of the Lord will be my strength," "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine," "A Mighty Fortress is our God,"....all of them....they all have new meaning to me. I watched my father-in-law depart this world and enter into eternity. Praise the Lord that I can KNOW exactly where Papa is today. He wasn't trusting in his church or good works to get him to Heaven. He was trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ....Blessed Assurance!!

On to Sunday afternoon....We had most of the family to our house for a time of fellowship and food before the visitation. To make a short story short, and to keep from saying things I shouldn't, Baylor was whacked in the head with a metal bat by an 11 year old cousin. So, my dad and I had to rush Baylor to the hospital while the rest of the family went to the visitation. (I told you all I have the greatest parents!! Thanks dad) Baylor got her head glued back together...I figured the glue would look prettier in pictures than stitches.

The kid's were mesmerized with Papa that evening. Baylor kept waiting for him to "quit resting." Piper wanted to hold his hand. Hudson and Corbin whispered to him--surely it was something to do with sports. They kept telling him that they couldn't wait to be with him, and Corbin let him know that "you don't look like yourself when you're not in your body, Papa." It was a sweet night, and I hope it created sweet memories for them.

He was buried at the D/FW national cemetary.....the sight of the cemetary, alone, will bring tears to ones eyes. The bagpiper was there, the rifle men....the full military honors. It was beautiful. As we sat through the following memorial service, we sang "I can only imagine." I've never been so at peace with death. Why it's taken me 30+ years to get here, I don't know.

Thank you all for your prayers and kind emails. They were greatly appreciated.

12:28

At 12:28 this morning we watched as Rick's Dad took his final breath! How sweet it was, amidst all of our pain, to know that we watched him enter Heaven. Thank you for your sweet prayers and messages.

Rick's Daddy

We returned yesterday afternoon, just after 5 pm from a peaceful, relaxing, wonderful trip to Austin. We left Austin early yesterday for no other reason than that it was raining and would therefore not be fun to be on the boat anymore.

As we walked in the door with suitcases in tow, the phone began to ring. It was Rick's dad's neighbor calling to let us know that Rick's dad was being transported via ambulance to the nearby hospital, and that the situation looked bleak.

Bless my parents, they were over here in an instant and Rick and I both arrived at the hospital shortly after the ambulance. Hours and hours of tests revealed that he had suffered a pulminary aneurism (sp??) He had 2 blood clots--one on each lung--preventing blood flow from his heart...so there was no blood flow for nearly 20 minutes. He has internal bleeding from his stomach, liver, and kidneys. His acid level in the blood is high b/c of his kidneys. The 3 blood clots remain. He has extensive brain damage. Etc, etc, etc. He remains in ICU and will more than likely be removed from all machinery tomorrow. His wife was 9 hours away visiting grandchildren and had to make her way home in the middle of the night--thus the machinery to keep him alive.

I've been awake for nearly 40 hours. Rick and I made the decision to come home and spend some time with eachother and with the kids tonight. I will be glad when rest comes, but the adrenaline is still pumping.

There will be many non-believers at this funeral. Our prayer is that the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified throughout the ceremony. We serve an amazing God and we have such a peace about the whole situation.

All of this to say, we would covet your prayers this week as we go thru such a difficult time.

Busy, busy, busy....

Football camp, baseball camp, soccer, camp, basketball, tennis, golf camp, gymnastics, swimming, horse riding lessons.....now breathe!! That's where I've been this summer. Driving back and forth, back and forth. From one camp to another. The kids' have had quite an active summer. Though we've been crazy busy, it's kept them from boredom, video games, snacking all day....

We just returned from a fun weekend trip to Tulsa to see my cousin Mallory get married. My sisters and their families spent the week in TX with us--so we've had a wonderful dose of cousins, aunts, and uncles.

School starts on the 25th and I'm left wondering where in the world the summer went--in fact, didn't I just put the Christmas tree in the attic??? We're looking forward to fall. The 100+ degree weather has been oppressive!! The kids are already starting to ask when the pumpkin patch opens, when the State Fair and football begin. All I'm wondering is when the high will be 80 degrees for a high...not for a low (as it has been.)

And my big news to report is I finally achieved at least one of my New Year's Resolutions. I've lost 21 lbs!!!!! I think I hear the angels rejoicing with me. I've had that Resolution for nearly 4 years. It's about time I resolved it, huh?