Happy Birthday, Kristin! Today, April 30, our beautiful niece, Kristin, celebrates her 36th birthday! She is a wonderful wife to Jeremy, and great mother to precious Turner. We love you, Kristin! Have a very happy day!
Happy Birthday to our beautiful great-niece, Bethany. As you can see, she is quite a young lady and very dear to us. Love you!
Dennis and I have been overwhelmed in the past year by God’s love showered on us by our friends and family. The song, "How Deep The Father's Love For Us", expresses exactly the way we feel.
An illness is never convenient, but our situation last March took a serious turn. Not only was my health in question, but suddenly our new house was getting finished and our old house had sold. We needed to pack up, clean both houses, move, and unpack. When I finally got to come home from the hospital it was to bed rest. How on earth could we handle all the things that needed to be done? Truthfully I was panicking and even though Dennis doesn’t show his emotions as much, I was sure he was, too. Hayley stepped in and took over most of the packing while she was staying to help me. My sister, Joyce, helped when she came to stay with me, too. Nicholas and Brooke helped when they could. Here Brooke was, just married one month and all of this! I will bless Aaron for the rest of my life for being truthful when he was asked how people could best help us. His answer was that we needed the new house cleaned and people to help us move. I don’t think Dennis and I would have had the nerve to say it.
Poor Dennis had to take over my duties. We were so blessed by the delicious meals brought to us. That was one less thing to worry about and we were so grateful. I will never forget seeing Candy Wichert and Cindy Bartel on their knees scrubbing the floors in my new home. A large group of ladies cleaned the house from top to bottom, washed all the windows, and left the house spick and span! How humbling it was.
When moving day came we weren’t ready to move the kitchen. I just hadn’t had the energy to even think about it. I nearly cried when the ladies took over and packed and cleaned my kitchen. All I was able to do was sit in a recliner and watch in awe. The men loaded up trucks and we went in a caravan over to the new house. Before everyone left our bed was set up and made for me and the kitchen was unpacked into the cabinets. Pastor Brad led us in a prayer of blessing on our new home.
Dennis' sister, Linda, has come several times bringing delicious meals. She spoils us completely. What would we all do without our families?
We are happy in our home. On my days when I’m staying home resting I look around and reflect on the love shown to us. One other small blessing that I just have to mention really started the first time I was hospitalized with liver problems. On my long ride in an ambulance to OKC to Baptist Hospital I was comforted by a song. It will always hold a special meaning for me. “Agnus Dei” by Michael W. Smith is such a hauntingly beautiful song. Agnus Dei is Latin for Lamb of God, and I felt like he was taking care of me like a little lamb. I sang it over and over in my mind on the way. To this day I am moved by it. I am able to perform it for weddings on the piano, but my emotions won’t let me play it in church on a Sunday yet. Maybe someday I will. I dearly love to hear it, though. Music is very powerful.
It has been a little over a year now and I am happy to report that my last doctor visit was very positive. My doctor thinks I am doing very well and there is no sign of advancement of the disease. God is good!
