Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Surgery
Well, we got down here to the hospital around 10:20am and when they brought us back to her prep room, there must have been an earlier opening for surgery because they took her back at 11:15. We all went to the surgical waiting room and at 1:30 they called up to let me know that they had just made the first incision. It's now 3:20 and we haven't heard anything more. I am assuming that the laproscopy hasn't shown anything to keep them from proceeding. Please check back later as I will append to this posting with more news as I learn more.
3:50 - A nurse called up and notified us that they have proceeded to surgery and that everything is going well.
6:10 - We've been updated that the 'specimen' (tumor) has been removed. She is still in surgery, not sure how much longer it will be.
6:45 - Update: They are closing now & Dr. Mahvi will be down shortly to see the family.
7:00 - Dr. Mahvi said it was tricky, but that he sliced the tumor away from the vein. The tumor was the size of a small orange and he had to remove 1/2 to 3/4 of the Pancreas. Praise God, the tumor was NOT wrapped around the artery! He did have to reconstruct the portal vein and that Amy lost a lot of blood, but is doing well. He did proceed with the Whipple and while there was no evidence that the cancer has spread, he did remove some lymph nodes for testing. All in all, the surgery took about 5 1/2 hours. Amy will be in recovery for about 2 hours.
9:45 - After returning from supper, I went up to see her and while she was groggy, her color looked good. She was complaining of back pain and the nurse said that's common because of the length of time she spent on her back during surgery. She has all sorts of tubes, etc hooked up to her, but she's through it!
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
3:50 - A nurse called up and notified us that they have proceeded to surgery and that everything is going well.
6:10 - We've been updated that the 'specimen' (tumor) has been removed. She is still in surgery, not sure how much longer it will be.
6:45 - Update: They are closing now & Dr. Mahvi will be down shortly to see the family.
7:00 - Dr. Mahvi said it was tricky, but that he sliced the tumor away from the vein. The tumor was the size of a small orange and he had to remove 1/2 to 3/4 of the Pancreas. Praise God, the tumor was NOT wrapped around the artery! He did have to reconstruct the portal vein and that Amy lost a lot of blood, but is doing well. He did proceed with the Whipple and while there was no evidence that the cancer has spread, he did remove some lymph nodes for testing. All in all, the surgery took about 5 1/2 hours. Amy will be in recovery for about 2 hours.
9:45 - After returning from supper, I went up to see her and while she was groggy, her color looked good. She was complaining of back pain and the nurse said that's common because of the length of time she spent on her back during surgery. She has all sorts of tubes, etc hooked up to her, but she's through it!
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Making a Dream Come True - part 2
May 25th –
7:15am…that’s what the clock displays as it beeps incessantly near my head. One by one we get up, shower and get ready for a big day. Hope skips around the hotel room saying ‘I’m going to see Cinderella!’ By the time everyone has finished getting ready, it’s about 8:10, that gives us a little more than an hour before the bus arrives to take us to the Magic Kingdom. We go downstairs to the hotels free breakfast; it was served buffet style, it wasn’t very hot, but it was filling and best of all it was free! The busses come every hour starting at 8:05am and the last one returns from the parks at 12:15am.
There’s a funny thing about reading that I’ve discovered, the more you read, the more you learn…keep that in mind as I continue. Our bus driver’s name was Bill, he was about 68 years old, very nice and he LOVED to talk! He asked people where they were from, he told really bad jokes and told us trivia about Disney, for example: Did you know that Disney World employs 68,000 people? Also, Disney’s Magic Kingdom has the second largest parking lot in the United States (they make $1 million dollars daily in parking fees alone)? Anyway, Bill dropped off the people going to Animal Kingdom first and then as he pulled to a stop at Epcot, he said ‘last stop!’ After everyone else left the bus, we asked him about going to the Magic Kingdom and he said, ‘No, that bus leaves on the even hours and goes to the Magic Kingdom & MGM Studios. This bus is an odd hours bus and goes to the Animal Kingdom & Epcot.’ I looked at the bus schedule again and read it a little more carefully…WOW, there it was, right there in front of me! After explaining our misunderstanding, Bill was gracious enough to take pity on our Wisconsin family and took us over to the Magic Kingdom.
We finally made it into the Magic Kingdom and because the sun and heat where so oppressive, we go to buy Amy a good sun hat and we pick up a couple autograph books for the kids as well. Just as we leave that shop, we hear fanfare trumpets and looking up towards Cinderella’s castle, see that Cinderella’s coronation is beginning. If you don’t know already, Hope (our 5 year old) absolutely loves Cinderella! So, we quickly make it up near the castle and watch as each Disney princess is officially announced; Jasmine, Snow White, Belle and Aurora were all there then Cinderella comes out in her beautifully elegant blue ball gown and is crowned princess. Somewhere during this, Hope, eyes as big as dinner plates and a smile as bright as the sun, turns to Amy & I and says, ‘Thank you for making my dream come true!’ Now, you tell me all of you fathers out there, if your 5 year old little girl turned to you and said that, wouldn’t you get a lump in your throat the size of Kansas? That simple little statement set the tone for a family trip of a lifetime! We will have memories of this time for the rest of our lives!
We rode many many rides, Amy even went with Trevor on Space Mountain! We also saw some really cool shows; They have a show called PhillharMagic, it’s a 3D all senses attraction where Mickey is supposed to come out and Magically direct an orchestra, but Donald finds Mickey’s hat and well…everything goes downhill from there! Trumpets and drums come flying at you and as Donald splashes into water, the audience too is lightly sprayed with water! And the smells of different items in the scenes like apple pie is wafted toward the audience! Quite the show! We also tracked down and got a lot of autographs; Woody & Jesse, Goofy, Mickey & Minnie and of course ALL of the princesses! As the day wound down, we sat along Liberty Square and watched the Electric Parade. After that, we wondered over to the front side of Cinderella’s castle to watch the fireworks. This display was incredible! And really took me back to my childhood watching the beginning of The Wonderful World of Disney when Tinkerbell waved her wand and fireworks went off above Cinderella’s castle and hearing ‘When you wish upon a star.’ That was exactly what happened. After the fireworks, we made it back to where our bus would pick us up and it was about 11:00pm…what a day! We made it back to the hotel and not surprisingly, Hope fell asleep on the bus. We were all pretty much wiped out and decided that we’d take the 10:15am bus back to the Magic Kingdom the next day and sleep in!
May 26th –
I got up before everyone else this morning and went across the street to the CVS (like Walgreens) and bought some milk and donuts and brought them back to the hotel for breakfast. We ate and watched the local news and found out that there was a 40% chance of thunderstorms today. Looking outside, you couldn’t tell that because there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but evidently because of the ocean the weather can and does change quickly down here. We easily make the 10:15am bus and discover Bill is our driver again (but we are on the right bus this time!) and true to form, he had some more trivia: Did you know that the Disney theme parks sit on more than 57,000 square acres and is bigger than the city of San Francisco? Disney operates 500 busses daily that exclusively transports people from park to park and has over 200 miles of roadways. We learned yesterday that using Fast Passes is the way to go. For those of you who do not know what these are, at select attractions you can take your park pass and get an advance tickets that tell you when to return and when you do return, they take you straight to the front of the line…Fast Passes are definitely the way to go! We did more rides and went to some of the areas we didn’t make it to yesterday and got a lot more autographs. It did end up raining for about an hour, but after that it cleared off and actually cooled it down somewhat. One disappointment was that the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was closed for renovations, but that’s OK. Again we stayed late, but took advantage of the parade times and fireworks to hit the rides as most of the people stopped to watch them and that left the lines much shorter! Again, we didn’t get back to the hotel until after 11:30pm. I feel like I’ve walked 50 miles and my feet hurt!
May 27th –
Today we went to Disney’s MGM Studios Theme Park and this summer they are having STAR WARS weekends! Kids could ‘train’ on the use of a lightsaber and even battle Darth Vader! We went and saw the Indiana Jones Stunt show and that was very entertaining, Trevor went on the Rock-n Rollercoaster and Vinny, Brittany, Trevor and I went on a ride that showed you what it would feel like to fly in a space fighter (we even flew in the trench of the Death Star!). About 5:00pm Amy started getting wore out and Trevor started complaining about being overly hot, so we talked about making it a short day and just going back to the hotel and relax, maybe swim. Hope really wanted to go back to the Magic Kingdom and ride the Buzz Lightyear ride again, so Amy, Vinny & Trev went back to the hotel and Brittany, Hope and I headed over to the Magic Kingdom on the Monorail. Vinny had lost his hat on one of the rides on Thursday and Trevor wanted a specific hat that he saw (it says: Girls Love Bad Boys and has a picture of Grumpy on the side), so I needed to go over there anyway. So, we finished up and were back at the hotel by 8:10pm or so. We never did swim, but we ordered pizza and packed for our return trip. That night we just lazed around and talked about what fun we had, what was the favorite of each and just had a great time, just us…our family…together.
May 28th –
Today was a VERY early day as we were going to be picked up at 7:15am, so we got up at 5:15am! We had decided the night before that we’d east breakfast at the airport, so we found a McDonalds and did just that. We had a two hour lay-over in Atlanta and had some lunch there. Our flight to Chicago took only 1 hour and 44 minutes and we landed somewhere around 2:20pm. Bonnie met us at the gate and our return trip was again filled with stories both from our trip and from Bonnie was well. When we left Wisconsin, it was 68 degrees but when we returned, it was 91! I was hoping to return to cooler weather…guess not.
I have just touched on some of the highlights of our trip and could go on and on for days, but we are home now and tomorrow is Amy’s surgery. All of you should know by now how much I love my wife and all of you most definitely should know by now how deep my faith is. This is no small thing that Amy’s facing. This is another pivotal moment in Amy’s treatment. Some of you have already stated that you plan on wearing purple in support, others have stated that they plan on fasting and again, others will be in prayer. No matter where you are in your beliefs, no matter where you are in your personal walk with Christ, God WILL hear your prayers. Ephesians 6:18 says; ‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.’ Please pray for Amy, pray frequently and pray for the surgeon(s) as well, that their sight is sharp and their hands steady. That their minds are focused and their bodies remain refreshed.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
7:15am…that’s what the clock displays as it beeps incessantly near my head. One by one we get up, shower and get ready for a big day. Hope skips around the hotel room saying ‘I’m going to see Cinderella!’ By the time everyone has finished getting ready, it’s about 8:10, that gives us a little more than an hour before the bus arrives to take us to the Magic Kingdom. We go downstairs to the hotels free breakfast; it was served buffet style, it wasn’t very hot, but it was filling and best of all it was free! The busses come every hour starting at 8:05am and the last one returns from the parks at 12:15am.
There’s a funny thing about reading that I’ve discovered, the more you read, the more you learn…keep that in mind as I continue. Our bus driver’s name was Bill, he was about 68 years old, very nice and he LOVED to talk! He asked people where they were from, he told really bad jokes and told us trivia about Disney, for example: Did you know that Disney World employs 68,000 people? Also, Disney’s Magic Kingdom has the second largest parking lot in the United States (they make $1 million dollars daily in parking fees alone)? Anyway, Bill dropped off the people going to Animal Kingdom first and then as he pulled to a stop at Epcot, he said ‘last stop!’ After everyone else left the bus, we asked him about going to the Magic Kingdom and he said, ‘No, that bus leaves on the even hours and goes to the Magic Kingdom & MGM Studios. This bus is an odd hours bus and goes to the Animal Kingdom & Epcot.’ I looked at the bus schedule again and read it a little more carefully…WOW, there it was, right there in front of me! After explaining our misunderstanding, Bill was gracious enough to take pity on our Wisconsin family and took us over to the Magic Kingdom.
We finally made it into the Magic Kingdom and because the sun and heat where so oppressive, we go to buy Amy a good sun hat and we pick up a couple autograph books for the kids as well. Just as we leave that shop, we hear fanfare trumpets and looking up towards Cinderella’s castle, see that Cinderella’s coronation is beginning. If you don’t know already, Hope (our 5 year old) absolutely loves Cinderella! So, we quickly make it up near the castle and watch as each Disney princess is officially announced; Jasmine, Snow White, Belle and Aurora were all there then Cinderella comes out in her beautifully elegant blue ball gown and is crowned princess. Somewhere during this, Hope, eyes as big as dinner plates and a smile as bright as the sun, turns to Amy & I and says, ‘Thank you for making my dream come true!’ Now, you tell me all of you fathers out there, if your 5 year old little girl turned to you and said that, wouldn’t you get a lump in your throat the size of Kansas? That simple little statement set the tone for a family trip of a lifetime! We will have memories of this time for the rest of our lives!
We rode many many rides, Amy even went with Trevor on Space Mountain! We also saw some really cool shows; They have a show called PhillharMagic, it’s a 3D all senses attraction where Mickey is supposed to come out and Magically direct an orchestra, but Donald finds Mickey’s hat and well…everything goes downhill from there! Trumpets and drums come flying at you and as Donald splashes into water, the audience too is lightly sprayed with water! And the smells of different items in the scenes like apple pie is wafted toward the audience! Quite the show! We also tracked down and got a lot of autographs; Woody & Jesse, Goofy, Mickey & Minnie and of course ALL of the princesses! As the day wound down, we sat along Liberty Square and watched the Electric Parade. After that, we wondered over to the front side of Cinderella’s castle to watch the fireworks. This display was incredible! And really took me back to my childhood watching the beginning of The Wonderful World of Disney when Tinkerbell waved her wand and fireworks went off above Cinderella’s castle and hearing ‘When you wish upon a star.’ That was exactly what happened. After the fireworks, we made it back to where our bus would pick us up and it was about 11:00pm…what a day! We made it back to the hotel and not surprisingly, Hope fell asleep on the bus. We were all pretty much wiped out and decided that we’d take the 10:15am bus back to the Magic Kingdom the next day and sleep in!
May 26th –
I got up before everyone else this morning and went across the street to the CVS (like Walgreens) and bought some milk and donuts and brought them back to the hotel for breakfast. We ate and watched the local news and found out that there was a 40% chance of thunderstorms today. Looking outside, you couldn’t tell that because there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but evidently because of the ocean the weather can and does change quickly down here. We easily make the 10:15am bus and discover Bill is our driver again (but we are on the right bus this time!) and true to form, he had some more trivia: Did you know that the Disney theme parks sit on more than 57,000 square acres and is bigger than the city of San Francisco? Disney operates 500 busses daily that exclusively transports people from park to park and has over 200 miles of roadways. We learned yesterday that using Fast Passes is the way to go. For those of you who do not know what these are, at select attractions you can take your park pass and get an advance tickets that tell you when to return and when you do return, they take you straight to the front of the line…Fast Passes are definitely the way to go! We did more rides and went to some of the areas we didn’t make it to yesterday and got a lot more autographs. It did end up raining for about an hour, but after that it cleared off and actually cooled it down somewhat. One disappointment was that the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was closed for renovations, but that’s OK. Again we stayed late, but took advantage of the parade times and fireworks to hit the rides as most of the people stopped to watch them and that left the lines much shorter! Again, we didn’t get back to the hotel until after 11:30pm. I feel like I’ve walked 50 miles and my feet hurt!
May 27th –
Today we went to Disney’s MGM Studios Theme Park and this summer they are having STAR WARS weekends! Kids could ‘train’ on the use of a lightsaber and even battle Darth Vader! We went and saw the Indiana Jones Stunt show and that was very entertaining, Trevor went on the Rock-n Rollercoaster and Vinny, Brittany, Trevor and I went on a ride that showed you what it would feel like to fly in a space fighter (we even flew in the trench of the Death Star!). About 5:00pm Amy started getting wore out and Trevor started complaining about being overly hot, so we talked about making it a short day and just going back to the hotel and relax, maybe swim. Hope really wanted to go back to the Magic Kingdom and ride the Buzz Lightyear ride again, so Amy, Vinny & Trev went back to the hotel and Brittany, Hope and I headed over to the Magic Kingdom on the Monorail. Vinny had lost his hat on one of the rides on Thursday and Trevor wanted a specific hat that he saw (it says: Girls Love Bad Boys and has a picture of Grumpy on the side), so I needed to go over there anyway. So, we finished up and were back at the hotel by 8:10pm or so. We never did swim, but we ordered pizza and packed for our return trip. That night we just lazed around and talked about what fun we had, what was the favorite of each and just had a great time, just us…our family…together.
May 28th –
Today was a VERY early day as we were going to be picked up at 7:15am, so we got up at 5:15am! We had decided the night before that we’d east breakfast at the airport, so we found a McDonalds and did just that. We had a two hour lay-over in Atlanta and had some lunch there. Our flight to Chicago took only 1 hour and 44 minutes and we landed somewhere around 2:20pm. Bonnie met us at the gate and our return trip was again filled with stories both from our trip and from Bonnie was well. When we left Wisconsin, it was 68 degrees but when we returned, it was 91! I was hoping to return to cooler weather…guess not.
I have just touched on some of the highlights of our trip and could go on and on for days, but we are home now and tomorrow is Amy’s surgery. All of you should know by now how much I love my wife and all of you most definitely should know by now how deep my faith is. This is no small thing that Amy’s facing. This is another pivotal moment in Amy’s treatment. Some of you have already stated that you plan on wearing purple in support, others have stated that they plan on fasting and again, others will be in prayer. No matter where you are in your beliefs, no matter where you are in your personal walk with Christ, God WILL hear your prayers. Ephesians 6:18 says; ‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.’ Please pray for Amy, pray frequently and pray for the surgeon(s) as well, that their sight is sharp and their hands steady. That their minds are focused and their bodies remain refreshed.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Monday, May 29, 2006
Making a Dream Come True - part 1
Well, we are back from our trip and easing back into reality once more. Although the hotel we stayed at did indeed have a computer kiosk in the main lobby for guests to use, I neither had the time, nor the inclination to blog while we were away. I did, however, keep some notes and journaled somewhat at night. The following has been taken from those notes and expanded.
May 23rd -
We had promised each other that we’d get in bed before 11:00pm because we needed to be up before 5:30am to eat breakfast and get everyone ready before leaving at 7:30am…That didn’t work out so well as we were bound and determined not to leave our house a mess, Amy made it to bed sometime around 11:30, but I didn’t hit the pillow until 12:30am. Have you ever seen that commercial where the family is going to go to Disney the next day and the kids won’t settle down and go to bed? The parents eventually get the kids to sleep and then the dad can’t sleep because he’s too excited? Well…that was me. I lay in bed and tossed and turned, my mind going 1000 miles an hour, going through my lists in my head. Did I remember everything? Did I have all of the registration papers, ID’s, cash, etc…I eventually drifted off.
May 24th -
It wasn’t too bad getting up this morning and getting the kids up was pretty easy as well. Excitement and anticipation filled everyone’s minds as we got dressed and ate breakfast. Bonnie picked us up at 7:30am as planned and we were on our way. Bonnie presented each of us with our own bag of goodies (treats, cookies, crackers a game and an envelope with some spending money and a personal note. Thank you Bonnie & Dave, you two are such a blessing!) The trip down to Chicago went quickly and we made excellent time. Amy & I both discovered that Bonnie is an excellent story teller as she had us thoroughly entranced with all sorts of tales. We arrived at Chicago’s Midway airport about 1 ½ hours before our scheduled departure time which left us time to check in and have a leisurely lunch. Our flight was rather uneventful, although it was fun to watch the Kids’ reactions (all handled it well) to flying in a large commercial jet. We landed in Orlando sometime around 5:20pm (est), retrieved our bags and met up with the transportation van I arranged to drive us back and forth from the airport to the hotel. It’s about 16 miles from the airport to our hotel, so all of us just took in the sights of Florida, the palm trees, the swamps and yes; I even spotted an alligator sunning itself on the banks of one of the swamps we drove past. By the time we made it out of the airport and to our hotel, it was past 6:30 and we were hungry and tired from our long day. We ate at a Ponderosa that was across the street from our hotel and came back to the hotel and just relaxed and stayed cool (it was about 94). We had asked the kids to list 4 or 5 shows/rides that they really wanted to see/do, so Amy & I discussed our game plan for the next day. There is a free shuttle bus that takes people to the different theme parks and the first bus would be at our hotel at 8:05am, the next bus would be by sometime around 9:15am. We were all so very tired from the day’s travels that we opted to take the second bus and sleep in a little longer.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Just a quick note on Memorial Day. My mother has been gone a number of years now and still miss her. Sure, the deep pain and anguish I felt after her initial passing is no longer there but I miss her all the same. Especially now with what Amy is going through and facing...how I wish she were here. Some things would be different if she were still living...very different indeed and for that I am sad. If there is one thing that I have pulled from this trip, it is that nothing...Nothing except God himself, is more important than your family. Power, prestige, riches & fame all melt into utter meaninglessness when you look into your childs face and see the joy of making a dream come true. - V
May 23rd -
We had promised each other that we’d get in bed before 11:00pm because we needed to be up before 5:30am to eat breakfast and get everyone ready before leaving at 7:30am…That didn’t work out so well as we were bound and determined not to leave our house a mess, Amy made it to bed sometime around 11:30, but I didn’t hit the pillow until 12:30am. Have you ever seen that commercial where the family is going to go to Disney the next day and the kids won’t settle down and go to bed? The parents eventually get the kids to sleep and then the dad can’t sleep because he’s too excited? Well…that was me. I lay in bed and tossed and turned, my mind going 1000 miles an hour, going through my lists in my head. Did I remember everything? Did I have all of the registration papers, ID’s, cash, etc…I eventually drifted off.
May 24th -
It wasn’t too bad getting up this morning and getting the kids up was pretty easy as well. Excitement and anticipation filled everyone’s minds as we got dressed and ate breakfast. Bonnie picked us up at 7:30am as planned and we were on our way. Bonnie presented each of us with our own bag of goodies (treats, cookies, crackers a game and an envelope with some spending money and a personal note. Thank you Bonnie & Dave, you two are such a blessing!) The trip down to Chicago went quickly and we made excellent time. Amy & I both discovered that Bonnie is an excellent story teller as she had us thoroughly entranced with all sorts of tales. We arrived at Chicago’s Midway airport about 1 ½ hours before our scheduled departure time which left us time to check in and have a leisurely lunch. Our flight was rather uneventful, although it was fun to watch the Kids’ reactions (all handled it well) to flying in a large commercial jet. We landed in Orlando sometime around 5:20pm (est), retrieved our bags and met up with the transportation van I arranged to drive us back and forth from the airport to the hotel. It’s about 16 miles from the airport to our hotel, so all of us just took in the sights of Florida, the palm trees, the swamps and yes; I even spotted an alligator sunning itself on the banks of one of the swamps we drove past. By the time we made it out of the airport and to our hotel, it was past 6:30 and we were hungry and tired from our long day. We ate at a Ponderosa that was across the street from our hotel and came back to the hotel and just relaxed and stayed cool (it was about 94). We had asked the kids to list 4 or 5 shows/rides that they really wanted to see/do, so Amy & I discussed our game plan for the next day. There is a free shuttle bus that takes people to the different theme parks and the first bus would be at our hotel at 8:05am, the next bus would be by sometime around 9:15am. We were all so very tired from the day’s travels that we opted to take the second bus and sleep in a little longer.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Just a quick note on Memorial Day. My mother has been gone a number of years now and still miss her. Sure, the deep pain and anguish I felt after her initial passing is no longer there but I miss her all the same. Especially now with what Amy is going through and facing...how I wish she were here. Some things would be different if she were still living...very different indeed and for that I am sad. If there is one thing that I have pulled from this trip, it is that nothing...Nothing except God himself, is more important than your family. Power, prestige, riches & fame all melt into utter meaninglessness when you look into your childs face and see the joy of making a dream come true. - V
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Pre-Op to Pre-Trip
Here we are and it’s the night before our big trip. Most of the packing is done minus the toiletries which always have to wait until last. It took Hope along time to fall asleep because she is so excited. Thanks to all of you who have given us great tips on how to maneuver around the parks and what is a must see and what we should skip. It is so nice to have such great friends and family to support us on these endeavors.
I had my pre-operation physical today. You know the routine stuff weight, height, blood pressure, as well as my health history. Then I had to go give them more of my blood. I had a really nice guy who took 4 vials for me. When I told him that was enough he replied “We have to go all the way to the bone!!!” How rude! The things I have to do for those people down there. ;) We did find out that the surgery should take about 5 or 6 hours and that I will be in the hospital for 5 to 7 days. I will be so glad to be back home when it is over.
One of the funnies things about our Disney trip is something that I think should be shared with everyone. Hope has this beautiful nightgown set that is called a peignoir it has a picture of Cinderella on it as well and comes with a bed jacket to match. She got it at the Disney store in January and bought it with her Christmas/Birthday money. We gave her the choice of dolls and other toys but she really wanted that nightgown. Well she informed us she would like to wear it to the Magic Kingdom to show Cinderella. When I informed her that she couldn’t do that she replied okay we will just have to bring Cinderella back to our hotel to show her. That provided some laughter to all of us here. I hope that provided some laughter to you as well.
Thanks to Vince and the kids I was able to go out to supper with some friends this evening. One of the friends I hadn’t seen since Labor Day so it was great to reconnect and share some laughs. Thanks Kris, Tricia, and Mary for such a great time!
We probably won’t blog again until we get back. If we can find access to a computer though we will try to send something out about how our trip is going.
This is My story as seen and told by me - A
I had my pre-operation physical today. You know the routine stuff weight, height, blood pressure, as well as my health history. Then I had to go give them more of my blood. I had a really nice guy who took 4 vials for me. When I told him that was enough he replied “We have to go all the way to the bone!!!” How rude! The things I have to do for those people down there. ;) We did find out that the surgery should take about 5 or 6 hours and that I will be in the hospital for 5 to 7 days. I will be so glad to be back home when it is over.
One of the funnies things about our Disney trip is something that I think should be shared with everyone. Hope has this beautiful nightgown set that is called a peignoir it has a picture of Cinderella on it as well and comes with a bed jacket to match. She got it at the Disney store in January and bought it with her Christmas/Birthday money. We gave her the choice of dolls and other toys but she really wanted that nightgown. Well she informed us she would like to wear it to the Magic Kingdom to show Cinderella. When I informed her that she couldn’t do that she replied okay we will just have to bring Cinderella back to our hotel to show her. That provided some laughter to all of us here. I hope that provided some laughter to you as well.
Thanks to Vince and the kids I was able to go out to supper with some friends this evening. One of the friends I hadn’t seen since Labor Day so it was great to reconnect and share some laughs. Thanks Kris, Tricia, and Mary for such a great time!
We probably won’t blog again until we get back. If we can find access to a computer though we will try to send something out about how our trip is going.
This is My story as seen and told by me - A
Monday, May 22, 2006
Game time
Busy, busy day! As I’m sure you can tell by how late I’m writing this. I didn’t have anytime during my lunch hour to write and tonight was Trevor’s first baseball game of the season which was in Verona (about an hour way). Along with the fact that we’re preparing for a family trip. This Wednesday through Saturday we will be in Orlando, Florida enjoying the sights and time away from everything. Thank you to my sister Donna and her husband Dave, who have spearheaded this and helped us realize a dream. And too, the myriad others who in no small way have helped piece all of the odds & ends together. God has really worked this one out!
Tomorrow is Amy’s Pre-Op exam. This really is just a bunch of running around seeing the different departments: Surgery, Admitting, Anesthesia…etc.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. – Mathew 7:7-8
By the way…Trevor’s team lost 11 to 1…but Trevor scored the only point!
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Tomorrow is Amy’s Pre-Op exam. This really is just a bunch of running around seeing the different departments: Surgery, Admitting, Anesthesia…etc.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. – Mathew 7:7-8
By the way…Trevor’s team lost 11 to 1…but Trevor scored the only point!
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Blogging together...
What a glorious day! We should have gotten up sooner, but OH was it nice to sleep in! It wasn’t extremely late, as we got up at 8:00am, but we did have to rush around, get the kids ready and then drop them off for their little adventure. We had asked a friend to come over and till our little garden plot and we just made it back as he was backing the tiller off his trailer. His tiller was small enough to our garden area, but big enough to make it cumbersome to maneuver. We prevailed and finished that task in fairly short order.
However, we haven’t planted anything yet. That’s on tomorrow’s list because Brittany wants to help plant the garden and I am certain that Hope will be in there as well. Vinny, I’m sure will make himself scarce and we will try to encourage Trevor to help as he can get extra science points for helping. You’ve gotta love extra credit work!! We also took the time to go to the Faire on the Square and enjoyed the beautiful weather as well as some good food. We didn’t buy any craft items either just spent our money on the food. We also got some much needed household projects done.
At the faire, we each had an Oak Smoked Steak Sandwich, a soda and shared a strawberry topped funnel cake. After we returned home, we watered the plants around the house and spread some grass seed. We have an area in the back yard which is particularly hard to grow grass on because it’s shady all of the time, so we bought some grass seed that’s supposed to do better in shady areas, we’ll see how well it works.
Then we cleaned the house. We vacuumed, did some laundry, cleaned the bathroom, and threw some things away that the kids don’t know about. We even started putting the screens on some of the windows. Last night I spoke at our women’s campout. I thought I sounded like a dork, but lots of the women thought I did a great job. Some think I should be a stand up comic! I am so funny sometimes I even crack myself up :D (and am humble enough to tell myself that I just am so funny!) I intended to be home by 9:00pm but missed that mark by an hour. I guess I was having too much fun.
Amy & I both mentioned to each other that it’s been strange being around home and not one of the kids being here. We’ve gone to hotels just the two of us, but it’s been a VERY long time where it’s been just us two at home. I know we have the dog, but that doesn’t really count. It really has been a nice day; some work, some recreation and time spent together, laughing, teasing and holding hands while walking the square.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by US - V & A
However, we haven’t planted anything yet. That’s on tomorrow’s list because Brittany wants to help plant the garden and I am certain that Hope will be in there as well. Vinny, I’m sure will make himself scarce and we will try to encourage Trevor to help as he can get extra science points for helping. You’ve gotta love extra credit work!! We also took the time to go to the Faire on the Square and enjoyed the beautiful weather as well as some good food. We didn’t buy any craft items either just spent our money on the food. We also got some much needed household projects done.
At the faire, we each had an Oak Smoked Steak Sandwich, a soda and shared a strawberry topped funnel cake. After we returned home, we watered the plants around the house and spread some grass seed. We have an area in the back yard which is particularly hard to grow grass on because it’s shady all of the time, so we bought some grass seed that’s supposed to do better in shady areas, we’ll see how well it works.
Then we cleaned the house. We vacuumed, did some laundry, cleaned the bathroom, and threw some things away that the kids don’t know about. We even started putting the screens on some of the windows. Last night I spoke at our women’s campout. I thought I sounded like a dork, but lots of the women thought I did a great job. Some think I should be a stand up comic! I am so funny sometimes I even crack myself up :D (and am humble enough to tell myself that I just am so funny!) I intended to be home by 9:00pm but missed that mark by an hour. I guess I was having too much fun.
Amy & I both mentioned to each other that it’s been strange being around home and not one of the kids being here. We’ve gone to hotels just the two of us, but it’s been a VERY long time where it’s been just us two at home. I know we have the dog, but that doesn’t really count. It really has been a nice day; some work, some recreation and time spent together, laughing, teasing and holding hands while walking the square.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by US - V & A
Friday, May 19, 2006
A faire weekend
Tonight Amy will be speaking at our church’s annual Women’s Camp-out. Please pray that it goes well and that she has fun. Tomorrow, all of the kids will be going up to the Wilderness Resort to spend the day & night with relatives. This will give Amy & I a whole day just to ourselves and I don’t know when the last time that happened. We plan on working in the garden for awhile (if the rain holds off) and later in the day we have plans to go out to eat with some friends. It could actually be strange, we are so used to the noise and business of children that the silence could be deafening. Other then that, we have a few little projects, like helping Trevor finish his birdhouse and helping Brittany finish up her Biology project, but that’s all. Maybe Amy and I will wander down to the Faire on the Square.
One of the first years we lived here, we went down to the Faire on the Square (this is a craft faire) and Brittany wanted to come along. We wandered in and out of the different vendors, had a sampling of some of the foods and about an hour and a half later decided to head home. On the way back to the car, we asked Brittany if she had a good time and she said, ‘No! that was the stupidest faire I’ve ever been to!’ Shocked, we asked why? And she replied, ‘Their weren’t any rides or any games!’
Psalm 118:24 - This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Rem Dieses ist mein blog und ich schreibe, was auch immer ich wünsche
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
One of the first years we lived here, we went down to the Faire on the Square (this is a craft faire) and Brittany wanted to come along. We wandered in and out of the different vendors, had a sampling of some of the foods and about an hour and a half later decided to head home. On the way back to the car, we asked Brittany if she had a good time and she said, ‘No! that was the stupidest faire I’ve ever been to!’ Shocked, we asked why? And she replied, ‘Their weren’t any rides or any games!’
Psalm 118:24 - This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Rem Dieses ist mein blog und ich schreibe, was auch immer ich wünsche
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Cry out...
Cry Out To Jesus (by Third Day)
To all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right
There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus
For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith in love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough
For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering
There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus
When your lonely
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
To the widow who struggles with being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight
There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus
I’ve discovered that it's OK to ask why, it's OK to cry out in frustration. To show your pain, your confusion, your agony. When you lay open your heart, soul & mind, nobody has bigger shoulders than God.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
To all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right
There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus
For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith in love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough
For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering
There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus
When your lonely
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
To the widow who struggles with being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight
There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus
I’ve discovered that it's OK to ask why, it's OK to cry out in frustration. To show your pain, your confusion, your agony. When you lay open your heart, soul & mind, nobody has bigger shoulders than God.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Empty
So, what am I supposed to do if I don’t feel like blogging…if I don’t have any wisdom to impart…if I’m tired of being a tool, an instrument? I haven’t lost faith & I haven’t lost hope, but I am weary and I feel empty. I feel that any words I try to express will end up sounding hollow. We have found out today that Amy will have her pre-surgical exam on Tuesday, May 23rd and the surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, May 31st. The hospital will notify us on the exact time the day before.
Please pray for the following: strength, peace, that the cancer hasn’t spread, that the tumor isn’t wrapped or involved with the arteries, that they will be able to perform the surgery and that they will be able to remove all of it.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Please pray for the following: strength, peace, that the cancer hasn’t spread, that the tumor isn’t wrapped or involved with the arteries, that they will be able to perform the surgery and that they will be able to remove all of it.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
No longer in the eye...
Well, were back from Madison and have been for about an hour and a half. The news is still sinking in. If you remember, the reason Amy had to go through the Chemo/Radiation treatments was to shrink the tumor away from the portal vein so the surgeon could proceed with the whipple surgery. Before treatment, the tumor was between 2.5 & 3cm. The treatments weren’t successful in shrinking the tumor away from the vein…the tumor didn’t shrink at all…in fact the tumor grew and is now about 3.5cm in diameter. Now, the doctor’s did say that the radiation is still affecting the tumor and will be for another 2 or 3 weeks and that the radiation may actually be causing the tumor to swell; similar to what bruised or inflamed skin does. They went on to say that the CT Scan didn’t show that the cancer had spread to other organs or lymph nodes, which is good. We do not have a specific date yet, but the surgeon wants to move forward with the surgery and will schedule it for 3 weeks away. He did say that the surgery would be longer and would be incur more risk because he will have to remove the portal vein and re-construct it using vein tissue from elsewhere on Amy’s body. Again, the reason for waiting three weeks is to let the radiation finish working and see if the swelling will subside. The oncologist did say that while the tumor didn’t shrink, there is evidence that a portion of the tumor is dead or at least not getting any blood. He showed us in the pictures of the scan where the tumor was and then pointed out a lighter grey area in the circle of the tumor, telling us that this is viable (alive) tissue. Then he pointed out a darker grey area and told us that this is ‘dead’ tissue. This appeared to be a good portion, but we couldn’t tell how deep either type of tissue was. The surgeon then told us there are two factors that would stop him from performing the surgery: 1 – If the cancer has spread or 2 – If the tumor is wrapped around an artery. He couldn’t tell from the CT Scan if the tumor is involved with the artery and even though the Scan didn’t show that the cancer has spread, they need to make sure. So, as part of the scheduled surgery, they will perform a laparoscopy (laparoscopy is an instrument somewhat like a miniature telescope with a fiber optic system which brings light into the abdomen. It is about as big around as a fountain pen and twice as long. Tiny incisions are made and a laparoscope is inserted. This slim scope has a lighted end. It takes pictures - actually fiber optic images - and sends them to a monitor so the surgeon can see what is going on inside) to see if one of these two factors are present. If they are, the procedure will end and the surgery will not be performed. If they aren’t, he will proceed with the surgery as planned. Either way, she will face a longer, more potent regimen of Chemotherapy.
This is a nightmare and we’re dealing with this as best as we can. In all of this I know that God hasn’t changed, He is still the same, He is still all-powerful & He is still all-knowing. We hurt and cry out! But we still praise Him for who He is…
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
This is a nightmare and we’re dealing with this as best as we can. In all of this I know that God hasn’t changed, He is still the same, He is still all-powerful & He is still all-knowing. We hurt and cry out! But we still praise Him for who He is…
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Monday, May 15, 2006
Tomorrow, an important day
Tomorrow is a very important day in this journey. Tomorrow Amy has an appointment to see all three of her doctors (Radiological Oncologist, Oncologist & Surgical Oncologist). At the appointment, we will find out the effectiveness of the treatments on shrinking the tumor and we will discuss where we will go from here. Our hope and prayer is that the results will reveal that the tumor is gone. However if that is not God’s will, then we pray to shrink the tumor to a size where it can be successfully removed by surgery. Please hold us up in your prayers, the appointment is for 9:30am and we’re really not sure how long this will take or even what to expect. Everything is SO completely out of our hands…out of our control and we know that God wants us to relinquish control over to Him and we do…daily…sometimes it feels like I have to moment to moment.
Psalm 103:2-4 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases; He redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion.
Exodus 23: 25,26 Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you...I will give you a full life span.
Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
So I cry out, don't be discouraged! Don't be upset! Expect God to act! For we know that we will again have plenty of reason to praise Him for all that He will do. He is our help! He is our God!
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Psalm 103:2-4 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases; He redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion.
Exodus 23: 25,26 Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you...I will give you a full life span.
Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
So I cry out, don't be discouraged! Don't be upset! Expect God to act! For we know that we will again have plenty of reason to praise Him for all that He will do. He is our help! He is our God!
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Honoring Mothers
Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and other than knowing that it’s the second Sunday in May, I knew very little about it, so I set out to brush up on my history and this is what I discovered.
The first observance of Mother’s Day was in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1907 and is based on suggestions by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and Anna Jarvis in 1907. Although it wasn't officially celebrated in the U.S. until 1908, there were days honoring mothers dating back to ancient Greece. In 1600 England, there was an annual observance called ‘Mothering Sunday.’ It was celebrated during Lent, on the fourth Sunday and on this day, the servants, who generally lived with their employers, were encouraged to return home and honor their mothers. It was a tradition for them to bring a special cake along to celebrate the occasion. In 1908 Ana Jarvis (from Grafton, West Virginia) began a campaign to establish the national observation of Mother's Day. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church to celebrate Mother's Day on the anniversary of her mother's death and a memorial service was held there in her honor on May 10, 1908 and again the following year in Philadelphia where she moved. In their quest to establish a national Mother's Day, Jarvis and others began a letter-writing campaign. They initially sent their letters to ministers & businessmen, but their letters, and word of mouth spread through local politicians to state & federal senators and eventually to the White House. Their campaign was successful. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance that would be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.
As I sit here contemplating Amy’s role as mother to our four children, many memories, impressions and emotions come flooding into my mind; countless stories read, messes cleaned up and scrapes bandaged. Tears wiped & tears shed, discipline dispensed & compassion given. Noses, socks & dishes cleaned. Come rain or shine, Amy tries her best to make it to every conference, every event & every concert. She cheers & congratulates in each triumph and weeps & consoles in each defeat. Her concern has always been for the kids and if they needed money for something, she would gladly give them her last cent. Even in the darkest valley on the darkest day of the battle she is currently facing, her worry and concern isn’t about herself, but for our children, if they are alright. It takes bravery, patience and determination to be a mother and Amy has displayed these qualities in great abundance throughout the years. Amy, thank you for being such a wonderful mother to our children, even after almost 20 years of marriage you continue to amaze me. I love you...
Proverbs 31:10-31
A woman of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
To all mother’s everywhere, thank you for caring and loving all of us children...Happy Mother’s Day.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
The first observance of Mother’s Day was in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1907 and is based on suggestions by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and Anna Jarvis in 1907. Although it wasn't officially celebrated in the U.S. until 1908, there were days honoring mothers dating back to ancient Greece. In 1600 England, there was an annual observance called ‘Mothering Sunday.’ It was celebrated during Lent, on the fourth Sunday and on this day, the servants, who generally lived with their employers, were encouraged to return home and honor their mothers. It was a tradition for them to bring a special cake along to celebrate the occasion. In 1908 Ana Jarvis (from Grafton, West Virginia) began a campaign to establish the national observation of Mother's Day. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church to celebrate Mother's Day on the anniversary of her mother's death and a memorial service was held there in her honor on May 10, 1908 and again the following year in Philadelphia where she moved. In their quest to establish a national Mother's Day, Jarvis and others began a letter-writing campaign. They initially sent their letters to ministers & businessmen, but their letters, and word of mouth spread through local politicians to state & federal senators and eventually to the White House. Their campaign was successful. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day a national observance that would be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.
As I sit here contemplating Amy’s role as mother to our four children, many memories, impressions and emotions come flooding into my mind; countless stories read, messes cleaned up and scrapes bandaged. Tears wiped & tears shed, discipline dispensed & compassion given. Noses, socks & dishes cleaned. Come rain or shine, Amy tries her best to make it to every conference, every event & every concert. She cheers & congratulates in each triumph and weeps & consoles in each defeat. Her concern has always been for the kids and if they needed money for something, she would gladly give them her last cent. Even in the darkest valley on the darkest day of the battle she is currently facing, her worry and concern isn’t about herself, but for our children, if they are alright. It takes bravery, patience and determination to be a mother and Amy has displayed these qualities in great abundance throughout the years. Amy, thank you for being such a wonderful mother to our children, even after almost 20 years of marriage you continue to amaze me. I love you...
Proverbs 31:10-31
A woman of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
To all mother’s everywhere, thank you for caring and loving all of us children...Happy Mother’s Day.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Friday, May 12, 2006
The importance of a moment
Yesterday, Amy was asked not to eat until after the CT Scan, the scan was scheduled for 2:00pm. An hour before the scan, they asked her to drink 2 big glasses of water. She made it through the scan, but drinking two big glasses of water on an empty stomach didn’t settle well and after making it to the bathroom, she threw it all back up. Thankfully this was a one time occurrence as she was able to eat and keep everything else down.
Psalm 118:24 ‘This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’
Now I think it’s safe to reason that if this is the day that the Lord has made then it’s also true that this is the moment that the Lord has made. This moment is not just a time that will pass into the void of the past, and it’s not a short-lived instant we can't grasp. This second, this very moment is the handiwork of God. He created it and He does all things according to His plan. Does that make you a bit nervous? It does me. Because when I make something (a bird house or a painting for example) I do so for a reason or a purpose. And this leads me to wonder what the reason or purpose is that God made this moment and then gave it to me or gave it to you. What does He want us to do with our moment, this hour, this day? With this moment, I believe God wants us to open ourselves to Him, know Him, and love Him. To listen to His guidance and to obey. That is a lot for a single moment. You might say it makes these moments more special…even sacred. May all our moments be so, for these are the moments the Lord has made.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Psalm 118:24 ‘This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’
Now I think it’s safe to reason that if this is the day that the Lord has made then it’s also true that this is the moment that the Lord has made. This moment is not just a time that will pass into the void of the past, and it’s not a short-lived instant we can't grasp. This second, this very moment is the handiwork of God. He created it and He does all things according to His plan. Does that make you a bit nervous? It does me. Because when I make something (a bird house or a painting for example) I do so for a reason or a purpose. And this leads me to wonder what the reason or purpose is that God made this moment and then gave it to me or gave it to you. What does He want us to do with our moment, this hour, this day? With this moment, I believe God wants us to open ourselves to Him, know Him, and love Him. To listen to His guidance and to obey. That is a lot for a single moment. You might say it makes these moments more special…even sacred. May all our moments be so, for these are the moments the Lord has made.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Watching & waiting
If you're a 'people watcher', there's no place for you like a busy hospital. I'm sitting in the only public computer kiosk area (that I know of) in the hospital, which is one floor below and about three areas over from where Amy is waiting to have her CT Scan done. As I look around, I see a group of people gathered around a table playing cards and at another, a family is putting a puzzle together. I see men & women, young & old, students, doctors & patients. A mixed group of ethnicities, languages and body shapes. One sleeping girl, in an uncomfortable position, tries to reposition herself to alleviate her obvious sore neck. An older woman quietly knits while a relative chats idly on. A group of people (family & relatives) comfort each other as they absorb the unsettling news a doctor has just delivered to them. Pain, relief, worry, exaltation, anxiousness & exhaustion. All are here, mixed together, all at the same time.
In between having her blood work and when she had to drink some concoction for the CT Scan, we had a free hour to ourselves, so we wandered down to the cafeteria where I had a salad & soup. While I was having my lunch (Amy can't eat until after her CT Scan), Amy's radiological oncologist happened to walk by. We chatted amiably and he asked how she was doing and she told him that she was doing fine, except that her original pain had returned. He nodded his head and indicating a spot just below his rib cage and about mid-line across his body and said 'Here?' to which she replied 'Yes.' He went on to say that it isn't uncommon for this to occur, that the medical profession isn't sure why it happens, just that it does and it really doesn't indicate anything one way or the other. That was nice to know. He also said that he feels very confident that the treatments were effective and that the surgeon will press to move forward with the surgery. That too was nice to hear!
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
In between having her blood work and when she had to drink some concoction for the CT Scan, we had a free hour to ourselves, so we wandered down to the cafeteria where I had a salad & soup. While I was having my lunch (Amy can't eat until after her CT Scan), Amy's radiological oncologist happened to walk by. We chatted amiably and he asked how she was doing and she told him that she was doing fine, except that her original pain had returned. He nodded his head and indicating a spot just below his rib cage and about mid-line across his body and said 'Here?' to which she replied 'Yes.' He went on to say that it isn't uncommon for this to occur, that the medical profession isn't sure why it happens, just that it does and it really doesn't indicate anything one way or the other. That was nice to know. He also said that he feels very confident that the treatments were effective and that the surgeon will press to move forward with the surgery. That too was nice to hear!
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Prayer for tomorrow's scan
For the first time in several weeks, Amy took some of her pain medication yesterday to ease the pain she’s been having in her stomach again. This was on advise from her doctor’s nurse, whom Amy called yesterday to report her pain to. The medication made her drowsy and so she napped for a portion of the afternoon and left her somewhat groggy for the rest of the evening as well. At one point she looked me, weariness clearly etched on her face, and said, ‘I really thought I was done with this pain…’ Of course she realizes that there will be pain during her recovery and all that that will bring, but this pain is all too familiar, all too reminiscent of what brought us to where we are today, what brought us here to begin with. And just like being awakened out of a deep sleep by an unidentifiable noise, we’re startled…wide awake, waiting to ‘hear’ it again. We know that God is right there with us and that his immutable character is one of love and concern, but we’re human and this has added to our stress.
Tomorrow at around 2:00pm, Amy will be having her post Chemo/Radiation treatment CT Scan done. This scan is pivotal in determining the next steps in Amy’s coarse of treatment. Please remember to pray, offer up a prayer at this time if you are able, but pray. Pray that the images are clear and precise. Pray that the tumor would miraculously be no more or that the tumor has significantly shrunk. Pray that God would reveal himself to an unbelieving world.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Tomorrow at around 2:00pm, Amy will be having her post Chemo/Radiation treatment CT Scan done. This scan is pivotal in determining the next steps in Amy’s coarse of treatment. Please remember to pray, offer up a prayer at this time if you are able, but pray. Pray that the images are clear and precise. Pray that the tumor would miraculously be no more or that the tumor has significantly shrunk. Pray that God would reveal himself to an unbelieving world.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Y2K
Does anyone remember what the biggest news story of 1999 was? It pretty much started in January of that year and as fall and winter approached, it really snowballed and took on a life of its own…Y2K, the year two thousand. What would it do to computers world wide? Would the fact that programmers and developers, lacking the foresight to properly configure Date and Time entry to handle a new century or to accept 4-digit entry of the year, cause the electronic world as we know it to grind to a halt? Would we loose power, lose our money, lose our jobs? As we all retrospectively now know, with the exception of a few power glitches (that may or may not have had anything to do with Y2K), and after waiting with baited breath, the year 2000 came and we still had power, we didn’t lose our money or investments and Y2K actually created jobs. These things happen, we see trouble approaching on the horizon and we tend to get all tied up in knots about something that hasn’t yet happened and even if it does, can’t control it anyway. Amy and I are waiting until this Thursday when she will have another CT Scan done to look at the tumor and see if the treatments, in which she endured, had any effect on shrinking it. We will wait again until the following Tuesday to actually find out the results of that scan. As I have stated in my last few postings, Amy has been experiencing increasing stomach pains for the past 4 or 5 days, we don’t know if it’s related or not, but I’m sure you can imagine the thoughts that have entered our minds, is it trouble we see on the horizon, or is it just meaningless overcast clouds? Either way, there’s nothing we can do about it…except pray and hold to our faith in God and His plan for us in all of this. We try VERY hard not to get tied up in knots, and sometimes we even succeed. In Philippians 4:6, we are told, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." and in Luke 12:22-26, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"
Even through our fears we know we are not alone, our friends and family are there for us when they can be and when we need them, but He is always there, through the pain, through the tears which He holds in His hand...He will never leave us.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Even through our fears we know we are not alone, our friends and family are there for us when they can be and when we need them, but He is always there, through the pain, through the tears which He holds in His hand...He will never leave us.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Monday, May 08, 2006
Planting & Nourishing
Amy's been having some pain in her stomach for the past couple of days, it doesn't seem to be as bad today which we are thankful for! This pain may or may not be related to the tumor and it may or may not be related to the treatments (I like to think that it's related to the treatments and that it's an indicator that it's killing the tumor). Either way, it's not keeping Amy from getting around and doing things.
We had wonderful weather this past weekend and took advantage of it by working outside, as Amy stated in Saturday's posting. It was definitely work digging and laying down 450 lbs of mulch, but it's rewarding to stand back at the end of the day and survey the work that's been done. Now we have the responsibility of maintaining and feeding these plants and flowers. I only got irritated once during our project and that was when our dog decided to sit down right on top of a newly planted flower! She pretty much squashed it flat! Oh well.
All of us have seeds that God has planted inside of us. Seeds of ministry ideas, or of kindness to be shown to a neighbor, or of grace that needs to be shown to someone who has wronged you...the list goes on. These seeds can be any number of things that God wants to grow in you or even ask you to plant in someone else. But what if it's a seed that you don't want to nourish or one you don't want to plant? In Proverbs 3:5-6, God's word says, 'Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.' Whether God is providing the rain from heaven to water the earth making it bud and flourish, or He's planting seeds intended to grow new relationships that lead to life-long commitments, or He's giving us the words to speak which will allow the Holy Spirit to plant seeds in the lives of those we encounter. Whatever the seed we're talking about, God has full control of it. Trust Him and take the time to nourish and plant. I know it's hard sometimes, the seeds don't grow as fast as we want them to, or the weeds of life can come in and threaten to choke out the seeds and need to be pulled out, but if we persevere God will take those seeds and multiply them in such a way that your life will be richly blessed.
What kind of seeds have you planted lately?
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
We had wonderful weather this past weekend and took advantage of it by working outside, as Amy stated in Saturday's posting. It was definitely work digging and laying down 450 lbs of mulch, but it's rewarding to stand back at the end of the day and survey the work that's been done. Now we have the responsibility of maintaining and feeding these plants and flowers. I only got irritated once during our project and that was when our dog decided to sit down right on top of a newly planted flower! She pretty much squashed it flat! Oh well.
All of us have seeds that God has planted inside of us. Seeds of ministry ideas, or of kindness to be shown to a neighbor, or of grace that needs to be shown to someone who has wronged you...the list goes on. These seeds can be any number of things that God wants to grow in you or even ask you to plant in someone else. But what if it's a seed that you don't want to nourish or one you don't want to plant? In Proverbs 3:5-6, God's word says, 'Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.' Whether God is providing the rain from heaven to water the earth making it bud and flourish, or He's planting seeds intended to grow new relationships that lead to life-long commitments, or He's giving us the words to speak which will allow the Holy Spirit to plant seeds in the lives of those we encounter. Whatever the seed we're talking about, God has full control of it. Trust Him and take the time to nourish and plant. I know it's hard sometimes, the seeds don't grow as fast as we want them to, or the weeds of life can come in and threaten to choke out the seeds and need to be pulled out, but if we persevere God will take those seeds and multiply them in such a way that your life will be richly blessed.
What kind of seeds have you planted lately?
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me - V
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Digging in the dirt
Well we did it! We worked in the yard most of the afternoon and am I tired! But it’s a good tired; the kind of tired that you’ve earned, where you’ve worked hard and know that you’ve accomplished something that you can enjoy for sometime to come. We spread mulch, planted some flowers along the walk, dug out weeds, planted a rose bush, pruned back some bushes and even swept it all up so it would be nice and clean. The one bad thing about it is the time went by so fast and we still aren’t finished! Next project…the garden!
Last night Brittany, Vinny, Hope and I went to Trevor’s middle school production of Rapunzel. It was a great production and all of the actors, crew and directors did a great job! Due to budget cuts, the drama program at the middle school has been eliminated starting next year, this very well may have been the last production we will ever see there; how sad that this has to happen. It is a great program that both Brittany and Trevor have been involved in during their years attending middle school.
Vince has coached Trevor’s baseball team for the past three years and now that Trevor has moved up to the Babe Ruth league, he is going to coach Vinny’s team. Friday, Vince accomplished the task of drafting 9 and 10 year olds on to his baseball team for this summer. Needless to say Vinny is very excited about his daddy being his coach.
As to how I feel today, of course I am tired, I feel like I’m always tired or I tire easily, whichever comes first. My back was bothering me a little bit this morning but really didn’t give me much trouble today. My stomach has been having some pains similar to the pains that were the precursor to me going to the doctor thinking it was my gall bladder.
This is my story as experienced and told by me - A
Last night Brittany, Vinny, Hope and I went to Trevor’s middle school production of Rapunzel. It was a great production and all of the actors, crew and directors did a great job! Due to budget cuts, the drama program at the middle school has been eliminated starting next year, this very well may have been the last production we will ever see there; how sad that this has to happen. It is a great program that both Brittany and Trevor have been involved in during their years attending middle school.
Vince has coached Trevor’s baseball team for the past three years and now that Trevor has moved up to the Babe Ruth league, he is going to coach Vinny’s team. Friday, Vince accomplished the task of drafting 9 and 10 year olds on to his baseball team for this summer. Needless to say Vinny is very excited about his daddy being his coach.
As to how I feel today, of course I am tired, I feel like I’m always tired or I tire easily, whichever comes first. My back was bothering me a little bit this morning but really didn’t give me much trouble today. My stomach has been having some pains similar to the pains that were the precursor to me going to the doctor thinking it was my gall bladder.
This is my story as experienced and told by me - A
Friday, May 05, 2006
It's Me...again!
Woohoo it’s Friday. Your blog host for today is Amy. I know you’ve all been waiting for when I will appear again….so without further ado here goes.
First off my back is much better today. My tongue however is still messed up. My taste buds are out of control though it hasn’t stopped me from eating. The taste buds are swollen but don’t hurt and I have to think a lot about if something will taste good to me. Weird I know but it’s an issue right now. The doctor thought it might be a yeast infection and had me push the yogurt but that hasn’t helped. I figure that I can just deal with it.
I am so glad that I didn’t have to go to Madison this week at all. I have stayed fairly close to home venturing out to take and get kids from school or an activity or two that they might have. I also have been doing some much needed cleaning around here. I want the house to be in ship shape order before I have my surgery so I have been working hard to get that done.
I have a list of things to do this weekend that involves all of the family. Yard work is one of them. I have new flowers to plant. They are all purple of course it being my favorite color and the color for pancreatic cancer. I am enjoying how are yard looks and seeing what kinds of flowers I have already. We have to dig out the garden as well we have some seeds bought and a few more to get. Each of the older two kids have projects that they are working on as well so we will spend some time doing that too.
The one thing I told myself I was going to do during this month was work on my scrap booking but I can’t seem to find the motivation for that. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get me motivated I would love to hear it. I know that once I get started that it will be something I will want to do all the time, I just need to get motivated.
So back to why Vince has chosen to do this blog and why I add my two cents worth every once in awhile. For Vince I think it’s his therapy. For me I’m not much of a journaler so I think I just do it when I feel that you might want to hear from me. Then again maybe some of you don’t…too bad though cause you’re stuck with me. The one thing I have learned through all of this is to be able to say NO to some things. I know my limitations and what I can and can’t handle. I really have to look at something and not think how it will affect me then but how it will affect me later. Do I want to be wiped out for the rest of my day or do I want to save myself the trouble of being exhausted later. I have given up teaching the rest of the year because of doctor’s orders, I’ve given up being on two parent groups through the schools. I’ve resigned myself to not being able to go on field trips this year with Vinny. I’ve always gone on field trips with the kids that one was especially hard to say no to. There are some things that I’ve said yes to and have regretted later on because it wiped me out more than I thought. So please forgive me if I tell you no, it’s not about you and it’s not personal…It’s about me and my limitations
This is my story as experienced and told by me - A
First off my back is much better today. My tongue however is still messed up. My taste buds are out of control though it hasn’t stopped me from eating. The taste buds are swollen but don’t hurt and I have to think a lot about if something will taste good to me. Weird I know but it’s an issue right now. The doctor thought it might be a yeast infection and had me push the yogurt but that hasn’t helped. I figure that I can just deal with it.
I am so glad that I didn’t have to go to Madison this week at all. I have stayed fairly close to home venturing out to take and get kids from school or an activity or two that they might have. I also have been doing some much needed cleaning around here. I want the house to be in ship shape order before I have my surgery so I have been working hard to get that done.
I have a list of things to do this weekend that involves all of the family. Yard work is one of them. I have new flowers to plant. They are all purple of course it being my favorite color and the color for pancreatic cancer. I am enjoying how are yard looks and seeing what kinds of flowers I have already. We have to dig out the garden as well we have some seeds bought and a few more to get. Each of the older two kids have projects that they are working on as well so we will spend some time doing that too.
The one thing I told myself I was going to do during this month was work on my scrap booking but I can’t seem to find the motivation for that. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get me motivated I would love to hear it. I know that once I get started that it will be something I will want to do all the time, I just need to get motivated.
So back to why Vince has chosen to do this blog and why I add my two cents worth every once in awhile. For Vince I think it’s his therapy. For me I’m not much of a journaler so I think I just do it when I feel that you might want to hear from me. Then again maybe some of you don’t…too bad though cause you’re stuck with me. The one thing I have learned through all of this is to be able to say NO to some things. I know my limitations and what I can and can’t handle. I really have to look at something and not think how it will affect me then but how it will affect me later. Do I want to be wiped out for the rest of my day or do I want to save myself the trouble of being exhausted later. I have given up teaching the rest of the year because of doctor’s orders, I’ve given up being on two parent groups through the schools. I’ve resigned myself to not being able to go on field trips this year with Vinny. I’ve always gone on field trips with the kids that one was especially hard to say no to. There are some things that I’ve said yes to and have regretted later on because it wiped me out more than I thought. So please forgive me if I tell you no, it’s not about you and it’s not personal…It’s about me and my limitations
This is my story as experienced and told by me - A
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Why...part 3
Amy has still had some back pain, but she's been able to continue through it. No real changes in anything, just waiting for next week when she'll have her CT Scan.
The Bible says that God is a God of love and He desired to create a being that would love Him. But genuine love cannot exist unless it is freely given through free choice of will. So man was given the choice to accept God’s love or to reject it. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they did not choose something God created, but, by their choice, by their disobedience, they brought evil into the world. God is neither evil nor did He create evil. Man brought evil upon himself by choosing his own way, his selfish way apart from God’s way.” Blaming God for suffering and evil in the world is like saying "You shouldn't have given us a choice Lord. You should have made us love you and forced us to obey you." But that would not have been real love.
OK, so that explains why people acting sinfully can bring pain & suffering to others, but what about those things we can not control like natural disasters or sickness & disease?
With almost no warning a violent tornado touches down and plows a narrow path of total destruction for perhaps 30 miles. Some homes are totally destroyed and many occupants are killed. Houses on either side may be left untouched. Destruction may well have been many millions of dollars. Good Christian families perished as did agnostics and unbelievers, ordinary citizens and town drunks, young and old.
A young parent of four, holds a good job, active in both the community as well as in church, is well respected and highly thought of and has touched many lives both young & old, receives the diagnosis that they have cancer.
These things happen everyday and it doesn’t matter which race, religion or socio/economic background. What went wrong? Where is God when these things happen? Did He lose control? Is He powerless to intervene?
No, but God is sovereign - What is meant by that expression? It means the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in heaven and on earth. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will. To declare that the Creator’s original plan has been frustrated by sin, is to dethrone God. To suggest that God was taken by surprise in Eden and that He is now attempting to remedy an unforeseen calamity, is to degrade the Most High to the level of a finite, erring mortal. To argue that man is a free moral agent and the determiner of his own destiny, and that therefore he has the power to checkmate his Maker, is to strip God of the attribute of Omnipotence.
The sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite. When we say that God is sovereign we affirm His right to govern the universe, which He has made for His own glory, just as He pleases. We affirm that His right is the right of the Potter over the clay, i.e., that He may mould that clay into whatsoever form He chooses, fashioning out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. We affirm that He is under no rule or law outside of His own will and nature, that God is a law unto Himself, and that He is under no obligation to give an account of His matters to any.
Sovereignty characterizes the whole Being of God. He is sovereign in all His attributes. He is sovereign in the exercise of His power. His power is exercised as He wills, when He wills, where He wills. This fact is evidenced on every page of Scripture. For a long season that power appears to be dormant, and then it is put forth in irresistible might. Pharaoh dared to hinder Israel from going forth to worship Jehovah in the wilderness—what happened? God exercised His power, His people were delivered and their cruel task-masters slain. But a little later, the Amalekites dared to attack these same Israelites in the wilderness, and what happened? Did God put forth His power on this occasion and display His hand as He did at the Red Sea? Were these enemies of His people promptly overthrown and destroyed? No, on the contrary, the Lord swore that He would "have war with Amalek from generation to generation" (Ex. 17:16). Again, when Israel entered the land of Canaan, God’s power was signally displayed. The city of Jericho barred their progress—what happened? Israel did not draw a bow nor strike a blow: the Lord stretched forth His hand and the walls fell down flat. But the miracle was never repeated! No other city fell after this manner. Every other city had to be captured by the sword! Take one other example. God put forth His power and David was delivered from Goliath, the giant; the mouths of the lions were closed and Daniel escaped unhurt; the three Hebrew children were cast into the burning fiery furnace and came forth unharmed and unscorched. But God’s power did not always interpose for the deliverance of His people, for we read: (Heb. 11:36, 37) "And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented". But why? Why were not these men of faith delivered like the others? Or, why were not the others suffered to be killed like these? Why should God’s power interpose and rescue some and not the others? Why allow Stephen to be stoned to death, and then deliver Peter from prison? The answer to all of these questions, is, because God is Sovereign, and being Sovereign, He does as He pleases. (from Providence Baptist Ministries)
This is hard to take at times, but it’s true. His wisdom is greater, Plan more perfect and Will more steadfast. We don’t know how this is going to turn out, but we are praying for healing and trusting in His plan and recognize that His wisdom if far superior than ours.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me – V
The Bible says that God is a God of love and He desired to create a being that would love Him. But genuine love cannot exist unless it is freely given through free choice of will. So man was given the choice to accept God’s love or to reject it. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they did not choose something God created, but, by their choice, by their disobedience, they brought evil into the world. God is neither evil nor did He create evil. Man brought evil upon himself by choosing his own way, his selfish way apart from God’s way.” Blaming God for suffering and evil in the world is like saying "You shouldn't have given us a choice Lord. You should have made us love you and forced us to obey you." But that would not have been real love.
OK, so that explains why people acting sinfully can bring pain & suffering to others, but what about those things we can not control like natural disasters or sickness & disease?
With almost no warning a violent tornado touches down and plows a narrow path of total destruction for perhaps 30 miles. Some homes are totally destroyed and many occupants are killed. Houses on either side may be left untouched. Destruction may well have been many millions of dollars. Good Christian families perished as did agnostics and unbelievers, ordinary citizens and town drunks, young and old.
A young parent of four, holds a good job, active in both the community as well as in church, is well respected and highly thought of and has touched many lives both young & old, receives the diagnosis that they have cancer.
These things happen everyday and it doesn’t matter which race, religion or socio/economic background. What went wrong? Where is God when these things happen? Did He lose control? Is He powerless to intervene?
No, but God is sovereign - What is meant by that expression? It means the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in heaven and on earth. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will. To declare that the Creator’s original plan has been frustrated by sin, is to dethrone God. To suggest that God was taken by surprise in Eden and that He is now attempting to remedy an unforeseen calamity, is to degrade the Most High to the level of a finite, erring mortal. To argue that man is a free moral agent and the determiner of his own destiny, and that therefore he has the power to checkmate his Maker, is to strip God of the attribute of Omnipotence.
The sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite. When we say that God is sovereign we affirm His right to govern the universe, which He has made for His own glory, just as He pleases. We affirm that His right is the right of the Potter over the clay, i.e., that He may mould that clay into whatsoever form He chooses, fashioning out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. We affirm that He is under no rule or law outside of His own will and nature, that God is a law unto Himself, and that He is under no obligation to give an account of His matters to any.
Sovereignty characterizes the whole Being of God. He is sovereign in all His attributes. He is sovereign in the exercise of His power. His power is exercised as He wills, when He wills, where He wills. This fact is evidenced on every page of Scripture. For a long season that power appears to be dormant, and then it is put forth in irresistible might. Pharaoh dared to hinder Israel from going forth to worship Jehovah in the wilderness—what happened? God exercised His power, His people were delivered and their cruel task-masters slain. But a little later, the Amalekites dared to attack these same Israelites in the wilderness, and what happened? Did God put forth His power on this occasion and display His hand as He did at the Red Sea? Were these enemies of His people promptly overthrown and destroyed? No, on the contrary, the Lord swore that He would "have war with Amalek from generation to generation" (Ex. 17:16). Again, when Israel entered the land of Canaan, God’s power was signally displayed. The city of Jericho barred their progress—what happened? Israel did not draw a bow nor strike a blow: the Lord stretched forth His hand and the walls fell down flat. But the miracle was never repeated! No other city fell after this manner. Every other city had to be captured by the sword! Take one other example. God put forth His power and David was delivered from Goliath, the giant; the mouths of the lions were closed and Daniel escaped unhurt; the three Hebrew children were cast into the burning fiery furnace and came forth unharmed and unscorched. But God’s power did not always interpose for the deliverance of His people, for we read: (Heb. 11:36, 37) "And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented". But why? Why were not these men of faith delivered like the others? Or, why were not the others suffered to be killed like these? Why should God’s power interpose and rescue some and not the others? Why allow Stephen to be stoned to death, and then deliver Peter from prison? The answer to all of these questions, is, because God is Sovereign, and being Sovereign, He does as He pleases. (from Providence Baptist Ministries)
This is hard to take at times, but it’s true. His wisdom is greater, Plan more perfect and Will more steadfast. We don’t know how this is going to turn out, but we are praying for healing and trusting in His plan and recognize that His wisdom if far superior than ours.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me – V
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Why...part 2
Amy woke up today complaining of back-pain. It could be caused from any number of things: The way she slept, working in the yard, picking up hope or carrying in a couple bags of groceries. We are starting to plan our vegetable garden (just a small one) and she is getting excited about the prospect of watching it grow.
In yesterday’s post, we looked into the heart of God and discovered that He does indeed care for us. He isn’t a bully with a magnifying glass leaning over an ant hill. In fact, He’s quite the opposite and if you have a hard time believing that, just look outside and silently observe the magnificence of His creation!
If God cares, then He must not be powerful enough to deal with all the evil and injustice in the world since it is still going on. So, is He a God that’s not all powerful? This question seems almost ridiculous considering what God has done: Created the heavens and earth (Gen 1–2:2), Delivered the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 5-12), Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44) as well as healing countless numbers of men. women & children. These are examples of events that happened in the bible, but even today, we are witness to the miraculous evidence of Gods power everyday! We hear or read stories about miners that have survived for more than a week in a collapsed tunnel or stories about people found adrift on the ocean for more than a week who are still alive or even of people who have been diagnosed with cancer and when the surgeon goes in to operate, he can find no sign that a tumor was ever present. For these, there can be no medical explanation. God chose to intervene…to provide a miracle…to reveal Himself and His mighty power.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me – V
In yesterday’s post, we looked into the heart of God and discovered that He does indeed care for us. He isn’t a bully with a magnifying glass leaning over an ant hill. In fact, He’s quite the opposite and if you have a hard time believing that, just look outside and silently observe the magnificence of His creation!
If God cares, then He must not be powerful enough to deal with all the evil and injustice in the world since it is still going on. So, is He a God that’s not all powerful? This question seems almost ridiculous considering what God has done: Created the heavens and earth (Gen 1–2:2), Delivered the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 5-12), Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44) as well as healing countless numbers of men. women & children. These are examples of events that happened in the bible, but even today, we are witness to the miraculous evidence of Gods power everyday! We hear or read stories about miners that have survived for more than a week in a collapsed tunnel or stories about people found adrift on the ocean for more than a week who are still alive or even of people who have been diagnosed with cancer and when the surgeon goes in to operate, he can find no sign that a tumor was ever present. For these, there can be no medical explanation. God chose to intervene…to provide a miracle…to reveal Himself and His mighty power.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me – V
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Why...part 1
This morning Amy complained that her stomach hurt, that it was somewhat upset and that she just didn’t feel as good as she did yesterday. She was a bit downcast about this because she thought she was past all of that now that we’re almost a week past her last radiation treatment. I do remember, however, that her oncologist told us that it would take a couple weeks, post treatment, for her to start feeling ‘normal’. I think it’s great that she’s felt THIS good in such a short period of time! Another reason could be that she finished up her steroid medication a day or two ago.
Awhile back, I mentioned that at some point in time, I would address the question of ‘Why?’ I feel that time has come, however, I have to say that while what I have researched and what the Lord has lead me to discover, has in a great part answered this for me, it just may not be enough for you. Not all truths are necessarily easy to understand, but that doesn’t make them anything less then what they are. This will take several days to cover, so please bear with me and if you have any questions, please ask.
"If God is a loving, caring, merciful God, why does He allow people to suffer? How can He allow humans to experience the pain & anguish that accidents, illnesses, crime, wars and other ill fated happenings, which are so common in this world, bring on? Doesn't He care? Doesn’t He know that I’m a child of His? Haven’t I suffered enough?" In light of these questions, this leaves us with three options concerning the character of God:
1. God really doesn’t care
2. God cares, but is powerless to take action
3. God cares, His wisdom is greater and His plan is perfect
If God really didn’t care about us, why did He send His son? Why would He knowingly send His son to be brutally beaten and crucified for a world who in turn rejected and scorned Him? John 3:16 says that: ‘God SO LOVED the world that He gave His one and only son…’ If God didn’t care for us, He never would have made that sacrifice. It wasn’t as if He had to, our fates were sealed with a single bite of an apple. If God didn’t really care for us, He wouldn’t have spared the human race through one righteous man named Noah (Genesis 6:9,11-13). God does care. He knows when humans suffer. While on earth, Jesus had a dear friend who became gravely ill (John 11) and died before Jesus could arrive. Look at versus 34 & 35, Jesus (who was God in human flesh) upon seeing His friend’s sister who was weeping because of the sorrow she felt at her brother’s passing, ‘..was deeply moved in spirit and troubled..’ So much so that He wept. Through out history, God has shown His love, His concern, His patience...He has and continues to show that He cares.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me – V
Awhile back, I mentioned that at some point in time, I would address the question of ‘Why?’ I feel that time has come, however, I have to say that while what I have researched and what the Lord has lead me to discover, has in a great part answered this for me, it just may not be enough for you. Not all truths are necessarily easy to understand, but that doesn’t make them anything less then what they are. This will take several days to cover, so please bear with me and if you have any questions, please ask.
"If God is a loving, caring, merciful God, why does He allow people to suffer? How can He allow humans to experience the pain & anguish that accidents, illnesses, crime, wars and other ill fated happenings, which are so common in this world, bring on? Doesn't He care? Doesn’t He know that I’m a child of His? Haven’t I suffered enough?" In light of these questions, this leaves us with three options concerning the character of God:
1. God really doesn’t care
2. God cares, but is powerless to take action
3. God cares, His wisdom is greater and His plan is perfect
If God really didn’t care about us, why did He send His son? Why would He knowingly send His son to be brutally beaten and crucified for a world who in turn rejected and scorned Him? John 3:16 says that: ‘God SO LOVED the world that He gave His one and only son…’ If God didn’t care for us, He never would have made that sacrifice. It wasn’t as if He had to, our fates were sealed with a single bite of an apple. If God didn’t really care for us, He wouldn’t have spared the human race through one righteous man named Noah (Genesis 6:9,11-13). God does care. He knows when humans suffer. While on earth, Jesus had a dear friend who became gravely ill (John 11) and died before Jesus could arrive. Look at versus 34 & 35, Jesus (who was God in human flesh) upon seeing His friend’s sister who was weeping because of the sorrow she felt at her brother’s passing, ‘..was deeply moved in spirit and troubled..’ So much so that He wept. Through out history, God has shown His love, His concern, His patience...He has and continues to show that He cares.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me – V
Monday, May 01, 2006
Baptism by barley & waiting in the 'eye'
My sister Denise, her husband Randy and their youngest son Robbie, came up to visit and celebrate my birthday this past weekend. We didn’t do anything extremely special, but we did go out (just the four adults) Saturday night for supper. We went to a nice supper club in Sauk City and they were quite busy (we had to wait 50 min for a table). Shortly after visiting the salad bar, a man tripped on the leg of a chair and proceeded to fall onto me and dump the beer he was carrying down my back. It was fortunate that I saw him out of the corner of my eye, as I had the time to brace myself, otherwise I am positive he would have knocked me out of my chair and fallen onto our table, which would have tipped it over. I just raised my forearm and shoved him back onto his feet. I am SO glad it was me instead of Amy, she wouldn’t have stood a chance! The guy (and his wife) were thoroughly embarrassed and he repeatedly apologized and asked if he could do something. Not amused, but otherwise unscathed, I just told him no, that both my shirt and I would wash (although I smelled like a drunk myself!). I am sure they were further embarrassed when at the end of our meal the waitress brought a birthday cake and realized it was my birthday. Except for smelling like stale beer, it really wasn’t a big deal.
No real change in how Amy is feeling. We’re just biding our time until the CT Scan is done and we see the doctor’s. I feel like we’re in the ‘eye’ of a hurricane. The first part has come with it’s high winds and driving rain, leaving devastation, fear & suffering in it’s passing. Now a sense of calm..peace..almost normalcy has come. But is it a false sense? Will it last? Or will it be ripped fluttering away, disappearing as smoke into the wind as the hurricane’s gale returns? I know we are not without hope, I know that we are not alone and that does bring comfort, but it does not change the fact that we will have to face the other part of the storm, we are praying that it will lose it’s force, that the winds will calm and the rains relent. Either way, have you ever noticed that after a storm, there’s a certain cleansing that it brings? The air smells cleaner and the rain makes the grass greener and other plants will suddenly grow and blossom. There’s a certain renewing that God brings after a storm, maybe that’s the same with us after surviving the storms of life, we’re washed, cleansed and grow.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me – V
No real change in how Amy is feeling. We’re just biding our time until the CT Scan is done and we see the doctor’s. I feel like we’re in the ‘eye’ of a hurricane. The first part has come with it’s high winds and driving rain, leaving devastation, fear & suffering in it’s passing. Now a sense of calm..peace..almost normalcy has come. But is it a false sense? Will it last? Or will it be ripped fluttering away, disappearing as smoke into the wind as the hurricane’s gale returns? I know we are not without hope, I know that we are not alone and that does bring comfort, but it does not change the fact that we will have to face the other part of the storm, we are praying that it will lose it’s force, that the winds will calm and the rains relent. Either way, have you ever noticed that after a storm, there’s a certain cleansing that it brings? The air smells cleaner and the rain makes the grass greener and other plants will suddenly grow and blossom. There’s a certain renewing that God brings after a storm, maybe that’s the same with us after surviving the storms of life, we’re washed, cleansed and grow.
This is Amy's story as seen and told by me – V
