November 18, 2011

• Love Others, NOW!

  (I will include some pictures from last weekend after attending a funeral.  We were all dressed and weren’t rushing to be somewhere.  I threatened anyone who changed clothes because I wanted to get some pictures!!!)
  

                      

  
  This has been an unusually active fall for our family.

  Lots of places to be.

  And, I’m feeling great, so the girls and I  try to get out of the house, frequently, before the colder winter weather sets in.

  
                           

  Jesse is working today, can you believe it?  He has three houses to cut short and rake up leaves with his mower.  With the wind blowing, you’d think the leaves would take care of themselves.  This is the last thing in the season as far as mowing work for him.  Many lawn care people put up Christmas lights (and take them down), but Jesse is afraid of heights . . . so that doesn’t work out for him too well!

  After today, he plans to put equipment away for the winter. 

  Which should happen.  It looks like he has a hernia and will have to have it repaired over these months of no work.  It isn’t going away and this may be the perfect time for repairing it, as no one has called him to work for part time in the winter months.  (I believe God has a reason and I think it is time for him to take care of himself – as much as he doesn’t like me telling him that).

                                            
  
  Even though Thanksgiving hasn’t arrived, we already have put the TV on the music station that plays Christmas songs 24/7.   I hear a Broadway musical CD coming from Rissy’s room, a Christian radio station in another child’s room, and O Come All Ye Faithful in the den!  It sounds like backstage before a performance or a rehearsal hall for high school.   Everyone buried in their own world!

  The wind is blowing 90 to nothing today. The dogs keep barking every time the wind gusts and a piece of backyard furniture bumps against the house.  Nothing like being wrapped in sound, is there?!  I may have to hunt out my trusty purple ear plugs!

                               
                                                                                                   (What a range of emotions!)

  At the beginning of this post, I mentioned a funeral we attended last weekend.  Very, very sad.  The girls’ therapist (for about 5 years or more) was married to wonderful man, a psychologist, who also worked at the same place.  The girls and I have gotten to know him pretty well.  March/April of 2009, his wife saw me in the waiting room with sick children and she grab me aside and told me her husband  had been diagnosed with stomach cancer at the end of January.   He had traveled somewhere to get different care than what was recommended here in town.  She said it had gone away and they were just waiting for his energy to come back.  I saw him off and on the rest of this year.  For the past few weeks he began to look like he wasn’t feeling well.  He was very thin and looked tired or slow.  I determined to stop and speak to him last Tuesday, when we were there for an appointment with the girls.  They are seeing a new therapist.

                   
                 
  
  When we were discussing old records of test scores, the new therapist said she would get them as soon as she could.  She said this man wasn’t doing well, in fact . . . he died just a few hours ago!   Jesse and I were shocked.  The new therapist apologized and asked if we were friends and I thought, “Are we?”  The girls old therapist  (his wife) is more to me than a counselor and more like a friend.  In that moment, I realized our relationship had transferred from “therapist” to “friend” and I was shocked at the level of grief I suffered. 

  I began to pray for her strength and broken heart IMMEDIATELY.  Actually, I was glad that someone had told me because I *could* pray immediately. 

  A day or so later, she had a friend call us to let us know the times of the visitation, funeral, etc.  We attended everything AS A FAMILY.  The graveside service was so windy and it was hard to hear.  It was still important that we let her know we were there (despite the weather) and would be there in the future for her. 
  

                         

  
  Mine were the ONLY children there, except for one boy (about 8 or 9) and some babies.   When she saw us at the visitation, she gave me a hug and said she KNEW I had been praying for her.  In fact, she said, “The level of strength I’ve needed to get through this can only be because Cherylyn is praying.”  While I don’t believe that is completely true (God helps ALL who call on Him), I’m glad she was secure in knowing that about me.   I can’t fix things, but I can sure pray hard! 

  The whole situation was such a shock.  Apparently he began to feel dizzy and have headaches 3 weeks ago.  The doctor of the clinic we use told him to go to a doctor, immediately.  He did and they found a brain tumor.  He underwent a week of chemo therapy.  They did another scan and the tumor had almost doubled.  He died only a few days after the second scan.  EVERYONE believed he had beat the cancer and was getting better.  He was planning and training for a marathon race.  This struck clearly out of the blue.

  
                       
  
  Another lesson in how quickly we can lose someone.  We should always take time to let those who are most close to us know how much we appreciate and love them.  My heart goes out to his wife and I’d like to ask for prayers for Julie.  Her birthday is in a few days.  Then she has the holidays coming up.  Therapist or not, you can’t escape the feelings of being alone.  She has family and her mother to support her through this time, but still . . .   

  If you know of someone who has recently lost someone, or someone who is alone in your city, please, Please, PLEASE make a special effort to include them in some of your family’s traditions.  I mean, REALLY, what’s one more person at your table?
  
                                        

  Speaking of which, my mother-in-law from Amarillo will be joining us for Thanksgiving.  She is bringing Jesse’s dad’s sister, and she is bringing two grandchildren.  One of the children has family in Oklahoma (father is deceased) and the grandparents would love to see the child.  That’s another death that came instantly and without any warning.  I believe they will meet each other here over the holiday.  I’m happy for the grandparents.  They lost their son, but can still see a part of him in their grandson.

  Hopefully I will be on here another day before Thanksgiving.  If not, may you all give thanks for the Lord’s work in your lives.  Be fruitful and multiply your good works while you are still healthy.  Minister friendship to the lost and help to bind the wounds of those who are hurting with loneliness.

  Be Blessed  ~

  • 1:27 pm
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