Sweet Cade

Our ten year old grandson, Cade, has to be the sweetest, most considerate, well-mannered little boys there is, bar none! He is such a pleasure to be around and makes quiet the impression on the people he meets, including my friend Jerry. She really got to know him this summer when we spent a lot of time fishing and shrimping on her dock.

One day while Cade was staying with us, we invited Jerry to come over for a home cooked meal he helped prepare. Yep, the boy even knows how to cook! Chef Cade fixed some delicious steamed shrimp and fresh green beans, that he hand picked from the produce department, for Miss Jerry’s lunch date. I must say we were all impressed!



I think Cade really won Miss Jerry’s heart with the thank you note he recently wrote to her. It’s just too precious not to share, so I made a copy before I mailed it and thought I'd share it.

Deployment #2

It’s official. As of the end of July, Chance is back in Afghanistan for his second deployment and time once again, seems to be moving at a snail’s pace. Yes, it is true, time is too slow for those who wait!

Jim and I went to Kentucky to spend a couple of days with Chance before he left, and to see him off. I wondered if it would be as hard and emotional as it was last time, and it wasn’t quiet as bad. Almost, but not as bad. I was determined not to cry at the airport and almost made it, but at the last minute I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. Both times, Chance made it a little easier, leaving with a smile.



The ride home wasn’t near as bad either. Jim and I were in better spirits this time around and even talked. (If you read my post on 7-09-09, you’ll see where we couldn’t even talk on the way home last time.) I think knowing what to expect and how often we were able to communicate with Chance, has helped us as we face “round 2.” I used to joke about how we look like two crazed idiots when he called, sitting side by side with the phone on speaker phone, so we could both hear what he was saying. We’ve already started the “crazed idiot” thing when he calls. Guess it’s going to be a precedent for us when he’s over there.

As we survived before with a lot of faith and prayers, we will survive this deployment the same way, only this time we’ll have a little more faith, being made stronger through our past experience.

Wow!

Once again, I am in awe of God’s amazing ways! To start this story, you need to know that for several weeks now, Jim and I have been planning a trip to Kentucky tomorrow to spend a couple of days with Chance before he deploys.

A week ago Tuesday night, Jim started feeling really bad. After having kidney stones in the past, he knew this had to be the culprit making him feel so bad. The pain and vomiting were relentless and went on for several days. The following Friday he went to the doctor and tests were ordered on Monday. After viewing the test results on Monday, the doctor sent us to a urologist the next day. The urologist ordered a sonogram on Wednesday and told us to come back Thursday for an appointment.

Thursday morning I left work and picked Jim up to take him to the doctor. On the way, he asked me to stop and pick him up a candy bar, just in case his blood sugar went too low. Not being home that morning, I had no idea he hadn’t eaten all day. Had I known, I would have encouraged him to stop and grab something at a drive through, knowing how crazy his blood sugar gets because of his diabetes.

When we saw the doctor, he said that Jim had a small kidney stone, and suggested he try a medication that would make him urinate a lot to see if he could pass the stone. If the stone didn’t pass after four or five days, then they would surgically remove it. We reminded the doctor that we were going out of town Sunday and asked what the likelihood was that Jim would be able to go.

Considering that Jim had recently had a kidney infection and the trip we had planned, the doctor gave us another choice - to have the stone surgically removed. Jim said nine days of fighting the stone was enough, he wanted the surgery done, ASAP! The doctor said they could do the surgery that afternoon depending on the last time Jim had something to eat. Since Jim hadn’t eaten all day, the surgery was scheduled for that afternoon. The doctor said he’d be able to come home that evening.

The urologist came out of surgery and told me that he was able to retrieve the stone, but was more concerned about what was behind the stone than anything else. He said that when he removed the stone, infection poured out from behind it and the amount of the infection was lethal! He admitted Jim to the hospital and started him on IV antibiotics. Around noon yesterday, Jim was released and got to come home.

It is nothing short of amazing, how everything played out. Not only did Jim not eat anything at home that morning, his sugar stayed up, so he didn’t need the candy bar I bought for him. Had he eaten any food, the surgery would have been postponed until Friday. Who knows the difference 24 hours might have made! Had we not planned the trip to Kentucky, we would have chosen to wait out the stone by trying the medicine the doctor suggested, rather than go through the expense of a hospital visit. That would have put Jim four to five more days with all that infection. Taking into account that he is still not fully recovered from his quadruple bypass, either of these scenarios could have been detrimental to his life. As I said to the urologist after the surgery, we are really blessed. “Yes, you are!” was his reply. We are ever thankful for God's many blessings in our lives.

Recent happenings that made my heart smile!

*** It didn’t take long for Pat to claim me as a member of her family. We used to talk about being sisters in Christ, but she thought of me as her earthly sister as well. Several times one of the medical staff would come in her room to evaluate her and ask if I was her family member. I always said, “No” while Pat was shaking her head “Yes” the whole time. I couldn’t help but smile when she did this, knowing the hospital didn’t consider “love like a sister” as being a family member. In the short time I knew her, I don’t think I could have loved her more, had she been my sister. So you can imagine how honored I felt when I was listed in Pat’s obituary and funeral program, as her “adopted sister.” No doubt she would have loved it just as much as I did!

*** Because he was ADHD with learning disabilities, our son Brandon, struggled through his school years. After high school he attended a couple of college courses, dropped out and moved to Texas. I was more than a little concerned about his future, but he got a job at a hospital in Dallas and has done very well. He called me recently to tell me that he had gotten the “Service Excellence Award” for the third time! He is the first person in his division to ever get the award three times in one year! He was also chosen as “Employee of the Month” for February. As he said, “Who would have thought that the kid with ADHD, who struggled in school would be doing so well!” As you can imagine, I am beyond proud of him!

*** Eight years ago, Jim and I were very supportive of a young couple we knew whose two year old daughter Lyla, was battling leukemia. Our hearts went out to them and we did what little we could, to help them through that difficult time, and after when she passed away.

A couple of days ago, Lyla’s dad called. He said he had some good news for us. He and his wife are expecting baby #5 and it’s their first boy! Because of all our love and support, they are naming him “Mason” after our last name! Yep, I cried and then I smiled when Ryan told me his “good news!”

*** And for the grand finale - Our oldest grandson turned 10 years old today. On his wish list he wrote, “Jim and Molly come for a visit.” Melt my heart little one!

The Journey Began With A Smile

Oh, the power of a smile! I will always be in awe of the way I met Pat. I looked across the hall in the hospital and saw her looking at me - a complete stranger - and smiling at me! What??? Someone looking across the hall, smiling at me as if I were her best friend? Little did I know that smile would be the start of a journey where we would develop a deep relationship, where I would learn more about her, and about God. I stopped by her room and told her I loved her smile. The doctor was with her, so I couldn’t visit, but left with her on my mind. I was so intrigued when I walked home, I knew I had to know more about her and went back that afternoon to meet her.

From the moment I saw Pat I knew there was something different and special about her. After meeting her, I realized what made her so special. Her faith and love for God were awe inspiring, to the point she smiled in the midst of her storms. Considering the magnitude of her storms, this was truly amazing! Something had attacked her body and she was in a sense, paralyzed. Other than being able to squeeze my hand, there was little more that she could do with her body. To make matters worse, she had a trachea, was on a ventilator and her only communication came by reading her lips.

In the middle of all Pat was going through, she was quick to offer me hope and encouragement when I was going through a couple of hard times. One day I shared a concern with her. Without hesitation she said, “You have to promise me you won’t worry about this. God has something better in store for you. Promise me you’ll trust God with this.” Knowing my battles with worry, I couldn’t give her that promise. Pat wouldn’t take “no” for an answer and insisted that I make the promise. It was hard for me to do, but I made the commitment to her. That simple act changed the way I looked at the situation, and helped me keep worry at bay.

I can’t begin to understand the ways of God, and the way He answers our prayers. Pat trusted Him for a healing. Friends anointed her with oil and prayed over her. Many prayers went up on her behalf. I prayed for her, prayed with her and read Bible verses to her. Almost daily I saw a decline in her health. As I watched her slowly fade away, I thought more and more about God. I sensed He put Pat in my life to teach me more about trusting Him. Instead of trusting Him to do what I wanted, I needed to be trusting in Him to do His perfect will for her life!

Yesterday Pat received complete healing, and Heaven got a little sweeter, as she went home to be with our Heavenly Father. No more pain and suffering for her! She’s rejoicing and praising God with all the angels. In one of our many conversations, I told Pat when she got to Heaven she would be running and singing all over the place. The angels would be chasing after her, telling her to slow down, she has all of eternity to praise God. After being confined to a hospital bed for months, and only able to communicate by someone reading her lips, I can only imagine the rejoicing she’s doing!

I told a friend I wish I could have had one more hour with Pat. She asked if there were a lot of things I wished I had said to her. And there isn’t! I can’t think of one thing I would say, that I hadn’t already said! I would just love to tell her again how much I love her, how much of a difference she made in my life, and see her smile one more time. I’m so thankful that God chose to put this beautiful person in my life. The brief time I knew her, has forever changed my life.


To read more about Pat, check out the tags on my blog, "Pat."

Father's Day

Since I had to take Cade home yesterday, I thought I’d go out and spend some time with Dad for an early “Father’s Day.” It becomes increasingly harder for me every time I go for a visit and yesterday was really bad. I didn’t stay long and felt guilty about it, when I left.

Dad always seems glad to see me, but I'm not sure he knows who I am. The way he acts, I think he knows that I’m someone close to him, someone he should know. As I watch him, I sit and wonder what he’s thinking. Gone are the days of sitting and having a conversation with him. He mumbles a lot, making it hard to hear him. What he does say, makes no sense. To add to the confusion, Mom asks him to repeat what he says. He can’t remember what he says, so he gets a blank look and shrugs his shoulders, or says something different than what he originally said. I don’t know why Mom is so insistent on having him repeat stuff. The only thing I can figure out is she’s hoping he’ll say something that makes sense, and she doesn’t want to miss that moment.

It’s so hard for me to watch some of the things Dad does, as it reflects just how bad his mind really is. He is so confused in so many ways. One time he broke up his cookies, put them in his coke and started eating them like you would cookies and milk. I ask him what he was doing, and he looked at me like I was the one with brain issues. He said he had been doing that "all his life." Another time he poured his coke into a gallon of ice cream. Yesterday he picked up a piece of chocolate candy and ate it like he would a cracker, with his red beans and rice. Then he put a piece of candy with the wrapper on it, in his mouth. When I told him he couldn’t do that and to spit it out, he looked at me as a child would, that had just been scorned.

A friend recently said that both of parents were here one day and gone the next. She said that after hearing what others have gone through with their parents, she is thankful that God blessed her, and her parents, with a quick death. I’ve thought a lot about what she said. Up until Dad started getting so bad, I had felt blessed to have him and Mom with us. Now it’s hard seeing him the way he is, and watching her as she tries to cope with the changes taking place with him. I’m not sure which way is easier and I’m thankful God is the one who determines all of this. For me, it’ll be a relief when my dad passes and I know he’s out of this state of confusion and home with Jesus. As for today, I’m going to focus on the memories, and I have lots of those to be thankful for!

Corn and Blueberry Salad

I love a summer salad and when I read the ingredients in this recipe, I knew it would become a favorite of mine. Not only does it tastes yummy, it makes a pretty, colorful salad. I changed the original recipe up a little, so here is my version:

Corn and Blueberry Salad

6 ears fresh sweet corn
2 cups blueberries
2 small cucumbers, quarter and slice
½ cup red onion chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 Tbsp lime juice
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt

Cook corn and cut off cob. Let cool. In serving bowl combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red onion, cilantro and jalapeno pepper.

In screw-top jar, combine lime juice, oil, honey, cumin and salt. Shake well to combine. Add to salad and toss. Cover and refrigerate overnight. If you want to serve it right away, let it sit at room temperature for half an hour, to an hour to let the flavors meld.