Family News

I’ve prayed for my children since before they were born. But I don’t think I’ve ever been as impressed with the complete need of it until tonight, as I worked on massaging their names into a passage of scripture where Paul is describing his prayer for the church at Colosse.
Natasha’s version (I have all [...]

Mom and Dad do plan to continue living there.
They moved-in back in October, and spent the next several months moving their stuff over, and finding ways to consolidate two households into one.
In May, Mom and Dad sold their house, and Gma’s place was officially their home. Now they are going through the steps of [...]

Tomorrow morning, I’m going planning to spend at least half an hour writing thank-you notes.
Would you believe I haven’t written any clear back through Christmas (of course you’d believe it– You haven’t seen any have you)?
*Sigh*
I hope you know I was (am) grateful. And more for you than what you actually give us.
That’s meant [...]

I’ve begun to understand why those who have experienced a loss are told to not make any major decisions for X-amount of time. It’s only natural that one will not be thinking clearly for a time.
For example (this is a scenario we’ve talked about but placed it far down the road), I was imagining [...]

The full (for-the-service) version.
(I wrote this as well as the shorter one that was published in our local paper.)
Gladys Langley graduated to heaven Tuesday evening, August 1, 2006, surrounded by family. She was 87 years old.
Born in Brush Valley Township, Penn., on September 16, 1918, Gladys attended the schools of that area. After [...]

Or beginning. However you like to say it.
Mom tells the people on the phone that Grandma “graduated” last night. On the folder (what do you call the hand-out at a memorial service?) Her “passing” is written as the date she “ascended.”
I find all the words used instead of death interesting. Jay and I were talking [...]

The song I sung when I was alone with Grandma for the last time.
You are so good in your mercy
Taking what I cannot bear
Taking a heart that was wounded
And making it beautiful, beyond compare
(chorus)
And what the locust have eaten
My Lord can restore
And what the enemy’s taken
My Lord gives me more
And my Jesus will mend my [...]

I made Angel Chicken (my standard crockpot meal) and strawberry yogurt muffins and brought those to the hospital along with plastic odds and ends to eat with/on and a kool-aid type stuff.
My main concern was that there wouldn’t be enough food. I needn’t have worried. Seems like the others aren’t much more [...]

How near is clarified day by day.
On the off-chance that anyone is still following this story, here is the update through today.
What’s the reverse of exponential? I can’t remember. But Grandma is declining that way. Benjamin is the only family member who hasn’t yet arrived. He comes in tonight.
Is it hugely [...]

That’s what Grandma said Friday when Mom told her she (Gma) probably has cancer in her blood.
The doctor has sent her bone-marrow samples off to a different lab to see why the cancer didn’t show up in the earlier test, and to confirm this diagnosis. (This is my understanding of things).
Doctor Carroll has said that [...]