Dear Uncle Tom and Family,
Believe it or not, I am just sitting down now on Saturday night to look at e-mails after a very un-glamorous couple days of recovering from Thanksgiving and getting ready for my last week of maternity leave. All my boys are asleep and the house is quiet as I read your reflections on our time together at Thanksgiving, I was so blessed! Other than mom’s healing, I can’t think of anything more that I would want but to know that you’ve seen Christ in our grieving, seen Mom’s peace in this valley and Dad’s love for mom in his devotion to her. Mostly, I can’t say how happy I am to have all of you as family who share the same hope, surrounding us with love and praying us on this journey. After all, this what we are all living and professing our faith for, for hope in the shadows of death, that Christ was who he said He was, that He is coming again, the power of the resurrection, and that He promised to make all thing new! I’m sure some of you were a little taken back by mom’s decreased mobility on Thursday, not many have seen her recently and only a few since she moved to the hospital bed. As you know, nothing she has tried has been able to stop the cancer, and time seems to be speeding up now. Writing that physically hurts.
My heart aches in the here and now, realizing the boys will grow up without knowing or probably remembering mom, just thinking about this I am reduced to a tearful mess. I don’t want to raise my children without her. I was taking down “fall” decorations around my house yesterday and as I put them away I kept wondering if the next time I unpacked them all, whether mom would still be with us – it took me hours to pack away what should have taken a few minutes. It’s hard to picture my dad without my mom, almost impossible, but Ben loves dad so much and I’m hoping he and Joseph will be a joy for him in the years ahead. I can’t tell you all how much I don’t want to go back to work, how I want to be free to be with mom and focus on making memories with the boys in the coming months. I’m frustrated with that, overwhelmed really with the limitations of a new baby and full time work, when you think of me, pray for me in this. At the same time, I’m thankful for the home care from Health East that has given us almost 5 days a week where aides and a nurse are always checking in on her needs. Thankful to Kristie who spends Sunday afternoons and two to three nights a week at the house with dad caring for mom, and dad who not only is on call every night, but comes home from work on his lunch break every day to care for her and fix her lunch. He has had such a blessing through his work that we should tell you, it will let him basically retire after Christmas and be home with mom – Praise God for that! Praise God for so much… praise God for all of you!
Joy in the Journey and the Hope before us!
-Katie
From: Tom Parker [mailto:tomk100@usfamily.net]
Sent: Friday, November 26, 2010 8:47 AM
To: Pastor Tom ‘s Blog; Bob & Jane Corey; Dawn Parker; Katie Hanna Home; Kristie & Jeoff MacCarthy; Lynnda Parker; Missy Stiller; Pat Stiller; Sarah Hughes; Tracy Polly
Subject: Thankful for Family
As I have read and cherished Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” I was never more aware of this then yesterday at our family thanksgiving gathering at my sister’s home. I was so thankful to be with family and to see the little ones, my sister, my brother-in-law, his parents, my brother and his family, my nieces and their families, my daughter, her husband and my grandkids. But it was also so good to see my sister and spend some time with her in her struggle with cancer. She is such an inspiration to me as she is living out Philippians 4:6. As I spent time yesterday talking and just sitting with Jane, I was so struck with the peace that she has in her Savior. She is trusting Him in all of the struggle filled journey He has asked her to walk down, as she is headed to her true home in heaven. This is the road we all walk down as children of God. God asks us all to walk such different paths, but yet all for one reason and one reason only to give Him the Glory. I am also watching my dear brother-in-law Bob as he juggles a life of caring for Jane, working, his elderly parents, his daughters, his son-in-laws, and his grandkids. But did I ever hear a discouraging word or a word of disappointment come out of his mouth, no but Praise and honor to God in this journey he has been asked by God to walk with his wife, and his Savior. I also was struck with the Jane’s family, as her daughters and son-in-laws pull together to make mom’s path a joy filled time. I truly see the love of God within this family.
As I sit here this morning at my desk finishing my sermon for Sunday. I was struck with the goodness and the love of God. We in America have so many times cheapened God’s Grace by living our lives as we see fit. Taking for granted or ignoring the life God has called us all to walk with and for Him. A life we are to walk in Him and in Him only. Why is my sister being asked to walk this path, I can not give you the full reason as I still have not figured out why mom was asked to walk the same path, or why Ray was taken so early. But I can tell you this my Savior, my God is so awesome and so wonderful, that as I walk this path He has given me, I will only walk it with Him holding His hand or if He chooses to carry me for awhile, I will always trust and love Him. The result of this path, especially for Jane right now, is the hope we have in Jesus that one day there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more struggles only joy in seeing Jesus. Jane I love you, but praise God He loves you more.
