A different perspective

Good Afternoon.The sun is shining brightly in the window here at my parent's house, and much higher in the sky at 3 PM than it would be in St. Petersburg! Its COLD, and people are surprised that its warmer in Russia this year.

I am thankful for many things about the trip, just small blessings God used to cheer me along the way:

*Boarding the airplane in Paris, I spotted my piano professor from Wheaton! Wow, 24 years since I saw him. Later in the plane, I identified myself to him and he came back and sat in the empty seat beside mine and we talked for a couple of hours. Very special.
*I got my tickets with no problem, except the last leg from Chicago to FW. I decided to pretend I wasn't in the USA and use public transport...and it worked great! I got the city train from O'Hare to Union Station, and got an Amtrak train that stopped just 30-45 minutes from home.
*My sister, Joy picked me up, and we had a great time talking in the car. I felt a huge sense of relief from her, that I will be here for two weeks.

I also learned once I got here that we did nearly lose Mom this week. Her blood clot was the talk of the oncology floor; nurses and her doctors were amazed that she survived because that clot was one of the largest they had ever seen.
So glad she is still with us, and regained enough strength to return home yesterday. However, the episode weakened her considerably and she will now be permanently on oxygen. She is also taking a blood-thinning med, Coumidin that has some potentially very serious side effects.
We are enjoying time together. I'm trying to help with cooking, etc... and pray I can make some things that taste good enough to her to want to eat! She is adjusting her expectations, since now she really does feel like she has cancer...we had a good time of prayer together this morning and she is getting there. Not that we don't pray for miracles--but God's grace is a miracle however its poured out on us, isn't it? Whether in healing or in our ability to trust Him if He doesn't heal.
As we prayed this morning, it seemed we couldn't get to the end of what we had to be thankful for. I am so thankful to be here. Being at church this morning was a surprise blessing--to be with people who know and love Mom, too and to worship together ministered deeply to my spirit.

God bless you for your prayers.
Love, Julie

P.S. Its also special to see others ministering to my parents. My mom has lost quite a bit of weight, and last night a friend brought over 3 pairs of new pants and two lovely jacket-tops she bought on sale just for Mom. What a wonderful, welcome gesture of encouragement.

Feeling better

Hi! Mom seems to be feeling better today. If her blood work is ok she may be coming home tomorrow. She will have oxygen but be able to move around and be home. Julie will be in tonight so she will be a big help. This is Mom at our house last Halloween! Keep praying!!

Not home yet

Hi! Well, another day at the hospital. Mom is still struggling to breath and is pretty weak. We are just waiting to see if the meds work or not. Mom has asked Julie to come home to see her, so she will be home soon. I think she could get better from this and go on but I also could see this taking her. We know where she is going and that we will see her again but it is still tough. Update--Julie will be here tomorrow. I spent today at the hospital so Dad could get some stuff done. I think it was good for him to be off doing something for a while. She slept a lot today but looks a lot better and seems to be breathing pretty well. She is tired of people telling her to eat--nothing tastes good at all. She is trying and is in pretty good spirits. Keep praying.

A Long Day

Well, it started at about 5:00 am today. Mom woke up and couldn't catch her breath. They called 911 and she was taken to the emergency room. She was given an oxygen mask and fluids. The oncology Dr. came in at about 10:30 and thought she had a blood clot in her lung. A CT scan confirmed that and now she is being treated and watched at the hospital. When I got there at about 8:45, Dad was there with a good friend. It is so nice to see the friends that are here to support and help Mom and Dad through all this. I have to say today was scary and stressful. Mom is now comfortable but it is still dangerous for her for the next couple of days. They know what to watch and how to treat it so we are hopeful she will be fine soon. I thank God that He is in control and He is taking care of us.

As Philippians 4:6-7 says in the Message "Celebrate God all day, every day...Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." This is what I found so true today, praying instead of worrying is the only way to get through!

Chemo is not so bad

Hi all! Mom had her first round of chemo on Wed. and she is doing great. She slept a lot on Thursday but today stayed up all day. She hasn't had much nausea and is feeling well enough for some company tomorrow. We were going to go see her but Sadie has a little soar throat and Mom isn't supposed to be around sick people if she can help it. We were glad to be back into a regular routine but this weather has interrupted that. This cold is awful--I prefer snow! Have a great week-end everyone!

Another Day Another Dr.

Hi all. We went to the doctor on Tuesday and Mom got her chest tube out. Dad commented that that was the 1st Doctor's appointment with good news. I said that maybe I should go to more! Today we went to the chemotherapy doctor. He was very straight forward and upbeat. Mom is going in tomorrow to get a catheter in her lung because more fluid seems to building up. She is getting a CT scan 1st to make sure. She will start chemo next Wednesday and have one dose every three weeks. The doctor reminded us that this is not a cure but a help. I appreciated what he had to say and was glad I was there. Hopefully her body will react well to the chemo and she won't get too sick. Thank you for all the well-wishes and prayers!

Christmas fun

We had a wonderful Christmas and Mom is doing great. She tires out a little but has done great keeping up with all of us. Her hair started to fall out earlier this week and so Janet and her shaved the rest. She looks good with her scarf. Sadie told her she looks like a pirate--kids!! Janet, Thomas and Emma go back to MN today so the house will be quieter for them and she goes to the doctor a couple of times this week. I am hoping to make it to an appointment soon. Thanks for your prayers over the holidays.