The morbid side of me

I can handle death, pain, and illness pretty darn well.  Part of it is from growing up in hospitals and clinnics from following around dad's cancer and COPD.  Usually, it doesn't phase me and I can see the person, not their illness.

However, lately I have been reading way.too.many. blogs about death and sickness.

Matt - lost his wife Liz to a pulmonary embolism when she got up from bed to meet their newborn.

Katie- a missionary in Uganda.  Oh my word, it makes me want to adopt from Uganda so badly!

Renee- another missionary in Uganda.  She has such faith that God will heal the sick.  Graphic pictures but I feel that they help to bring the stories to life.  Total reality check to appreciate America.

Karol- my pastor's wife.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2009.  Her caring bridge site is updated pretty reguarly which is nice because my church is large and I want to be updated on her health.  She called and left a message on our answering machine the weekend before her and her family left to California for some treatments.  She is always always always smiling.  Always.  And her hair and makeup look fabulous, you'd never know she had a cold much less cancer.  I want faith like Karols.

Ian- critically injured while serving in Iraq but is making an amazing recovery.  Totally floored because it is totally God!

The Reed Family- have adopted eight orphans so far bringing their family up to fourteen.  Wow! 

Raising Arrows- her daughter passed away and you'll need kleenex.  On the other side it's encouraging to see how well themom heals.  Just hug your kids tonight, okay?


Another side of my morbidity is my total openess to death with pregnancy and labor.  Let's face the facts- women die giving birth.  11 out of 100,000 in 2005 is not bad at all but still!  It could happen!

Sometimes I catch myself in a fog of worry over this issue. 

Does Kendall know where Ethan's socks are?  How about his folded undershirts? 

Would Kendall sing Jesus Loves Me to Ernest every night like I do?  Does he know Ernest needs to transition into sleep and can't just be laid down and told go to sleep?

He'd bathe the kids, right?  I mean, at least before church or something?

Does he know what size shoes Ethan wears?

WOULD HE FEED THEM NOTHING BUT TOP RAMEN AND FROZEN PIZZA!??!?!????

Would Ethan grow up on Pixar movies and Veggietales day in and day out?

I hope he'd remarry on the sooner than the later, the boy's need a mother figure in their lives!

Thank GOD my sister in law has boys and all of his family is within an hour and a half.

Thank GOD we have an established church we attend.  Those women would step right in and help out if he needed anything.

Thank GOD I have friends out here in Minnesota who know me and my boys.  They would step right in and help out if he needed anything.

Scratch that- our church family, blood family, and friends family would step in to help whether he asked or not because they know that's what Crystal would want.

AND thank you JESUS I have all of our children's clothes organized and labeled by size AND gender.  I know I  have put Ernest in pink pajama's on laundry day but still, it's nice to know the kids stand a chance at getting something on in a size they could technically wear.