Alison's son is sick

My friend's son is sick.  And my heart is breaking for her.  She's the one with the mild voice.  She's the one with the gentle spirit and the kind and giving heart.  I see Starbucks and think of her and her love for caffiene.  Her children are so-stinking-cute-and-sweet.  No wonder she eight of them!  She has a love for the Lord that makes Ruth Graham look like an amateur.

Man, don't you just want to look at God and say "Hey, point your lightening bolt over THAT way, those people you have it aimed at are actually pretty decent!'  Lord, I wish I knew what You were up to, what You have up Your sleeve.

Her son has brain cancer. 

If that weren't enough, it's a really really bad kind (because some aren't so bad? I don't know).  What person would be okay with hearing a family member has cancer?  What momma would be able to see straight and stand while learning that her oldest child has not only cancer but it's in his brain?

The few times her son, who is 17, was around my then three year old Ethan, he was incredibly patient and soft spoken with him.  Ian, who is sick, is a 'professional big brother' and I know if we lived closer I'd call him to babysit in a heartbeat!

Tonight, would you lift up Alison and her family?  Pray for her patience, wisdom, and strength through this ordeal.  She homeschools this beautiful family she is blessed with.  And her babies range in 17 with Ian, all the way down to just a few month (with the infant exclusively nursed, God bless her!).  Pray for Ian's body to heal.  For the doctors to have such wisdom it must come from Up Above.  Right now, the family and medical team are deciding on a route to go concerning Ian's treatments.  Alison is a bit holistic and trying to find treatments, foods, etc that will help and inhance Ian's ability to fight off this cancer as naturally as possible.  Pray for those little brother's and sister's to not be scared.  Can you imagine seeing your big, tough, go-get'em big brother down and out in a hospital?  Pray for these little faces to see Christ in all of this.

Here's a link to Alison's blog:
Alison's Blog 

Here's a link to a prayer site on facebook dedicated to Ian:
Pray for Ian Williams

Sweet sweet George Jones

The story behind George Jones and dad.

Have you heard the song "He Stopped Loving Her Today"?  It's about a lady who ends up leaving a man and breaking off their relationship. The song is told in 3rd person and the narrator talks about the man still having her letters and and pictures.  In the end, the narrator goes to see the man who is now 'all dressed up' and sees he is smiling for the first time in years.  Turns out, the man passed away, therefore, he stopped loving her today.  Sweetest.  Saddest. Song. Ever.

Our family thinks about dad with this song.  Granted, mom never left him, however he always said he'd love her to the end and then some.  She was a good woman to him.  Do you know of any other story where the husband was sick for 15 years and wife put her life on hold, for FIFTEEN YEARS, to take care of him?  Mom should write a book.

"He Stopped Loving Her Today", Lyrics


He said I'll love you 'til I die
She told him you'll forget in time
As the years went slowly by
She still preyed upon his mind

He kept her picture on his wall
Went half crazy now and then
He still loved her through it all
Hoping she'd come back again

Kept some letters by his bed
Dated 1962
He had underlined in red
Every single I love you

I went to see him just today
Oh but I didn't see no tears
All dressed up to go away
First time I'd seen him smile in years

(Chorus)
He stopped loving her today
They placed a wreath upon his door
And soon they'll carry him away
He stopped loving her today

(Spoken)
You know she came to see him one last time
Oh and we all wondered if she would
And it kept running through my mind
This time he's over her for good

(Repeat Chorus)

What might have been

Today as I'm cleaning up pee and wiping down the floor I get a bad case of the ''what might have been's".  I have a wonderful friend who went on from high school to achieve her PhD and is now able to travel and see the world for conferences and leisure.  The sweetest, nicest, prettiest gal ever.  Another friend lives in New York and works as an achitect.  I did attend an impressive magnet high school that concentrated on science and engineering, so these results are not too uncommon.  I had plans to go on to college and major in microbiology/biochemistry.  I wanted to work for the Centers of Diesease Control in Atlanta and help save the world.  I wanted to travel to new places and live the cultures most people only read about in the paper.  Work by day saving a west Africa village from a series of outbreaks, eat monkey and watch the stars by night.  Ahhhhh.   I'd get married 'sooner or later' and maybe have a kid, maybe.  I'd never really settle down and I'd live by the ocean so I could see the waves crash every morning and call the seagulls my friends. 

This morning, as I'm wiping up pee, handing out more cereal, and making a bath for said-pee-child, I can't help but think of it all.  What would have happened if I didn't get married and decided to go on to college?  Would I have ever stepped foot in Minnesota in my life?  To me, Minnesota had lots of trees and guys that wear plaid.  It turns out this is true on both parts, go me!  But to live here?  In -20 windchills?  No thanks.  I'm a Atlantic Ocean lover. 

Now I'm raising three kids and married to my very own Paul Bunnion (or however you spell his last name... maybe I should say the Bounty Man). 

Proverbs 14:30 (K
A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Ok, fine.  I'm just having a 'true' moment.  It's true though, I do sometimes wonder.

But as I'm typing this, my 2 year old now has a towel wrapped around his clean pee-free body and has just said "Up please!" so he's sitting in my lap singing.  Sorry Africa, you gotta wait.