Prayer Request

I'm taking a little break from sharing about a current family struggle (see part one and two) to ask for your prayers for my sister.  My brother-in-law called late this morning to tell me that my sister is in the hospital and is not doing very well. 

Over the years, my sister has experienced a plethora of medical problems. She has had numerous hospitalizations and surgeries.  Right now, she appears to be in liver failure and they also found that she has pneumonia.

I would like ask you to pray for Sheri....that God would allow her to heal and recover quickly, that she will get the love and support she needs to overcome this situation, for all the doctors and nurses that are caring for her...and for her husband and daughter (who is 16),

I know she is in good hands but I'm really worried about her.  She lives in Indiana and so I can't be there with her right now. 

I appreciate your prayers.

Please Pray

My mother-in-law was in a car accident this morning.  She was driving a friend of hers home from their weekly St. Vincent dePaul meeting.  Her passenger was released from the hospital this evening but my MIL ended up with a dislocated elbow, a broken wrist and lots of bruises.  She had a CAT scan of her chest as they were concerned about internal injuries.

In addition, Nathan has strep throat...which isn't surprising since for the last several weeks there has been everything from bacterial pneumonia to the stomach flu roaming around his school.  At one point, there were 9 kids out from just his class alone.  I knew it would catch up with us.  It always does.

This family is in desperate need of prayers....as usual.

Thank you for always hitting your knees for us!

Here we go again!

Irene is getting stronger and more organized.  The hurricane models are pretty close this time and Florida is in the cross hairs.  Still, I think this storm will end up moving more north and then east and bypass us all together.  I think the people who need to really watch this storm are those in the Carolina's.  Either way, by the middle of the week, we should know more.

It looks like the Dominican Republic will be hit...again.  I think those that live in the islands in that area have had quite enough of this!  We need to pray for them!

Apparently, Saint Medard is one of the Saints we can look to for protection from bad weather.

Jesus Our Lord, Saint Medard served as a bishop during very difficult times, and his long life of spiritual leadership created a tremendous impression on the people. Because of his patronage against bad weather, we ask him to intercede for us during the storms of our lives as well as the storms in nature. Protect us and our homes.  And Lord, help the victims of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Send in more helpers and multiply the supplies that are needed for their aid. You calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee; deliver us from the storms that are raging around us now. Saint Medard, pray for us. Amen.

(adapted from Catholic Fire)

Prayers Please

I need to ask for your prayers again.  Another dear friend of mine F.M. was diagnosed with breast cancer this week.  Please pray for all involved (including doctors and nurses).  She is overwhelmed and very concerned about telling her small boys.  I wish I could take all the worry from her, but I can't.  But I know Someone who can!

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known, that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.  Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.  To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.  O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me.  Amen.

Prayers please...

I'm sorry that I haven't been around much lately but it's been quite crazy in my neck of the woods.  As soon as things slow down, I'll be back with full updates.  In the mean time I have 3 special prayer requests...

1.  Please pray for my brother-in-law, Ken (Dan's sister's husband), who lives in Japan.  He was at work when the earthquake happened and he is now in an evacuation shelter.  Their home is very near the coast and no one knows if it is still there or not.  His cell phone battery is dead and he didn't have his charger with him so he can't really communicate with us right now.  His mother is in a hospital and as far as we know, there wasn't much damage there.  He has siblings who live about a block from the beach.  We are also very concerned about this nuclear power plant.  This is bad, really bad. 

2.  Please also pray for a friend of mine who is suffering from Stage 4 Melanoma that is now in his brain.  He was doing well for awhile and the tumors were "stable".  However, last night we were informed that he has 9 new tumors and he is in much pain.  Please pray for his family and his doctors.  Outside of a miracle, he isn't going to make it through this.  He is 46.

3.  I also ask for a few prayers for myself.  I have a swollen (and very painful) lymph node on the right side of my neck...right underneath my jaw bone.  I don't feel flu-ish.  I don't have a tooth ache or ear ache.  My throat is not sore.  I don't know what could be causing this.  Swollen lymph nodes make me VERY nervous.
My recent PET scan was clear so I'm trying not to worry.

Thank you so much for your prayers.....see you soon.

Prayers Please!

I'd like to ask you all to remember me in your prayers over the next several days.  I'm scheduled for my re-staging PET Scan on February 8th at 7:30am.  As it gets closer and closer to the day, my anxiety level slowly increases.  In addition to that, I have not been feeling well lately and whenever I experience new or strange symptoms, I'm always a little wary.

I'm hoping that the problems I'm experiencing right now are medication related.  If I could just learn to deal with issues as they come, I'd be a lot better off.  Instead, I do my best to live in denial for some things and just pretend that everything is fine.

I'm sure that part of the reason I'm feeling so poorly is that I'm not sleeping well.  I've always been a night person and it seems that I'm still awake after midnight most of the time.  My husband thinks that if I could just GO TO BED, turn off all the lights and the TV, I might be able to slow my mind down enough to get some rest.  I know he's right....but habits are hard to break, and, a girl with panic attacks has got to do what a girls gotta do!

Some other factors that are contributing  are....my weight, stress, too much caffeine,  work, and a recent upper respiratory infection that is STILL hanging around.  Put all this together with the worry of my upcoming scan and the fact that I am prone to depression....and you end up with a terrible mess!  Yep, that's me right now!

The thing is, I KNOW that God is in control!  I really do know this.  But for some reason, this knowledge doesn't always bring me comfort.  And so, I beg you for your prayers.  Thank you!

So busy.

It's very busy here in our house preparing for the Thanksgiving Holiday.  I've been asked to make a "squash casserole" as part of my contribution to our family meal on Thursday.  I've never made one before and I have been scouring the internet trying to find the right recipe.  A friend has agreed to share her family recipe with me as long as I swear on the life of my first born child that I won't share it!  That's a tall order....and I do love my first born very much....so I guess I'll have to comply with her wishes.

In other news, I had some more dental work done last week.  Yuk!  I hate the dentist.  I hate everything about the dentist.  In this case, I had two very old (like...over 20 years) crowns that decided to crumble at just about the same time.  Unfortunately, there wasn't enough of either the crown or the post left to save.  The only option was to pull the teeth.  Unfortunately, I had two teeth pulled on Wednesday.  It didn't take long and I wasn't in too much discomfort at the time.  Since then, the one on the left is giving me some trouble....much, much, much too sore.  The one on the right seems to be healing fine.  To top it all off...one of the them was right in front...which means I either look like Granny from Beverly Hillbillies....or I have to wear something that they call a "flipper".  It reminds me of the "retainer" I wore after my braces were removed when I was in the 5th grade.  Anyway, the left side is causing a lot of paid in the surrounding gum, the sinuses, and the side of my face.  This, in turn, has created a headache that just doesn't want to go away.  I've been slugging prescription grade ibuprofen every six to eight hours just to be able to function!  I wonder what my liver looks like right now?  No...never mind, I don't want to know!

The Christmas Trees have arrived at our parish! Our Men's Club sells Christmas Trees as a fundraiser every year.  These are very special trees as Father blesses every single on of them personally! They were supposed to come yesterday afternoon but the truck bringing them from North Carolina was delayed and they didn't get here until almost 1:00am.  Dan was on the list for helping to unload them...consequently, he will be sleeping in this morning!  Helping out at the tree lot is a very enjoyable tradition in our family.  The kids play, the adults talk, we roast marshmallows and pray the Rosary!  I love this time of year!

School is on hold for the rest of this week.  To be honest, we haven't gotten much done over the last two weeks.  My new schedule of Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues is not really working.  We're going to have to try something else.   I'm changing the schedule up a bit and I'll keep you posted on the progress.  Incidentally, Amelia got 100% on her very first spelling test!  I'm very proud of how well she is doing in school.  This is so cool for me to see!  I see her learning and growing right before my eyes and I'm in awe.  She's very bright and I'm a proud Mama!

I have a special prayer request of you, my friends.  A close friend of ours was recently diagnosed with Large Cell Lymphoma.  I don't know all the specifics, but I do know that surgery to remove the tumor is not an option.  I am not sure if the decision was made for traditional/conventional treatment or not (there was some talk of going the more natural way), but whatever decision he and his wife make....I want them to be covered in prayer!  Please add PR & DR to your prayer list!  Thank you so much.

Well, that's it for now.  In my next post I will share our plans for Advent!!

Happy Tuesday, everybody!!

Prayers for Abby Sunderland please!

I don't know if any of you have been following the story of Abby Sunderland, but, she and her family are in desperate need of our prayers right now!

I have been following Abby's journey now for several months! She is an incredible girl who has been given the chance to live her dream of being the youngest (16 years old) solo circumnavigator.

Unfortunately, her team was notified by her emergency beacon (EPIRB) that she is in need of help. Authorities are on their way to her but she is currently in the middle of the ocean somewhere between South Africa and Australia and it will take a boat approximately 40 hours to reach her. Quantas Airlines is currently working on a "fly over" by one of their planes.

Please say a quick prayer for Abby and her family. You can keep up to date on the situation by visiting Abby's Blog.

I am told that St. Nicholas of Myra is the Patron Saint of sailors. Perhaps we can all invoke his intercession today!

May I ask....

....for some special prayers for a special little someone who really needs them right now! Thank you all so much!

This and That!

The end of the school year is always so busy!  There are library books to find and return, teacher gifts to purchase, class parties to attend!  All of this can be really time consuming and tiring!  It seems as though the kids are bouncing off the walls!  They are ready for the year to be OVER! 

My beautiful, Amelia, graduated from Kindergarten on Monday!  I don't necessarily agree with the notion of an official "Graduation" ceremony (with cap/gown & diploma), but I must admit, it was a lovely program and I was definitely a proud mama!  Her final report card was excellent and I'm very pleased with the progress she made this year!  She is reading completely on her own!  I know for a fact that I didn't read until First Grade!

Amelia on Graduation Day with Grandpa & Grandma!

Amelia and Sister Clare on Graduation Day!

Since her graduation was on Monday....she's been out of school all week!  Nathan and Olivia don't get out until Friday!  Although I have enjoyed some one on one time with Amelia this week, I wish they were all out at the same time!  This can make for a very stressful morning when one gets to stay home (and isn't sick) and the others don't.  I literally have to PUSH them out the door!

Dan and I have been working on our finances and we are making some major changes here.  For one thing, we are going to get rid of cable!  We had made the decision a few months ago...but honestly, we wanted to wait until the series finale of LOST!  Now that it's over....we are going to take the plunge.  I think we just hit another billing cycle but by next month at this time, there will be VERY LITTLE television in this house!  This will be just as hard for me as it will be for the kids, but I believe it's the right thing to do for our budget and the right thing to do for our souls.  There will be less distraction, less inappropriate commercials and a lot more time for each other and for the things of God!

Another thing that will be changing is our phone/internet service.  We found that we were paying a huge amount for this service that we really didn't need.  We will no longer have messaging services, caller ID, call waiting or unlimited long distance.  We will have a regular answering machine and if we're on the phone when someone else calls......they'll hear a BUSY SIGNAL!  We'll have to see how the long distance thing goes...for now.  Two of Dan's siblings as well as my sister, all live far enough away that it requires long distance calls.  In addition, some of my very best friends live out of state.  We will try this for awhile to see how it goes but we may need to be flexible with this as it's important for us to keep in touch with our family and friends.

When I escaped from the hospital on Friday, I came home and found out that my sister was also in the hospital.  She has been having some major health issues for several years.  I am hopeful that they can get to the bottom of all of her pain....both physical and emotional....and have her on the road to healing soon.  She asked me to put her on my prayer list and so, I thought I would ask you...my wonderful online friends, if you would pray for her also.  In addition to my sister, I have another dear friend who is struggling with metastatic breast cancer.  She faces an uphill battle at the moment and she needs some peace about the very serious decisions she is having to make.  All prayers are appreciated!

Blessings to all of you!!

Good Friday

We've had a bit of a set back with my mother-in-law. Last night she was transferred back to the ICU. Her heart rate continued to climb and they needed to give her medication to get her out of A-Fib. Thankfully, her vital signs look good right now. It's 5:15am here...and I've not slept yet! In a little while, I will call Dan's sister to come and relieve me. Our family has truly rallied around my mother-in-law during her time of need. She is one very special woman to me! She really has been my mom for the last 12 years. I would do absolutely anything for her. I wish I could take away her pain and discomfort right now....but I can't.

Earlier, she and I discussed how very special it is to be able to unite our sufferings with Christ on this Good Friday. We will not have our traditional Easter "big-to-do" this year....but that's ok....because Christ will rise anyway! No matter our circumstances, no matter our troubles...He is still on the Throne....He still conquered death!

I feel very blessed to be able to be with her at this time. I wish she knew of the deep love that I have for her. Hopefully, in the next few days, things will improve and we can start talking about her going home.

As you reflect on The Passion and Death of Christ today....please offer a prayer for her. Thank you so very much.

MIA

I'm so sorry that I've been away from blogging for the last few days. We've been on a huge roller coaster ride with my wonderful mother in law. She is stable at the moment, and this is good news. As I write this post, I am sitting next to her bed (in the hospital). The Bipap machine is humming along with an occasional beep. Hopefully she will be able to get on her feet in the next day or two. She just wants to go home!

In the meantime, I'm praying for all of you and hoping that you have a blessed Easter. I'll be back to the regularly scheduled programming (blogging) as soon as she is better.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Emergency Prayers Needed!

Had to call 911 for my mother in law!  Please pray!  Details when I have them!
Thank you so much!

Update/Update/Update!!!!! Please pray.....

My good friend, Therese from Aussie Coffee Shop, is at the hospital.....her baby is on the way! This will be baby #8 for she and her husband, Steve. Please take a few minutes to pray for a safe delivery!

UPDATE: Here is the information that Therese's husband, Steve, sent...


Joseph James was born about 12 hours ago at 21:30 Sunday night. Every thing went well although the final stages of labor seemed long. At 9cm dilation contractions began to decrease so they gave her more drugs to get it going. Spent several hours at 8 cm dilation. He was 8 pounds.

Can't remember how long or how big his head is but it was the biggest so far.

Got some video a few seconds after she delivered him so Therese might put it up later this week.

Thanks for your prayers.

Steve

Congratulations to the entire family!!!

********2nd update with pictures posted just minutes ago. Click here to see Joseph!!!********

Update!!

Thank you all for your prayers. Ethan is doing somewhat better! On Friday, they did a scope (both ends) and they think they found Ulcerative Colitis. They did a biopsy on one of the ulcers but we won't have those results until sometime tomorrow. The doctor thought that there is still a chance that it's Crohn's Disease. He has been receiving IV fluids and has perked up considerably since then!

Extra laundry and prayer request!

Last night, Dan took the kids out to see some Christmas lights. There is one house that has done such a huge display that they have it synchronized to music! According to Nathan, it was "incredible"! However, Amelia must have a problem with riding in a car and looking outside at the Christmas lights...because she decided to throw up all over herself and her car seat! Nathan was totally freaked out! So...today I'm doing laundry.....and airing out the car!

On a more positive note....I finished the Christmas cards!!! I apologize to those of you who won't get theirs until after Christmas because they aren't getting in the mail until later today!

I also have a prayer request. My nephew (who is 17) is in the hospital. He has been sick since sometime before Thanksgiving. He's can't keep any food down. He's lost close to 21 pounds! They have done several tests and can't seem to figure out what's going on. He saw a GI doctor on Monday and they put him on another anti biotic. He seemed better for about a day..and then he began vomiting again. They admitted him last night. Please pray for Ethan, and for the physicians that are treating him. We need to get to the bottom of this! Thank you!

"I will strengthen you, and help you". (Is 41:10b)

On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. (Is 29: 18-19)

I've been reflecting on these words since Saturday evening when I read them in my Magnificat. My heart is heavy right now for two families. Please take a few moments to offer up a prayer for

this family.......and this family.

Thank you.

UPDATE-Prayer requests

• For a coworker (RT) whose mom was diagnosed with breast cancer this weekend! He asked me lots of questions about surgeons and oncologists....and it brought back lots of scary memories for me! I'm praying that God would bring peace at this very confusing time for RT and his family. RT's mom had her MRI yesterday and is scheduled to meet with a team of doctors next week. They seem to have a plan and are getting very good advice.....please continue to keep her in your prayers! Thanks....
• For one of my very best friends (CC) whose son (JC) has suffered a terrible bout with croup. For some unknown reason, this virus has attacked his heart and lungs and he is currently on life support (ECMO). He is 6 years old. Please pray for his parents and his little sister (BC). Yesterday, there was discussion of a heart transplant. I believe his most recent test results indicate that they can put that on the back burner for now as there is some improvement. Praise be to God! Great news! JC is off of the ECMO machine!! He is still on the ventilator but he is doing much better and they are discussing slowly waking him up from his drug induced coma. I ask for your continued prayers for JC!!
• For my neighbor (NB) who is currently in the hospital suffering from abdominal pain of unknown etiology at this point. They were scheduled to do an endoscopy today. She has two small children who need their mommy home and well. My neighbor is home and is doing better. The diagnosis as an "infected" ulcer. I'm not sure what the next course of treatment is...but she is home with her kids and her mom has come from Maine to help out! Thank you all for your intercession.
• For a dear friend's little son (BM) who fell off of the monkey bars at the park yesterday and broke his arm. He had surgery last night and it went very well. Please pray for a full and quick recovery! His mom tells me that he is irritating his sisters today.....that's a good sign. The kids and I brought BM some Halloween treats last night (books and a card game) to help keep him busy! He is doing much better today and I'm sure will be back to normal very soon. I think his mom said he would only be in the cast for 3 weeks!

Thank you all in advance for your prayers. My shoulders were feeling very heavy today with burdens of these families and now that I've shared them with you...they feel lighter.

The power of prayer is pretty awesome and I thank you so much for allowing me to share my prayer requests with you!

Did you know.....

that according to an English study, 50% of women with early breast cancer had depression, anxiety or both in the year after diagnosis? Well, I guess I fall within that 50%. It's nothing that I can really talk about yet...not in detail anyway. I'm working through it. I just can't seem to shake this funk. I find myself especially vulnerable to everyday stresses. I feel as though I'm just barely treading water. I tell you all of this....not to gain your sympathy or kind words/comments....I tell you only because I know many of you are true prayer warriors! I beg you for your prayers right now. Forgive me for my light posting these days....putting coherent thoughts together is just not in the cards right now. I'm trying to find the right balance.

I realize that I am a very blessed woman and that God has placed me in this spot, in this time for a purpose. I must be honest, I prefer mountain tops, but I will do my best to deal with the deserts when they come. Can anyone say S.A.H.A.R.A?