That's right, after the annual Durkee Christmas party this evening, Mike is headed to the train station for his week long trip to Johns Hopkins. My mom will meet him there tomorrow and then the tests and appointments begin. We have hope for this trip and wait to see what God will do. This week has been a bit trying as Justice had some issues, Mike's head has been bad, the little dog was vomiting, the pharmacies did not have prescriptions, the furnace went out and the water pump on our truck is going and needs to be replaced. BUT, here's the cool thing. Before the dogs had their issues, before the furnace went out and before we got word on the truck, God provided. I read this in someone's blog this week "Through all of these events I am reminded just how faithful God is and how many tiny things (and huge things) seem to fit together at just the right time to keep us buoyed, encouraged, and aware of our blessings." Mike's trip is paid for, the furnace repair is paid for and the money for the truck came in the mail in various forms before I found out about it. God truly buoyed our financial needs with the means to pay them all. He has continually provided for us throughout this time. There has NEVER been one bill I haven't been able to pay. THAT is amazing!
Mike and I have been on the receiving end of so much giving, that we wanted to pay forward in a small way this season. We hosted a Christmas party and on the invitation told our friends of a family that we had "adopted" this Christmas. It is a mom with 7 kids who needed help fulfilling Santa's role. I was astonished at the amount of giving that walked through the door tonight at the party. We drank hot chocolate, had a fire, listened to Christmas music and talked in the most of wrapping MANY presents for this family. It is so sweet to be able to pay forward (with a lot of help) the kindness bestowed on us.
This Christmas, take a minute to look where you can pay it forward or help someone in any number of ways. I can tell you from someone who has been on the receiving end, the blessing is rich and one of the only things that has kept my heart and head in this thing called life. Your giving is a reminder that God hasn't forgotten us. Consider that the Saviour of the world gave up His throne long ago to be found in a manger and save us. Pay forward His kindness to you as He continues to give to us. A very Merry Christmas, friends. God's richest and most wonderful blessings on all of you and your families!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
much to tell
Oh boy, it's been a while since I've updated this. So sorry! Let's start with Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was a day of mixed emotion for me. I have a very sick Shepherd whom I was afraid I was going to lose around Thanksgiving as he just wasn't responding to treatment and declining rapidly. Mike and I made the decision that I would stay home with Justice and Mike would go to Cleveland to be with his family and celebrate Christmas with them. This was our first holiday apart and we were sad to be apart but felt we made the right decision. To some, Justice is just a dog. To me, a vet's daughter, the dogs are a part of our family. Not to mention the fact that life has been hard for so long, that to lose Justice now, I would be heartbroken. I'm happy to report, he has made a nice turnaround and is doing better! That does my heart well! Another thing that did my heart well was the opportunity to talk with another wife whose spouse is ill with cancer. Despite different illnesses, I identified with this girl in her feelings so much. She is the first one I have been able to talk with since all of Mike's health issues that I really felt knew how I felt - there was so much comfort in that. I think the comfort came from knowing I wasn't alone. I have felt so very lonely in so much of this, that to have someone identify with my feelings was a blessing I wasn't expecting on turkey day, and certainly something to be very thankful for. While I am talking about this sweet couple, here is the link to their blog:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/zachschellhause
Would you please pray for them? And while I'm on the subject, a friend of mine from school, his wife, has also been diagnosed with very aggressive cancer. Here is her blog:
http://erin-fightingbreastcancer.blogspot.com/
Would you please pray for Erin and her family? Life is so hard on so many levels, sometimes!
Before Thanksgiving, Mike was in the hospital, admitted by the new headache specialist he is seeing, to try a new treatment and manage the headache pain. Mike did have some relief and was sent home on a decreasing dose of new steroids. We were encouraged by some relief after trying so many medications, but discouragement came when Mike was home and with each decrease of dosage came increased pain. He's back to vomiting nightly and living in 24/7 pain. His vision in his left eye is also quite poor. Not to worry, friends, there is a silver lining of hope here. In the hospital, a dr (we're not sure which) mentioned a case like Mike's years ago and the resulting diagnosis. Mike fits the profile to a "T". The condition is very rare (like 500 cases in the US and 1 out of 10 are men). We always knew this would most likely be rare as so many of the tests Mike has had were normal. We have a next step. There is a dr at Johns Hopkins, in Maryland, that is the guru of this autoimmune endocrine disease. We have been connected with him, he's very interested in Mike's case, and next weekend, Mike will travel to Maryland for a week to see this dr. To be clear, it looks like this might be a diagnosis, but nothing is for sure yet. Once we have that information, hopefully after the Johns Hopkins visit, we will share more information with you. My mom, God bless her, will travel to the hospital with Mike as he will be there for a week. Until Mike's appt, would you please pray for a break in the headaches this week? It would be nice to do a few Christmasy things before he leaves. Onward and upward, friends! I pray, despite the hurt in life, you are comforted in knowing that Christ identifies with our hurt and walked through his own pain in life, starting with a humble birth in a manger. Let's not lose sight of this in the busyness of the season, but also, the pain of life.
Becka
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/zachschellhause
Would you please pray for them? And while I'm on the subject, a friend of mine from school, his wife, has also been diagnosed with very aggressive cancer. Here is her blog:
http://erin-fightingbreastcancer.blogspot.com/
Would you please pray for Erin and her family? Life is so hard on so many levels, sometimes!
Before Thanksgiving, Mike was in the hospital, admitted by the new headache specialist he is seeing, to try a new treatment and manage the headache pain. Mike did have some relief and was sent home on a decreasing dose of new steroids. We were encouraged by some relief after trying so many medications, but discouragement came when Mike was home and with each decrease of dosage came increased pain. He's back to vomiting nightly and living in 24/7 pain. His vision in his left eye is also quite poor. Not to worry, friends, there is a silver lining of hope here. In the hospital, a dr (we're not sure which) mentioned a case like Mike's years ago and the resulting diagnosis. Mike fits the profile to a "T". The condition is very rare (like 500 cases in the US and 1 out of 10 are men). We always knew this would most likely be rare as so many of the tests Mike has had were normal. We have a next step. There is a dr at Johns Hopkins, in Maryland, that is the guru of this autoimmune endocrine disease. We have been connected with him, he's very interested in Mike's case, and next weekend, Mike will travel to Maryland for a week to see this dr. To be clear, it looks like this might be a diagnosis, but nothing is for sure yet. Once we have that information, hopefully after the Johns Hopkins visit, we will share more information with you. My mom, God bless her, will travel to the hospital with Mike as he will be there for a week. Until Mike's appt, would you please pray for a break in the headaches this week? It would be nice to do a few Christmasy things before he leaves. Onward and upward, friends! I pray, despite the hurt in life, you are comforted in knowing that Christ identifies with our hurt and walked through his own pain in life, starting with a humble birth in a manger. Let's not lose sight of this in the busyness of the season, but also, the pain of life.
Becka
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