Updates

Ron had chemo yesterday. He is supposed to have 1 more, then a PET scan... see if things still look good. He returned to his regular job today, since the schools will soon begin.

Faith started kindergarten Monday. She has reading, writing, arithmatic, piano, social studies, character building, Scripture memorization, Home Ec (mommy's version), etc. We recently discussed fire safety... read some books, etc., and playground safety (a DVD), and I am excited about what she is learning. She is even trying to learn some new activities (guess you could call it PE) such as jump roping... she has a way to go to master them, but she is pretty determined on the jump rope thing. Funny thing is that, Charity is learning right along beside her... just ask her to sing the vowel song... she can tell you their short vowel sounds and she is learning the Scriptures, too... pretty proud of that three year old! Hope is, well, she has mastered how to make messes in record timing! She climbs, she wrecks, she pulls curtains off the wall, she is dangerous, she is very noisey, and she is so cute... but, my house is not!

I did something fun last night with my girls. I put a tent up outside our home and we stayed in it for maybe a couple of hours, till Faithy wanted to go in the house to be with her daddy. We had a lot of fun, though, singing songs, telling stories, looking for stars (the tent can be seen through at the top), and listening to that bug light kill some serious amounts of insects last night! Ask Charity, she was so happy about all the fun she had.

I have been reading this book about this man who had ALS, and their family's struggle. Unfortunately, this family was strongly atheistic and the language in the book is very foul! So, I do not recommend the book to just anyone. But, I learned some things. I learned how utterly angry a hurting family can become at people who seemingly abandoned them after their father (who was a physician) discovered that he had ALS. It was sad, especially since they did not believe in God, and were even blasphemous. I thought, what hopelessness! I mean, yeah, the guy kept working and researching and had a brilliant mind, but for what?! Temporary living! But, I could symphathize a little with some of their pain. It is a terrible disease! It was sad reading how quickly he had deteriated. He worked hard to slow the process. Swam alot. But, the sad part was their sense of being put in an "outside" catagory, abandoned by those frightened by the terror of the disease. People who didn't know how to express themselves or how to support... perhaps, they didn't even want to support, didn't want to be bothered with this crippling paralosis. I compared our situation with theirs... though the diseases are very different. I found that especially at the beginning, that folks (especially Christians) were highly supportive! We had cards, notes, phone calls, meals, and even gifts... although, I did have some friends who seemingly fell through the cracks... they neither call, nor write, and definitely not visit, and rarely ever ask, except in passing (as a curtousy, I suppose) how we are doing... if I want them to know, I must go out of my way to tell them... I feel like a burden to be borne. Overall, though, I felt love and compassion! Except in the visiting area... guess people are just so busy. You know why I felt love and compassion from so many, many, many people?! It was because of Jesus! Faith is what linked us to so many other hearts! People pray for us! Some of them pray for us every day! Incredible! The one most important part of life this family I read about had rejected. How sad!

I have been having nightmares. Seems so real. Stress has a way of doing that sometimes. I just keep wondering... keep praying... it is always there, will Ron be okay, will he be healed or cured... but, we are not a family full of hopelessness. We have Jesus, and we TRUST Him... it is up to Him. He knows best! I am frightened by grief... I have had a taste of it, and it is a bitter taste, hard to swallow, and I wonder if it would choke me.

Well, responsibility calls, so I need to go! Got a diaper to change, a meal to prepare, baths to give, school to teach, dishes to wash, laundry to do, floors to vacuum, and I hope to have it all done in 3 1/2 hours, so Ron can have an orderly home when he gets back from work. Whew! Here goes super-woman!