Answered Prayers

With all glory to God, I am happy to report that Mom was released from the hospital on Wednesday. (Our dial up situation prevented me from reporting this earlier...sorry. We praise God for our wonderful church that allows us to use their high speed.) When I talked with Mom this afternoon she was overjoyed to be out of the hospital and was most optimistic that she would be back at the ranch by this time next week. I so hope that this will prove to be true!

Mom had a rough go at the hospital this last time. Fortunately, she was able to avoid the feeding tube the doctors were threatening to attach. Mom was unable to hold anything down for quite awhile but things are now better on that front. The swelling on her face has subsided and the fluid in her lungs is now manageable. She has an antibiotic treatment today and will return again on Monday & Wednesday for two more rounds. It is after this that Mom hopes to go home. Stasi & Matt were able to spend time with Mom at the hospital on Friday and Saturday. Mom was showing noticeable improvement from the time they arrived to the time the left which gave us all comfort.

Dad is holding up as well as can be expected. It is a constant roller coaster that Mom lives on and at time it is most wearing on Dad. He struggles seeing her suffer, he struggles with not being able to fix this all for her, and he struggles with having the "retirement years" being so different than he imagined they'd be. Mom and Dad were going to continue to travel, spend time with family both near and far, and enjoy a simple life. Life is anything but simple for them now. The one thing that this present life has brought them is true gratefulness for the simple things of life. It is this realization that makes talking with Mom so encouraging and inspiring. When you talk with Dad, he is quick to remind you to enjoy your life and appreciate what you have, especially your health. Mom would have chosen a different path if given the choice but through God's grace, she values and appreciates the life God has given her. Mom doesn't ever talk about what life could have been like, she only talks about the good she sees in the path God has set before her. I greatly appreciate this quality in my mom.

Thank you for your prayers on Mom's behalf. God is answering them and Mom is being blessed.

Please Pray

After months of good weeks and a few tougher weeks, Mom finds herself in the hospital. Mom would covet your prayers as she struggles with a severe bladder infection and lungs filled with fluid. As always, Mom's spirits were positive and she wanted to hear more about my family than she wanted to talk about herself when I touched base with her this morning. She made it very clear that "I will make it through this too". What a trouper!!

Mom was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday night for excessive pain and very low blood pressure. She is now on heavy pain medication to give her some relief from her all over body pain. In a effort to help with her low blood pressure, a large amount of fluids were given which may be the contributing factor to her lungs filling with fluid and her face swelling. She is also being given antibiotics to help with infection. She is not able to eat much at all (about a teaspoon of soup an hour) or else she vomits. No fun. She will continue to stay in the hospital until she is stabilized, her lungs are no longer filled with fluid and they have a handle on her pain. She can be reached on her cell phone but please be aware that her pain medication makes her "groggy."

Mom said that Dad is doing much better now that Mom is on pain medication. It is very hard on him to see her suffer. Easy to understand.

The above photos were taken in August at the beach in Cayucos during one of Mom's better weeks. Don't Mom and Dad look happy?! Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support. You are greatly appreciated.