Peace

Last night, they surgeon took about 1/2 of mom's foot to prevent what was a very aggressive infection from spreading further. When I talked to the surgeon afterwards, he said if they had waited until today to operate they likely would have had to amputate to the knee. So praise God for giving him the wisdom to do the surgery quickly and with as little foot removal as possible.

Today has seen much improvement in Mom. She is naturally experiencing a lot of pain in her foot but her mind is clearer, the color has returned to her face and she has eaten 2 full meals for the first time in several days. The doctor also said her vitals are moving more toward the normal range and he is very pleased with her condition. I've said before that we know this is going to be a long haul and it seems that I finally have a peace about it. Early yesterday afternoon after battling anxious moments repeatedly over the past 4-5 days I was comforted by a peace that had to be from God and I am thankful, grateful and praising him for his infinite mercy, healing and peace.

Job 11:15-20

then you will lift up your face without shame;
you will stand firm and without fear.

You will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.

Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.

You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
and many will court your favor.

But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
and escape will elude them;
their hope will become a dying gasp.

Quick Update

Shasta and I stayed with Mom last night and she got much more sleep and seems to have rested well. She is very frustrated this morning with not being able to get out of bad. Please pray for peace and comfort for her. She is scheduled to have a stress test today to see if her heart can stand the surgery. Depending on the results of that they may operate on her foot tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for strength for mom and for our family. My brain has been on hyper drive and there are times when I wish I could just turn it off. I am worrier (like my mother) and I think I have run every possibility through my mind 100 times. So please pray for that I will be able to get some clarity and just be able to trust God with whatever comes of this.

"So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace."

Baby Steps

Well today was simply a better day. No major improvements but mom's spirits were better and when we left she seemed be starting to get some much needed rest. Please pray for a supernatural slumber for her tonight and for all of us really. I know Shasta could use it as well as Dana or I. I talked a few posts ago about The Long Haul and each day we see a little bit more what that may entail. The literal flood of support and love from the body of Christ has moved me to tears at times and has been simply overwhelming.

Please continue to pray for mom. Pray specifically for deep sleep tonight, pray that the infection in her toe will clear up sufficiently that they can remove the toe with minimal harm to the rest of her foot. And pray for our family as a whole as we adjust to the need to support and care for her afterwards.

Tired but Thankful

Dana and I just got back from the movies and spending some time together. It was nice to be able to relax a bit in the midst of everything that's been going on. Today was not an easy day but even in todays, and the past several days I have found several things I am thankful for.

1. That we serve a God who has all things under his control. I am constantly remind myself of this
2. My wife and my brother. My wife is an incredible woman that has more strength than I ever imagined. My brother has shown empathy, brought humor and listened to my tears all without any judgment.
3. Today I am thankful that even with all the discomfort mom is in, she is not in ICU and the doctor has said she is not in a life or death situation.

I have promised myself and prayed tonight that I will lay this situation and the rest of my life at my Saviors feet. This is a real struggle for me, I like to have everything in order and as much under my control as possible.

A couple prayer requests, please continue to pray for mom and my family. Also pray for my friend Violet, she recently had heart surgery and had to be rushed to ICU tonight (in the same hospital my mom is in, incidentally). She apparently has an infection, although it's not around the heart. Pray for Violet, her husband Al, her daughter Sam and Sam's husband Frank as well her granddaughters Lacy and Kaitlyn.

The Long Haul

Just a quick update on Mom. She is in a regular room today and her spirits are not as good. They have also put her on oxygen as she is wheezing a bit. She is very tired and said she needs to sleep but she doesn't wanna go to sleep. We discussed this with the doctor and she said it's most likely a result of her pain medication and she said she would give her a sleeping pill with her meds tonight to help her rest. I would say today is not a bad day, and while it's not as good as yesterday we'll take it and continue to trust God's will. Shasta is planning on spending the next couple of nights here at the hospital with her.

We did talk to the doctor and she said that she does have a long way to go but she's not in immediate danger and the major concern right now is her foot and how much she is going to lose due to the infection. This is going to be a long process and I am trying as much as possible to keep a positive mindset but it is difficult and there are time when I wish I could runaway and hide. I am extremely grateful that my brother is here and words can't express how much my wife means to me right now. Thank you to everyone who has prayed, called and visited. Please continue to do those things, but most especially we covet your prayer.

Mom Update

Well God is certainly a God of miracles. When we left the hospital last night I'll admit I was hopeless and actually woke up several times last night with thoughts that were very dark to say the least. When we arrived here this morning she was sitting up, with no oxygen and sleeping. I spoke to the nurse and she said while mom still has a long way to go she wasn't critical and in fact they were waiting for a regular room to become available so they can move her out of ICU. I can't tell you the weight that lifted off my chest at that moment. Thank you so much to all of you for your calls, your prayers and your thoughts.

Mom

My mom is not doing well right now, we rushed her to the emergency room last night and tonight they are moving her from the hospital she's currently in to one that is better equipped to handle her problems. I did get to meet with her doctor tonight and she pointedly told me that mom is very sick. The list is long and the situation is such that need to try and clear up one thing so they can treat another. I really do believe God is sovereign and am trusting him (be it through gritted teeth) and his will right now. I know he can heal and will heal her the question is will the healing come to her physical body or will she be completely healed and receive the new body and reward that is awaiting her? Please pray for strength for Mom, Shasta (she truly is my rock and I would have come apart at the seams today if not for her), me and the rest of my family. My brother Dana is scheduled to fly in tomorrow evening and at least he will be able to be here with us for how ever this plays out. So pray for safe travel for him.

Can't Have Nuthin'

My friend JC will immediately recognize the title of this post, because well, it's like his favorite saying ever. We used to tease him that we were gonna have "He never had nuthin" engraved on his tombstone. I took mom to a vascular surgeon this week and as I usually do I take a book to read while I'm waiting on her to finish her visit. I've been reading Comes A Horseman by Robert Liparulo and was about 10 pages from the finish when she finished. So I collect our stuff, got in the car and headed out. I get home and look in the back of the car and my book isn't there. I had left it at her doctors, in Hagerstown!!! 10 PAGES FROM THE END!!! One of the first things that popped into my head was JC saying "can't have nuthin." and I chuckled. Fortunately one of the office staff realized it was mine and put it behind the desk. I can pick it up next Tuesday when she goes for her MRI.

A music recommendation for you. If you have any appreciation of rap/hiphop music you really should check Of Gods and Girls by Mr. J. Medeiros. It's a very good album and the song Constance is one of those songs that really deserves to be a hit but probably won't get played on mainstream radio because it's too Christian and Christian radio won't touch it because it deals with child porn.

Blowin The Dust Off

Ok, so it's been a little bit and quite a few things have happened.

1. I got to drive an 18-wheeler!!! Yessireebobber I did, I did. Muffin and I had breakfast with my in-laws a bit ago and on the way back Steve says "hey Dwayne you wanna drive the truck." And I'm like "YEAH!" and despite a minor protest from Muffin I was up in the cockpit and drove that sucker a whole 100 yards or so. Don't laugh, cause that's the farthest I've ever driven a stick shift. It was pretty awesome. Muffin and Flo stood safely by our car in the OTHER parking lot.

2. A bit of melancholy news today. CCM magazine is going the way of buy 4 get 1 free stickers and a lot of the other things that I remember from early days as a rabid fan of christian music. They are ceasing publication of their print edition with the April '08 issue.

And to wrap things up I'll leave you guys with my 5 favorite specialty coffee drinks.

1. Starbucks Gingerbread Latte - oh my this is just liquid crack. The best coffee drink evah! If you want to take the calorie hit, make that thing a Breve' and feel your pants get tighter.

2. Brew Mountain Coffee's Maple Latte - Just a simple latte made with maple syrup but they make it to perfection. I don't get by there nearly enough since my friends Randy and Mara moved out of Purcellville. Really nice atmosphere with great friendly people.

3. Panera Bread House Latte - Ok, I KNOW they make it from a mix but that's probably why, without fail, the thing taste so dang good every time I get it. I don't like that 16 oz. is as large as it goes, though.

4. The Coffee Table (Frederick, MD) Iced White Chocolate Mocha - A really well done, tasty iced drink.

5. The Lost Dog "Vanilla Wet Dog." Espresso, seltzer, cream and a slice of orange. An acquired taste but ohhhh so yummy for my tummy.

Honorable mentions Daily Grind Iced-C Iced coffee (when they have it) amd Starbucks Egg Nog Latte

Feel free to comment with your faves

Remodeling

Ok, well I decided I wanted a new look for the blog so I made a few changes. Let me know what y'all think. I added a play list from FineTune, just click the play button the widget to the right and enjoy some tunes while you surf. Of course you'll have to open a new tab but it's worth it :D

So I finally got Kathie her prize for winning the Song Lyric Sunday contest. The really cool thing was when I called Brian from Black Dog to order her coffee he said "since it was for a contest, I'll just donate the coffee." Which is yet another reason to recommend that you coffee lovers send business their way. Not only is the coffee very good, but every time I've bought or ordered from them it's been an awesome experience.

Now for a couple of sports rants:

1. How about those Mountaineers? I will admit that prior to the Fiesta Bowl I honestly thought beating Oklahoma would difficult at best. Especially after their dismal showing against Pitt and with the coaching turmoil of December. Well, boy did they prove me and a lot of other folks wrong. The best part may have been the calls back and forth with my brother and nephew in Tennessee. They mostly went "DID YOU SEE THAT!!!???" We do that alot when watching sports and my wife finds it hilarious.

2. I have mixed feelings about the Mitchell Report regarding performance enhancing drugs in baseball. I think it's sad that already exceptional athletes feel they need to add an edge to their already exceptional talent. But it's hard to trust the credibility of the report since George Mitchell is a paid executive of the Boston Red Sox. The words conflict of interest come to mined. It's even harder to trust when there are no positive tests cited and the 2 witnesses that are testifying, are doing so to avoid legal trouble. I read today that congress plans to call Roger Clemens and several of the other players named in the report to testify. Excuse me, but how in the heck is this important enough to warrant a congressional inquiry. Why not investigate gas price fixing, lowering taxes or any of the million other things that actually have an impact on the average person in this country?