Category: Uncategorized

This was actually during Ellie’s chemo infusion today. They both slept through most of it!

Clarity
The past few days have felt confusing (and a bit frustrating) as we hear one thing and then research to find another thing to be true. Or we are told something will happen at a certain time, and then it is either moved back or just done late. Clear communication feels so important at this point, but it doesn’t always happen.

I’m thankful that when I am frustrated by confusion, God is not. God already knows the outcome of Ellie’s leukemia. And I get to trust Him…not the medicines, not the communication, not the system.

God is powerful. The Bible is full of that reminder. He created the entire world. He rescued His people by parting a giant sea so they could escape across dry ground…and then He killed their enemies behind them. He toppled…

Sustained
Our pastor emailed Jon and I this past Saturday and told us he is praying for God’s sustaining grace for us. I’m beginning to learn that God’s sustaining grace is needed to walk the road we are on. We’ve passed our 2-week mark in the hospital, and I honestly can’t decide if it feels like we’ve been here 4 months or 3 days. So much has happened so quickly that it seems impossible we have been here for only 16 days. And yet Jon and I both feel we have aged years in that time.

We’re getting into the routine even though each day is different. We both love our ministry jobs and are finding ways to fit work-related things into the random empty spots in the day. While we are so thankful and love being with family who are making things much, much easier on us, we are…

This is typical. Two bags of chips, fruit loops, and any other food that may be in sight on Ellie’s bed for consumption. All. At. Once.

I mentioned a couple days ago that one of our oncologists brought us a copy of John Piper’s booklet Don’t Waste Your Cancer. If I could, I would just put the entire booklet up for you to read, but I don’t think any publisher would be happy about that, so I’ll just share with you a few things that spoke directly to Jon and I in this. Obviously, the cancer isn’t Jon’s or mine, and while we don’t feel the actual pain of cancer or treatments like Ellie does, we do feel the emotional pain of Ellie’s diagnosis and the responsibility to handle this situation in a way that we hope will allow God’s glory to shine through. We want to be good stewards of…

Change
I already mentioned how easily I let go of control. A big factor in that is that I’m a planner. I drive my husband crazy with my planning. The “So, when do you want to leave in the morning,” or “I was thinking maybe we could…” or “So next month…” Oi.

Let me just tell you, leukemia and chemo was not on my calendar. But it didn’t surprise God.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9

I’m thankful I don’t know God’s complete plan for this. We are trusting him day by day and resting on His promises to us. I have heard multiple people say during trials, “God won’t give you more than you…

Care
We have been blown away by the response we have seen from others. The love that is being shown to our family is crazy to try to fathom. We have been cared for by complete strangers who are co-workers or friends of my family. We have been given all kinds of things that are all helpful for us. I just wanted to share with you some of the ways God has cared for our family in ways we didn’t even think to ask.

• A co-worker of my sister had memberships donated for our family for both the Tennessee Aquarium and the Creative Discovery Museum for the month. These are both things that we wanted to take Brooklynn to and have been waiting for the right time. Now we can go anytime we want for the rest of the month. This is awesome because we can just pop in and spend 30…