Sewing, Cleaning, and Sharing.....

"Hey Aunt Julie. I have a job interview tomorrow and I was wondering if you could hem up a pair of pants that I bought today for the interview?"

It's is amazing how much has changed here in such a short time. Just a few weeks ago I was 'Grandpa's other daughter' and the name 'Aunt' was a respectful formality that came and went at will. But now time and testimony have given way to relationship and acceptance. If anyone would have told me it would be like this even 6 months or 6 weeks ago I would have laughed. And yet, here we are.

I don't even know where to keep writing with that thought so for now I will change directions......


It has been a big week and time has gone by fast. I began the week with taking doggy #4 to the vet for a check up and some concerns that I had. Now little Paloma is also on medication and I am giving out medicines to 4 of the 5 dogs here every day. The 3 girls only need their medicine for a period of time so it isn't that big of a deal.

In the mail yesterday there was a postcard addressed to Daddy and me. Here is what it said...

Julie, Joe, and loved ones

I am right there with you

And I am holding your hand

I will never leave you

Love Jesus

Isaiah 42:6,7

What a treasured surprise. It caught Daddy off guard and then he smiled with great pleasure. I hung it up on his bathroom mirror today so that he can see it often. The funny thing is that when my cousin went in to wash her hands it caught her off guard too. She called down the hallway, "Oh my gosh! You and Jesus really are close! He even sends you mail!"

Yesterday we spent the morning at the hospital doing a check up. Oh my goodness I forgot how much different it is to be in a military hospital instead of a civilian one. I am very grateful to have the best of both worlds at home.....military insurance and civilian doctors. I don't mean it to sound like military doctors are any less. I respect them very much. It is just the "hurry up and wait" mentality that is characteristic of any and every military happenings that I forgot about.

While Daddy was getting some lab work done, I spent 2 hours going to 3 different (on site) pharmacies to fill his prescriptions. While I waited with my cousin for things to be processed, we got into a wonderful discussion about God's miracles and presence all around us.
I shared with him some of the miracles I have seen, about angel feathers and heavenly visitations and I could tell that it is building a deeper and tangible faith for him.

God is so real and so NOW. It is a lie from the enemy that we trick ourselves into believing that God is only a lofty powerful being that sits in a great throne in the heavens surrounded on all sides by clouds and quiet angels. He is around all of us and in us, with every step we take and every breath we breathe, feeling everything that we feel and seeing everything that we see.

God You are SO amazing!

Daddy has been steadily feeling more energy the past few days with not having any treatments for 2 weeks. He has felt good enough that he hasn't wanted me to make him as much medicine doses throughout the day. That thought has backfired on him though and he has been so violently sick to his stomach today. Gosh it is so painful to hear him wretch for so long. The tumor is mostly in the way of letting his body do what it craves to do so it can take 15 minutes or so before his muscles calm down. He and I agreed tonight that for a while we should not back off any of the doses so that we can stay ahead of his symptoms.
I too was sick last night. I had eaten something that didn't agree with me and....oh my goodness what an awful feeling. It made me pray for him all the more.

Tomorrow one cousin is going to stay with Daddy for a while and my other cousin is going to take me to something of a Hispanic market square. She told me the name but it escapes me just now. It sounds like it will be an interesting day and I should have at least one story to tell later on.

Monday Daddy starts his next round of chemotherapy. I am praying that without the radiation it will be an easier week for him. He will begin the morning with a 6 hour dose of chemo at the hospital and then he will be sent home with a pump that will continually dispense more of the chemo meds for more 4 days.

I received a book in the mail today from my pastor titled Experiencing Father's Embrace by Jack Frost. Maybe this next week Daddy might like for me to read it to him......


Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.
God bless you!