A Pair of Bartletts

Hello Kitty Band-aids and Sticky Sucker Sticks

 

Well, did I get your attention with the title of the post?  I'm just glad that you stopped by.  I have been on somewhat of a hiatus from blogging the last couple of weeks, but with good reason.  As most of you know, my sweet husband underwent another hip replacement, this time being his left hip.  And the day before his surgery, my precious sister-in-love, Julie, had a colonoscopy and was then diagnosed with colon cancer three days after Rob's surgery.  Our lives have been forever changed in the last month.  But our God, in His divine providence, has met every need of every family member, especially Rob and Julie.  

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is GOOD! For His mercies ENDURE forever. Psalm 118:29 

I get excited just reading that verse of scripture!  But let me tell you, it's honestly only in the last few days that I can actually say that I'm "excited" about anything.  God has been so faithful to us and I know that He will never leave or forsake me or my family.  

Speaking of God's goodness, I have been blessed by being able to get away from work for a few days so that I could travel to my brother's house to be with him and Julie and the four children.  You have to understand, when I come for visits, I'm no longer my regular self...I am "Sissy" when I'm with the kids.  It was the sweetest thing to pull into the driveway this past Friday and see a bunch of little eyes peeking out from the upstairs blinds.  It was even sweeter to come up the front steps and hear a parade of excited short people clomping down the steps while shouting a chorus of "Sissy's HERE! "Sissy's HERE!"  I know that I'm prejudiced but they are the sweetest four kids on the planet.  I love them as if they were my own...there isn't anything that I wouldn't do for them.  

Here's where I let you in on the title of the post.  A five hour drive to most people may be grueling.  But to me, it's the sweetest five hours I could ever spend  knowing that when I get into town, I can fix bo-bo's with Hello Kitty Band-Aids, I can enjoy sweet little giggles when I share a popsicle with my 12 month old niece, and I can have wound up little boys use my purse as the closest "trashcan" for their sticky sucker sticks (say that 5 times in a row really fast).  

Like I've said, my family has had some really major things happen to us lately.  But they are not "chance" happenings...they are not "bad karma", as the world would have you believe.  In fact, they are trials that the Lord is using in all of our lives.  And no one will receive any glory for any outcome but our Lord.  He will be glorified in every outcome. 

My brother preached a very strong message yesterday regarding what it means to suffer together and God's perspective on suffering. The message was titled "Jesus Answers Our Worry" and it was out of Matthew 6:24-34 (click the link in this paragraph if you would like to listen to the sermon). The message was a much needed reminder that worry is not of the Lord. It reminded me that God is never surprised or astonished. He has an absolutely perfect plan.

"Our suffering is in the present, our anxiety is in what the future holds and our theology is caught up somewhere in the middle." ~Dr. Paul S. Lamey

My spirit was so incredibly challenged with this message. Paul asked "do you really want to be beyond the headlights of God's providence?" My answer to that today was an affirmative "no". If you had asked me this question a few weeks ago, I really can't be certain what my answer would have been. Well, I'll tell you...within God's providence is where I want to remain. There were so many "nuggets" in this message that I can't possibly list them all. And if I knew that you could read and understand my notes, I would post them here for you. Since I can't do that, I would highly encourage you to listen to the sermon.  I pray you would be as richly blessed as I was.

Well, I've rambled enough.  There has just been so much going on...I have so much to blog!  Thank you to those who are faithful readers.  Thank you to each of you who have vowed to pray for our sweet family.  

I'll leave you with the scriptures that I have committed to memory many years ago but that have become SO relevant to the circumstances that God is allowing us to experience.  I praise Him for His Holy word.  He is real and He is always on time.  

Philippians 4

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 
⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 
⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

 

Breaking the Silence & Some Urgent Prayer Needs

It has been quite a few days since I've posted.  I truly have missed it, but honestly, my heart just has been occupied on some other very important things.  First, my husband has been scheduled for the last few weeks for a total left hip replacement, which was scheduled for last Friday (3/26).  We were nervous, but not nearly as nervous as we were two years ago when he had the right hip replaced in May of '08.  We have anxiously awaited the surgery for the last 2-3 months...as it got closer, all we could think about was how great it would be to get it done, get it behind us and sail through recovery. 

The day before surgery was like any other.  I went to work, Rob stayed home resting due to the impending surgery and life seemed to be somewhat "normal".  I left work early that day so that I could hurriedly get home and finish the final preparations for surgery and his stay at the hospital.  I had LOADS of washing to do and things to pack for, you see, recovery was to take place at my parents house since they live in a one story house and we are in a two story.  

I got home last Thursday, kissed Rob, gave a pat on the head to our little dachshund (Buddy), and I was off to the laundry races.  Not long after I got my clothes changed and the first load of laundry rounded up, the phone rang.  Rob, who loves our speaker phone, answered since I was busy.  I was at the top of the stairs, so I was able to hear that it was my Mom calling.  You know how you can just hear that the tone of someone's voice just doesn't sound right?  Well, I could immediately tell that something was really wrong.  You see, that day, my sister-in-love (Julie, married to my brother, Paul) was scheduled to have a colonoscopy that day (she had noticed in the days prior that there was the presence of some bleeding, so for precaution, the doctor decided to do the test).

Well, what we all thought was going to be routine and what would turn out to be nothing....wasn't.  There was a "mass".  The doctor immediately did a biopsy,  but the results would not be back until Tuesday....Tuesday....that was five days away!  So, with heavy and weary hearts, Rob and I pressed on, went through the surgery on Friday and then spent the rest of the weekend praying, crying, and pleading to the Lord...the King of Kings.  

Rob was discharged from the hospital and came home on Monday to Mom and Dad's house.  Again, more silence, more praying...Tuesday would be tomorrow.    The phone rang on Tuesday.  It was my brother.   What was our worst fear was now reality. Cancer.  Our sweet Julie...cancer.  Thirty six years old, mother of the year to my two nieces and two nephews, wife of the year to my baby brother.....cancer.  CANCER!  A mass.  A concerned doctor....cancer....not Julie.  No Lord...not Julie.  Lord, pick me, don't pick Julie.  Lord, not our family.  Lord, the children...Lord, they are just 7, 5, 3 and 11 months!  Lord, my sweet brother! Lord....do anything...just not this Lord!  I pleaded, I begged...no God...not Julie. 

And then, the Lord delivered overflowing measures of peace.  Not just to me and to the others, but to whom it mattered to the very most....to Julie.  She has served the Lord with gladness for many many years.  She has the true definition of a meek and gentle spirit.  She leads and nurtures her children with grace.  She is devoted to caring for my brother and for their home.  She is a Proverbs 31 woman, from beginning to end.  

Our journey into the world of cancer is fairly new.  We have all known people who have had it, but never as close to home as our sweet Julie.  Amazingly, the Lord has brought thousands of people to their knees in prayer for our sweet Julie.  I am not kidding.  I ran the numbers.  By the time that we got the word out to the hundreds of people that we knew among churches, Facebook, email, my brother's blog (Expository Thoughts) etc., the numbers literally added up exponentially.  Not only were the numbers evident in my calculations, but they came to light as Paul and Julie were literally FLOODED with emails and Facebook messages by the hundreds.  Then, Paul established a page for Julie on Caring Bridge so that the masses could keep up with her story and her progress.  (If you would like to read and follow, you can click on this link: Caring Bridge: Julie Lamey's story).  It has truly been amazing how many people have had their friends, family and entire churches praying for Julie, just since Tuesday of this week.  God has poured love overflowing over our entire family, especially Julie and Paul.  

As you go through your day to day routine, I would ask that you too would add our sweet Julie to your prayer list.  Please also remember my sweet nephews and nieces and my precious brother in your prayers.  We covet every single prayer offered on her behalf. As you pray, I will leave you with these photos below that I have made into a prayer card of sorts.  I included some of the Proverbs 31 verses on the card, since our sweet Julie is a beautiful example to our family and to everyone that she comes in contact with of the image of a Proverbs 31 woman. 

 

I pray that you will be blessed and encouraged through her story.  Please feel free to leave her any encouragement that you are lead to leave for her on the Caring Bridge site.  She and Paul are reading each and every one and rejoicing over each shred of encouragement and prayer.  

May you and your families have a truly reflective and refreshing Resurrection weekend.  

HE'S ALIVE....HE'S ALIVE.  HE'S ALIVE AND I'M FORGIVEN, HEAVEN'S GATES ARE OPEN WIDE....HE'S ALIVE!