A Hard Goodbye

On my last post I mentioned a beautiful Woman Kara Tippets.  She is the author of The Hardest Peace and writes on a blog called Mundane Faithfulness.  This past Sunday she has gone to be with the Lord. Kara had stage 4 breast cancer that had spread throughout her entire body. She fought a long and hard battle and never wasted a single second of her cancer or an opportunity to share what Christ was doing in the midst of her suffering.  I looked forward to reading her blog posts on a daily basis and was always so surprised that she had the strength and the emotional capacity to write.  Kara wouldn't have it any other way.  She was determined to fight through her battle and to bring others along.  This woman has impacted my life so much and I know hundreds of others.  While I'm sad that she doesn't get to enjoy anymore time hugging her husband, kiddos, and many friends who held her hand through this journey.  I smile knowing that Kara is free from pain and suffering and in the arms of her precious Savior. Kara was kingdom focused living a life with life after death in mind.  Oh how I long for that to be my story. http://www.mundanefaithfulness.com/home/2015/3/6/kara-tippetts-documentary Please keep this dear family in your prayers.  I pray that Kara's story would have a lasting impact on her children and steer them on to share with others how their mom  lived and loved well for the glory of God.

Longing to suffer well

I again can not express enough how much your comments and support have lifted me up.  These past two weeks have been rough and busy.  In the midst of some overwhelming news about my disease I was matron of honor in a dear sisters wedding.

It was emotional as she closed one chapter and began a new one.  My dear friend is a mother of five who lost her husband a year ago to Luekemia.  During my sweet friends vows she told her new husband that he was not her plan B.  Oh how I loved that.  God is sovereign over all things and my dear friend knows this well.  She knows that this was always God's plan.  Knowing God is working out his plan through this awful disease is the only thing that helps me walk through it.  This latest step in the process of my MD has brought on a lot of fear.  Hearing doctors say things like ventilators and breathing machines causes me to tremble.  I hate that I allow the unknown to rob my joy and stricken me with unnecessary fear.  I HATE that!!  I don't want to waste a second on this disease.  I want to use every ounce of it for God's Glory.  I follow a blog of this amazing gal Kara Tippet who is suffering from stage 4 brain cancer and is on hospice.  She is the Author of the incredible book I have talked about before called " The Hardest Peace".  If you have not read this book I highly recommend it.  Kara is not wasting one second of her disease.  She doesn't enjoy the pain and wants as much time with her kids that God would allow but she suffers well.  She inspires me to not take anything for granted and to not waste this disease but to live my life for the Lord.  My desire is to suffer well like Kara. My desire is to make Jesus known in all he has me do.  Please pray that I would not let fear overtake me.  Pray that God would be glorified through all of my suffering.

Guest Post from Marla

Thank you to everyone who continues to love and support Mel, Jason, and their kiddos. Mel asked me to write a guest blog post regarding her most recent appointments. As you know, she has been having progressive muscle weakness with some rapid changes recently. This has affected her significantly in the areas of walking, driving, daily living, and most recently swallowing and breathing. She finally got into the MD clinic she was hoping for.  At her last appointments, she heard a lot of information about the progression of her disease and some of the hard realities that will likely come - in her words - sooner rather than later. Sooner than we hoped. Sooner than we expected. The doctor recommended that she start wearing a Bi-pap machine (which pretty much blows air into your lungs from a mask) to give her diaphragm a break from the constant work of breathing. Unfortunately they learned that this will not improve her numbers or respiratory muscles.  They hoped that this would help increase her energy and give her more strength for the day to day. The Bi-pap machine arrived last week, and Mel has had a challenging time adjusting to it. Not just the machine itself, but everything that comes along with it - the grief that comes from a growing dependence on machines to do "normal" activities, less control of her circumstances, fear of the future and the progression of this disease, greater need for extra help from other people...it is taking a toll on her emotional and mental health. Sadness, fear, helplessness. It is overwhelming.

Please continue to battle with our dear friends as they face the daily realities of this disease along with so many other challenges. Pray that they would taste and see that The Lord is good. Pray that they would rely not on their self-sufficiency but on the abundant grace that is sufficient for them in their weakness. Pray for moments of light and hope in the midst of a dark time. And pray that they would be strengthened to continue to look to Jesus and honor him with each breath and moment they are given.

Thank you, friends.

Marla