And one last set of pictures from Red Wing...

Red Wing Continued....

Red Wing~

On Sunday me, my mom, and Emily went to RedWing with my friends Mary Kay, her fiancee, Mo and her son, Logan. What a beautiful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We went on a boat ride, and got to learn some history, and see some eagles, and just of the beauty God provides for us.
The only thing that kept going through my mind was "Oh Lord, our Lord how majestic is Your Name in all of the earth, Oh, Lord our Lord how majestic is Your Name in all of the earth"...His works truly are amazing.

Grandma Lillie finally got to go home!!

On September 30, 2011 Emily and I had the priviledge of witnessing my beautiful Grandma Lillie be called back to home to our Lord and Savior. Grandma had suffered with Alzheimers far too long, and our family had been praying that the Lord would bring her home where she belonged. The Lord carried her home on Friday. Emily and I were blessed enough to be able to be with her while she made her transition. It is a memory that Emily will carry forever in her heart, as will I.
Grandma passed from her physical self painlessly and full of peace. For a few minutes before she passed on, her eyes opened and she looked directly at Emily while she was whispering to her and caressing her hair. She also was trying to say something. We believe she was trying to tell us she loves us, as when she opened her mouth Aunt Cheryl said "are you trying to tell us you love us, mom?" And she kept trying to say something...she also focused on Cheryl and myself for a few brief moments. After that, Grandma just closed her eyes again and took a few last breaths.
I am grateful that I had a grandma who brought Christ into her family. I have many fond memories of her, and she gave selflessly for many, many years. She is a beautiful woman, and she deserves to be home.

Just For Today~

God's Work~

Just For Today
"When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably."

Basic Text, p.96

"Just for today" - it's a comforting thought. If we try to live in the past, we may find ourselves torn by painful, disquieting memories. The lessons of our using are not the teachers we seek for recovery. Living in tomorrow means moving in with fear.

We cannot see the shape of the secret future, and uncertainty brings worry. Our lives look overwhelming when we lose the focus of today.

Living in the moment offers freedom. In this moment, we know that we are safe. We are not using, and we have everything we need. What's more, life is happening in the here and now. The past is gone and the future has yet to arrive; our worrying won't change any of it. Today, we can enjoy our recovery, this very minute.

Just for today: I will stay in the here and now. Today - this moment - I am free.




You can easily judge a character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him~

My Grandma, Lillie Viola~

My Grandma is in the late stages of Alzheimer's.  She does not recognize me anymore, nor does she communicate with you anymore.  Sometimes you see a light in her eyes, and every once in awhile she steals a "kiss" from you.  Its a cruel disease.  Its a sad disease.  Sitting in front of you is the same "shell" that you have always loved and known, but that shell is all you have left.  You don't have the same "person" anymore.   What breaks my heart the most is that I remember my Grandma saying that out of anything there is to have, Alzheimer's is the one thing she would not want to have...and that one thing is what has robbed her of her life.
Growing up we always went to Grandma's house for lunch on Sunday's.  She had the best gravy, and she made these awesome crispy sugar cookies.  She also made the best chocolate cake with frosting.  My grandma had a dry sense of humor.  She was such a silly lady.  She would dress up in silly costumes and go in parades, she would sing, she would dance.  She laughed a lot.  She kept us kids every summer for Bible School.  I remember only getting to take a bath 1x a week while there, and even then she would only give you an itty bitty bit of luke warm water to bathe in.  :O)  I remember when she took me school clothes shopping once, and I got my first pair of velcro shoes.  I thought they were sooooo cool!!! 
My children will not have the same memories of my grandma as I do, but I still bring them along because I want them to know this piece of history.  This woman that I love so dearly.  I think it is unfair that she has to be plagued for so long with such a cruel disease, but this is not my decision.  Its all in the Lord's Hands, and He knows the plans He has made for Her, and who am I to say He isn't right..
I wanted to take a picture today of her, but she didn't want to wake up, and the pics I tried to take while she was sleeping didn't look "right"...so here are a few other ones.

So young, and beautiful

Her "earlier" years in the assisted living facility

Look at her pretty hair!

So this is my Grandma.  The light doesn't shine so bright in her eyes anymore, but as long as "she" is here, I will be there too.  Even if all I get to do is hum in her ear, rub her back, kiss her cheek.
That's enough for me.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

So Emily is still really pretty sick.  Her fever is down, thank goodness.  After seeing a couple of different Doctors' they decided that she has a viral infection in her corneas....
We looked in her throat last night because she made mention that it hurts, and it is full of pus.
So I bring her in again today to see if she has strep.  Didn't she have her tonsils removed so she wouldn't get strep anymore?  Yep!  She did.  It didn't work.  I think its because they shaved her tonsils, did not totally remove them.
So the saga continues....
Hope you feel better soon my sweet Emily.....

***REVISED***  Got back from the Dr and she doesn't have strep, she has mono!  So now I know what's wrong at least.  Here's hoping for a fast recovery....