Feeling Like a Pumpkin Squashed Mum

 

There are very few words that can eek themselves out these days and very little beauty, as I and my family struggle through the most taxing and worrisome season of our lives.  Thank you to all who have reached out in comments, emails or mailboxes to encourage and uplift.  Thank you especially to those who have been praying for my family and my Mom.

Could I ask for more?

Mom continues to hang on in the ICU but isn't making any real encouraging progress.  When she does take a tiny baby step to recovery, it is one step forward and then two steps backward.  My Dad is feeling much better these days, praise the Lord, but it is for him specifically that I ask you to pray.

He has not seen my Mom since the day he dropped her off at the hospital- almost a month ago- and the doctors have asked that now that he is feeling well enough, that he come to see her and meet with them to discuss her health concerns.  Though we have kept him in the loop of her very critical state, it will be a very real and devastating blow to him to see her the way that she is.  He speaks of 'when' she is coming home and not the more pressing question of 'IF'.  

My sister Elizabeth and I will be taking him to the hospital several hours away today and it is going to be excruciating.  Particularly for him.   Please pray for us, we need them desperately.

As for me, I have been going to Dad's house to help him each Monday and I have been going to visit Mom at the hospital three hours away one day a week- both of which take entire days and cannot include tagalong children.  I've been taking my younger siblings that are still living at home as often as I can too.    Schooling has suffered, attitudes have suffered, our home has suffered, the jalapenos waiting to be canned are rotting and our lives are just in a general state of upset right now.  Children, even my own sweet, wonderful and responsible children, shouldn't be left alone to fend for themselves and care for younger children for two days out of every week.  The stresses of this last month are beginning to show on all counts.  So if you could spare a few prayers on our behalf, I would be most grateful too. 

I have had to train myself to see things to be thankful for these days and one of the biggest things I am thankful for right now is for friends who come alongside one another.   Mom's friends are rallying around my family right now- bringing SO MANY meals and helping me with cleaning and organizing, one even created a GOFUNDME page for my Mom and Dad.  And my own dear friends are rallying around us too- being the hands and feet of God in our lives.  On Thanksgiving, I think this year I will be most grateful for God giving us the good gift of friendship.  It has picked me up more than once lately.

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Because I am stretched too thin to do so myself, and because I know they would think it great fun, I have given my children the task for the next week or two to do some catch-up blogging. So the next few posts will be from my children.  Who knows what will pop up?  Consider yourselves warned!