Mississippi Bound

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation”
(Romans 5:3-4, NLT).

Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever...-- Isak Dinesen

Mackynlee and I will be headed home on a commercial flight tomorrow. Our angel flight did not work out. Walter, the social worker, stood on his head this evening when we found out the angel flight wasn't working out. (WMP READERS: Walter is a black, male version of Martha Woods. Gotta love him!) He, and the doctors worked quickly to get all of the paperwork ready for the oxygen company and the airline. All is set to go. Just praying our oxygen will arrive here at CHOP in the morning. It is being overnighted to us. Also, pray I can figure out how to use it. If you get no post from me, we are on our way home. If things don't work out, I will relieve my stress through posting an update. CAUTION: It may not be a nice update. I'll try to keep my cool, but three weeks here is long enough for me. I love MS. I want to see Shelby and Connor badly!!


I want to end tonight (sounds like I'm preaching LOL) with this story. I want to dedicate it to my friends that I will be leaving here at CHOP. Coleen, (mom of two month old heart baby), Mike and Nichol (parents of Allie), Diane (mom of Lillian Grace), and a mom we had dinner with tonight at McDonalds. I never got her name, but she and her 4 year old, Cordelia invited Mackynlee and I to sit with them. I did not recognize her, but she recognized me. We met here on the cardiac floor at the beginning of our time here. Her 4 year old has down syndrome. She is recovering from heart surgery. She will be having brain surgery soon. The reason I did have not seen the mom is because she had a heart transplant about a year ago. She has been hospitalized herself during Cordelia's hospital stay, so she has not been able to be here. Her body had gone into rejection. I think God sent them to me to say "Hey life could be worse. It is not so bad after all."

Pray for Coleen. I do not think it is going well for her baby boy. They have been here since he has been born. To make things worse, she is a cardiac nurse herself. So, you can only imagine how hard it would be to actually understand all of the foreign language from the doctors.

Please pray Diane and Lillian will get to go home to Wisconsin soo.

Pray Mike and Nichol will get to take Allie home to be with her twin sister and twin brothers that are two. It is so difficult when a family has to be a part(especially under these not so good circumstances.)

Pray Cordelia will recover and go through her brain surgery like a champ!! She is precious. She loved Mackynlee.

"Lunch With God"
- author unknown -

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.

The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.

Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?

"He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!