family tree

this is a picture of the oak tree and deck in my backyard growing up, just a couple of years after we moved in. it was just the four of us then, with a couple of dogs and the horse of course. dad was great at building things. he could make anything out of wood. he knew how he wanted things to look and made it happen. i often wonder about god knowing all things and making them happen. starting from this beautiful oak tree and watching it grow with our family.

denise came to live with us for a while, she had been my aunts foster kid. my sophomore year we had an exchange student, alba, from paraguay come to live with us for a year. it was hard in the beginning, she didn't speak english very good. but with her translation book in hand everywhere she went, she learned quickly. a few years later, greg, from the philippines, he knew english and adapted to our family. later, martha, albas sister came, her cousin stella too. the family tree grew some more. sheila and i gave mom and dad 4 grandchildren in 3 yrs. mom and dad rented out the apartment above the garage to paige and friend, paige went to church with us. various people in and out over time. 3 of albas children have come to spend time at the house. alba died from breast cancer and within a year, marcos, her husband also died. mom and dad have been to paraguay numerous times to check on them. sheila and jeff moved in when renay and i moved to alabama, while mom and dad were living on the east coast. sheila and jeff rented their house to friends and added 2 more kids to thier family. jeff had 2 brothers with families, the family tree was growing year by year. denise married a friend of jeffs and had a family, greg went to med school in new york married lynn and had a family and live in vegas. i am sure that i am forgetting a bunch of "family", only because there were so many.

this all started with just the four of us and the oak tree in the back yard. while at home for my dads surgery, i had the opportunity to see a bunch of family and see how big the "family tree" had grown. dad has had to have the deck rebuilt numerous times to adjust to how big the oak tree grew. just like god adjusts our hearts to hold all the love he brings to us.

mom and dad, thank you for showing me family and how it is so much more than just the four of us. this is the family tree today, continuing to grow into the mighty oak it was meant to be!

god is good

its over, the dr feels good about the surgery. dad will be under until sometime tomorrow. surgery lasted 10 hours. thank you lord for the strength you gave the drs and those of us waiting.

another update

the drs are finished separating the tissue from the stomach and esophagus, they have now started to disect the portions of both. they will deflate one lung to do this, so this is a crucial time for him. thanks to all of you for your continuing prayers.

small update

besides overwhelming one entire end of the waiting room, making a bunch of noise, my mother trying to text in her own abbreviations and us all falling on the floor laughing, they have updated to say that all the tubes were in for the operation and that they were in the process of separating all the tissue from the stomach and esophagus. so fall all is well

long day

we got to the hospital at 5:30, they took dad back to get prepped. only 2 of us at a time could go in, but dad, mom, sheila and i had a moment together. when we were young and would go on a trip, dad would always pray for traveling mercies before we started the car. i wanted him to do that again this morning, we are all going on a long trip today. of course he won't remember his. we stayed in the waiting room until mom came out and they took him to surgery. spent some time doing what we do best in this situation, and laughed. it's funny, i have been praying for dad specifically about getting through this surgery, for a little while i forgot how big my god really is. my prayer now is for total healing, and if that isn't in his plans, then getting through the surgery with no complications. will update again with new news.

being family together

the past few days have been wonderful and extremely painful all at the same time. it has been great visiting with and loving on family. at times it has been painful, talking to my parents about things i needed to talk to them about. i have never liked conflict, but this was now or never. my heart was aching, but i know that it was the right thing to do. i guess as the oldest it was my responsibility, of course the rest of my family let me know i had been elected spokesperson. the talks went well and we are all good.

dad is really ok with all the outcomes after his surgery. #1 it was exactly what they thought, #2 it isn't as bad as they thought, #3 it is worse than they thought, #4 if he dies, he will wake up in heaven. never being on this side of things, i now realize that all the family goes through this painful process, not just the cancer patient. this really sucks. the surgery will be on monday, he will need to be there at 5 am, surgery a couple of hours later. today they went for the pre-op visit. tiffany- the nutritionist, sasha-the lawyer, and misty- the best note taker and a caretaker herself.



mom is scared. she has known dad since she was 14. dad seems stoic most of the time, after our talk, he was more aware of those around him, interacting with us more. mom broke down a little bit, but she really needs a good melt down. the rest of us are just trying to get through. get through till what and when will be a mystery until we are in the moment. i am scared too. i have never really seen my dad in this scenario. i feel blessed to still have my parents, and will enjoy, even in the heartache, every minute i have with him this week. continued prayers are needed.

thanks brook for the encouraging scripture

Philippians 4:4-8
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

home again

misty and i started our trip with a pat down at b'ham airport. bloody marys in memphis at 7:30. we arrived in la at 11:30, mom and dad picked us up and took me straight to in n out. got to the house and sat down with my family and ate lunch. the weather is wonderful, blue sky with white fluffy clouds. strange to think that this really isn't a vacation for me, but a wonderful time for all of us to be together again for mom and dad. loving on each other, laughing with each other and i am sure the crying will come.

i got to hold my great nephew today, he is such a boy. his hair is so thick on top with enough curl it looks like a mohawk. layla hasn't really been in the mood for us yet. des is in a wedding tonight, sheila and jeff are there. had dinner with joe, tiff, the kids and mom and dad. great day....