Family....

We are still waiting on the blood test for Mike about his cancer fighting antibodies. Honestly at my core, I know they will be there and I am not worrying about that test. Our house got packed up in one day and they will load everything on Friday. We are still waiting on our MEB paperwork to get our official retirement paperwork going. We have some IMPORTANT decisions to make, but we need the paperwork first. Mike had a bad night last night. He didn't get much sleep. We spent our time today trying to find a PCM for our care here. We came up empty handed. But God is moving in the background and after some prayer today and tonight, I hope God will answer us about our next step. We did do our IV's at home this afternoon. Mike actually got Lipids today (fats) to build him up. There are so many things floating out there right now for us and it can and does stress me. However, God once again reminded us today, life is about the basics - God first and then family.

Today, we got some bad and unexpected news about my mom. We thought the surgery had gotten all the cancer and it turns out it didn't. She is facing a tougher battle than anyone of us had hoped. But, as shocking as the news was to take, I am grateful that it allowed me to drop all the stress about everything. In the end, all the details of things to come will work out. It helped me to refocus on the important stuff.

My heart goes out to my family. We are close and I know these battles will bring us closer. I also want to take a moment to outline exactly what our family has done for us:

My Mom and Dad... They are supporting us financially at the tune of around $30,000 per month. We couldn't even begin to fight this without that. We just don't have the resources. But beyond that, it is their love, strength, and example of marriage and love that keeps us going. Hard times come, but you walk through them together and you fight for each other. Also, my foundation in Jesus came from the years of sometimes dragging me to church as a kid. That is the biggest legacy that any parent can give their child.. the relationship with Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

My sister, Nancie... she completely abandoned her house and moved in with my brother and sister-in-law until we can get our stuff from FL. Literally, she has given us her house with no conditions. AND we have taken it over. Having a place to be a family is key. We have done the hotel thing, but a house brings stability in the evenings and that is priceless. She also drove our van all the way from Sarasota here. I know that was a big stretch for her. She also calls and offers to pick up groceries or take Elizabeth somewhere.

My brother and sister-in-law, Scott and Kathy. You have not fired me from NCMS even though this leave of absence may be longer than anyone thought. You have paid for treatments with the offer of more money if we need it. You have given us a house to move into without a payment until we can get the AF, VA, SSA thing worked out. That is especially important as we are trying to sell our house in FL. Elizabeth has been part of your family. Kathy took her in, enrolled her in school, bought her clothes and school supplies. When we were in the hospital, Elizabeth stayed with them. Scott was the first person I turned to with the diagnosis. I unloaded all the news on him first. I know it was hard to bear. I heard it and yet he was a rock on the phone with me.

My sister Amy and her husband Rob. They have been there for Elizabeth and been there when I needed someone to talk to. She also knew when not to push and when to send the perfect email. She also sent us a valuable resource in Rob's Aunt Donna. She also has set many a prayer chain going on our behalf.

I will be honest in that I kept my family at arms length sometimes in this journey. I wanted to protect them from the stress, hurt, and emotional mess this can be. I thought that I could handle it and save them from the worst of this journey. But in the end, it made it worse on us. This is our reality right now... tomorrow is not promised for any of us, so we need to live today as it is our last day.

So, to my family, thank you for everything. Thank you for still showing up when I pushed you back. Thank you for coming to our rescue and for not shutting us out. Thank you. I couldn't walk this without you. We really couldn't.

God has blessed us beyond measure. You are defining what family means. I don't know what is ahead for all of us over the coming months, but one thing I know. God is here. God is more than able to handle Mom and Mike. To quote my favorite verse right now:

"WE can do all things through Christ who strengthens us."