Well, it seems that life has been a little crazy lately.  Our oldest daughter is running track, our middle daughter is playing softball and our youngest daughter is in dance and we are attending each ones events as much as we can, all with a 1 year old in tow.....  Jerry has been very tired lately (I can't figure out why? :)  He is a very strong man.  I tell him to skip this practice, or this meet, or this game and he says "No" I get a chance to be a Dad all over again, I'm going to do it right and learn from some of the mistakes I made with my older boys!  From what I hear from Jerry's mom and even his oldest son Brad, he was a wonderful father to his older boys....but isn't it true that as we get older, we do realize some of the mistakes we made and try to do better all over again???  Jerry is a wonderful step father to our girls and a wonderful father to our son.  His older boys are grown and on their own and he loves them both very much and is thankful for them in his life as well.  In regards to his health:  He is still taking his Protocel every 4.5 hours, 12 hrs a day.  He goes for an MRI on June 25, which is almost a year to the date that we found out that he had a brain tumor.  His Biopsy was on June 28, 2011 which did confirm his diagnosis.  Please continue to pray for healing and peace for Jerry.  He and I are both very nervous for his next MRI.  We just talked yesterday about it....he doesn't know what path he will go down if it is still there and has grown.  It can be very depressing at times for him and for me.  The other day he was in another room from me and he hiccuped, and you know that sometimes hiccups can sound pretty weird, I heard it twice and after the second time, I rushed into the room to where he was, the worst was going through my mind (because I didn't know what that crazy sound was).  Any day, and at any time, Jerry could have a seizure, so when I heard that, I freaked, and with my heart pounding I saw that Jerry was sitting there as calm as ever.  I just walked out of the room and couldn't stop the tears from falling down my face.  The fear that overtook me at that moment, at the possibilities of what could be happening overwhelmed me...so much that my emotions took over.  It took me a minute or two to contain myself and then just left the room.  I didn't tell Jerry right away how scared I was.  I felt silly at first thinking that his "hiccup" could scare me so badly, but it is a true reality.  A reality that sometimes I feel very alone in.   This blog is good for me, it is an out....a way for me to vent....bare with me please.

On another note....

I had a nice conversation with my mom today.  I was able to tell her how great of a mom she has always been.  Of course, when my mom looks back, she sees the things that she could have done better, I see a great and loving mom who did the best she could with what she had.  I am truly blessed to have the parents that I have and Jerry is blessed to have the parents he has/had.  Jerry's father passed away several years ago and I hear Jerry constantly say that he never showed his dad the appreciation that he should have.  Jerry loved his dad very much, but got so caught up in his own life, and his own dreams that he feels today that he didn't let his dad know enough how much he meant to him or how much he learned from his dad. 

I guess I take what I hear from Jerry and try to do better with my own kids and parents.  I want them to know how I feel about them.  I want my parents to know that I love and admire them as parents and as a couple.  They are an inspiration.  I want my mother in law to know that I love her and appreciate her very much as well.  I am truly blessed by this life that God has given me.  In mine and Jerry's bible study this week, we talked about the "pearl" in an oyster and how that pearl was developed from a little bit of sand and through the process that God designed, it becomes a beautiful pearl.    How true is that for us as well?  God designed us to be imperfect, full of sin, and to have so many flaws that we need him to perfect us, to turn us into a great "pearl".  Through our imperfections (our sins) he takes those things and makes us stronger, hopeful and more reliant on our One True God.  I'm not sure this is what I was suppose to get out of this weeks class, but this is what I got out of it.  I wake up just about every morning and have to re-forgive myself from mistakes from my past, I have to constantly remind myself that I am beautiful inside and out.  That I have been made perfect in God's eyes and even through my imperfections I am still "fearfully and wonderfully made". 

I guess today I am reminding myself to be thankful for all that I have and even for the imperfections of my past, present and my future.  These imperfections make me realize more every day that I am a sinner in need of Grace.  I love the Lord Jesus, and I am so thankful for the path he has chosen for me.  I want everyday to be a blessing to those around me and to forgive those who hurt me.  I want to completely "Let Go and Let God". 

Romans 8:28 says  "In all things God works for the good of those who love him that are called according to his purpose"

God works in every circumstance, every illness, every trial, every sin and every triumph.  Just listen and you will hear him.

Another Crazy Week!

Well, it was definitely another crazy week in our house!!  Jerry had some infections on his arm that just wouldn't go away.  Being a mechanic, he always has scrapes and scars on his arms and hands...but these just weren't healing like normal.  Wednesday night after spending 2 1/2 hours at our daughters Track meet, we decided to go to Urgent Care.  Jerry could hardly bend his hand and he looked terrible with about 5 different sores on his arm and hand that were infected.  Needless to say, the Dr. diagnosed him with a staff infection.   He has been on antibiotics since Wednesday night and everything already seems to be getting better. 

Jerry has been feeling very tired lately, but other than that, he has been doing well.  He is a hard working guy, so he doesn't rest much as it is.  After learning what we have learned about our diet and nutrition and where our food comes from, we decided to try out raising our own chickens for meat and eggs.  Currently we have 18 "meat" chickens and 5 "laying" hens in our garage waiting anxiously for their new home.  Jerry has been working diligently to get it done.  As I type this, I hear him out there hammering away.   He will probably come in at dark and be so exhausted that he falls right asleep.  I keep saying he needs a break, but I'm not sure I could do what he is doing.  When his plan for the chicken coup is in his "head" it is difficult for anyone else to help anyway :) 

We are trying to prepare a spot in our yard for a garden as well.  We tried a garden a couple of years ago, but it did not go so well.  We want a garden, but Jerry keeps giving me little hints saying "I know I'm not going to have time to weed the garden or take care of it much at all".   He is unsure if I will have the time myself, but I told him today, that "we won't know unless we try".  So hopefully within this next week, we get our garden soil prepared so we can start prepping it for our upcoming garden.  I canned tomatoes for the first time last fall and I'm hoping to grow some of my own tomatoes to can this year. 

Well, I'm trying to be better about posting every now and again.  I had some people worried because I was going so long between posts, they thought things weren't going well.  So, if my post seems boring to you, I apologize, we just have no new news regarding Jerry's Tumor Health.  He does however, have an appointment on June 25 for an MRI, and we are both anxious for him to have this MRI.  We are praying to see a great reduction in the size of his tumor if not complete healing.  We believe that God has the power to heal, and that we have to walk in his healing. 

Matthew 17:20

New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁰ “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

 

 

Jerry has been feeling pretty good lately!  He has been taking Protocel since March 16, and he really feels like it is working.  Our entire family was hit by a bad flu bug last week and it did seem like it took more of a toll on Jerry than it did the rest of us.  It had me a little worried, but I think it was just because his body is working so hard already, and then trying to fight the flu on top of everything else was difficult.  He is better now and seems to be back to himself.  He feels like protocel is helping him in other areas of his wellness as well. 

Sorry for the short updates, but there is just not much to report.....but in this case...no news is usually good news!!

If you want to learn more about protocel and how it works, please click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzba8vL_TXc

Our New Family Photo, plus some others taken by our daughter-in-law Nici.

www.nicoledanielsphoto.com  check out Nici's website, she is a very talented photographer!!

Things have been a little quiet here lately, and I haven't posted much.  I don't have a lot of time right now, but I just wanted to let you all know that everything is FINE!  I have had people worried because I haven't posted.  Jerry is scheduled to have another MRI this month, he isn't sure if he is going to get it now, or wait a little longer to see if the new supplement he is taking is working at all.  He is taking something called PROTOCEL.  He has done some research and spoke to I think 4 different people who have taken it for cancer and their cancer is now gone.  It is less expensive than any other non-traditional treatment we have looked into.  What caught our interest with PROTOCEL initally was from a book called "Outsmart your cancer".  I would hightly recommend this book for anyone who is battling some kind of cancer.  Their are several other options out there that your Dr isn't going to tell you about.  I'm sure they believe in what they are doing, but this is looking outside the box, it is non-toxic and has been shown to work. 

Texas is still an option for us in our future, we are waiting to see the outcome of the upcoming court hearing...

I want to say thank you to Kathy from Kahuna Coffee in Hartland for doing a fundraiser for us recently.  We are so grateful for you and we are better people for knowing you.  You are such a kind hearted person and we can only hope to be able to bless others the way you have blessed us.  Thank you!  Also, thanks to Karen for mentioning our name to her :) 

I will post more soon.  Have a Blessed Day!

Texas Trip POSTPONED!

I wanted to update everyone regarding a decision that Jerry and I recently made.  We have decided to hold off on going to Texas until we get a few issues ironed out.

First of all, we found out that Dr. Burzynski is being taken to court by the FDA again this spring and we don't want this to interfere with Jerry's treatment.  We would hate to put forth the amount of money that we need only to find out that we cannot finish the treatment due to FDA interference.

Secondly, when we have spoken to the clinic in regards to Jerry's treatment, they have been very vague regarding the length of time that Jerry would need to be treated for.  We recently spoke to a patient of Dr. Burzynski's that said she has been on the treatment for a few years.  We know that at this time, we couldn't afford this treatment for a couple of years and if that is the case, we want to think more wisely about how to spend the money that we have.

Jerry has learned about another treatment option called PROTOCELL.  He is looking into this treatment and if nothing more, he is considering trying this treatment during our "waiting period" in hopes that at the very least, it will help keep his tumor from growing.

I will post more later, I just wanted to get our news out there....
Thank you everyone for your prayers!

Crumbs in the Peanut Butter Jar!!

OK, so moms are full of wisdom, right?  Well, my mom very recently gave me some words of wisdom...it was a very simple message, but it was true......did I really care if their were crumbs in the peanut butter jar?

Last weekend, we had a fundraiser to raise funds for our upcoming trip to Texas.  The fundraiser was held at our church, which is 45 minutes from our home.  Crazy, I know....but Jerry and I love it there, we feel like we are part of one big family.  Anyway, the fundraiser was held on Saturday evening, and we knew we wouldn't be getting out of there till late that evening...so I asked my parents if my family of 6 could stay with them that Saturday night so that we didn't have to drive 45 minutes home that evening and then 45 minutes back again the next morning for church.  My parents have a large home with 4 bedrooms and they are always eager to have grand kids (& kids) spend the night with them, so as I expected, it was not a problem.  Sunday morning came, and my parents were slaving in the kitchen making scrambled eggs & toast for everyone.  After my children were all fed, I sat down next to my husband at the counter, and started to butter my toast.  To my immediate disappointment, there was jelly in the butter!  Who just used it?  My husband!  I started complaining to my mom about how he leaves crumbs in the peanut butter every morning and how I can't stand it.  I have even purchased a second jar of peanut butter that I "stashed" in the back of the pantry so that I could use a "crumb free" jar of peanut butter when I wanted it.  I continued to complain, got the jelly out of the butter, and then went on and buttered my toast (perfectly of course, with no crumbs or jelly left behind).  I didn't even think about what I had done and how "petty" it was.  My mom pulled me aside and said to me "Lyn, be thankful you have crumbs in your peanut butter jar, it could be different, he could be gone and you wouldn't have that problem anymore".  My mom was right.  My husband is facing a terminal illness, and I'm complaining about him leaving crumbs behind?  The reality though, is that even if my husband didn't have a terminal illness, I shouldn't be complaining of things like this.  I have a job as my husband's wife to lift him up, not put him down, to love him, cherish him and adore him.  I need to be the person that he can be himself around at ALL times and not worry about what I am going to say or think.

I read these passages on www.avirtuouswoman.org

 A Virtuous Woman respects her husband. She does him good all the days of her life. She is trustworthy and a helpmeet. (Proverbs 31: 11- 12, Proverbs 31: 23, Proverbs 31: 28, 1 Peter 3, Ephesians 5, Genesis2: 18)

 A Virtuous Woman serves her husband, her family, her friends, and her neighbors with a gentle and loving spirit. She is charitable. (Proverbs 31: 12, Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20, 1 Corinthians 13: 13)

So, my question for you today:  What do you do or say to your spouse to lift them up?  Do you complain about the little things?  If your spouse wasn't around tomorrow, would you think that complaining about such "things" was worth it? 

We are all human, and we all make mistakes in the daily course of our lives, but I am going to try and be more intentional regarding my husband.  Besides, what husband is going to turn around and love and adore a wife who is always nit picking and complaining?

**********************************************************************************

I also wanted to update everyone regarding our upcoming appointment to Texas.  Jerry is very positive about this trip.  We have seen God work in our lives in many different ways regarding our finances.  Just today, I had a friend donate a large sum of money, and this friend just donated a large sum of money a week ago....I called to thank her, and she stated to me that she is currently looking for a home church so she decided to give her "tithe" to us because she knows that we will give God all the glory for the work being done with the money.  The same day, I opened a bill that I have had and been paying on for a couple of years, and I still owed $800.  There was a note at the bottom saying that my balance was now $0, and that the $800 I owed was "written off".  I sent the company a message telling them "thank you" and the response I received was "Good Luck In Texas".  How did they even know?  God, that is how they knew. 

You can call it a coincidence if you want.  I don't believe it.  I believe God uses obedient people to do his work.

Thank you for being his servants. 

Jerry and I, along with our son and Jerry's mom are leaving for Texas in just over a week.   We will be keeping everyone posted as to how things are going while we are there.  We are excited and anxious to see what God has in store for Jerry.



Appointment with Dr. Burzynski!!

Jerry and I were sitting around the table with our kids on Monday evening.  Ashley, our 7 year old, started telling us about the story she had just learned in Sunday School about Jesus feeding over 5,000 people with only 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.  Jerry proceeded to tell Ashley what that story means.  He explained to Ashley that it is a story about "faith".  Jesus didn't write down a plan and tell the disciples exactly how he was going to feed 5000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves, rather he just told them to 'feed the people'.  I was talking to my mom about this story, and she told me (she is Ashley's Sunday school teacher) part of their lesson was about how God uses even children to tell his story, not just grown ups.  I believe that God put that story in Ashley's mind that evening for a reason.  It helped both Jerry and I to remember that we may not have an exact financial plan laid out for us to be able to afford this treatment, but we feel strongly that it is the direction that God wants us to go.  We realize that even though in our human nature, we feel like we need a 'plan', or we need the 'answers' before we do anything, God instructs us to just go, and we need to believe and have faith that he will provide for us.

With that being said, we made an appointment for March 20th to go back to Texas for Jerry's treatment.  We were blessed the first time we went with donated air-fare, lodging, and car rental.  NONE of this is in place for us this time, but we are confident that God will provide this time, just as he did the first time.

Please continue to pray for healing.  Also pray for Jerry and I to have the faith we need to continue to believe that God is in control and that he will provide for us physically and financially.