Birthday Week

Greetings Beloved Friends & Family,

It’s birthday season here - I just celebrated by 61st this past week and today is my dear mama’s 96th!  Patrice is still here in Kelowna and Daniel came down and we’ve had special family times together out on the beautiful back patio here at the hospice house…eating Thai Food, cake and playing games.  It’s been a wonderful week of visits, flowers, cards and lovely messages, so thank you all again for your constant support and love. 

We played AZUL outside!!

Ryan flew down for the weekend! 

Family Visit with Tante Hilda and Esther, the golden hearted balloons shining love into every corner. (Celia arrived with them in the morning and spent time cleaning up my flowers and just making my life easier which is what she does well. 

I’m so grateful to have minimal pain and the staff here have provided me with a comfortable “broda chair" which has all sorts of wonderful positions as I go outside to admire the flowers or just rest in the sunshine.  For some reason my legs and abdomen are retaining huge amounts of water making it too difficult to move myself or use my old wheelchair.  I feel like I’ve gained at least a 100 lbs!  The abdominal swelling is part of what makes breathing difficult for me at times, as my lungs are pushed upward.  This week I am booked for a  “paracentesis" at the hospital nearby where they will drain some of the fluids off to make me more comfortable.  Please pray that the fluid will not collect again!  I don’t have much of an appetite but Patrice is keeping me healthy by bringing in healthy smoothies she makes for me! . 

My energy is limited so I’m often not up to having visitors -(who knew holding a conversation with someone could take so much energy?!) So please understand that it’s not that I don’t want to see people, it’s just a strange, disorienting season where my body isn’t able to do easily what it did before. I’ve had a few people come in and worship with me which has been very life-giving and comforting.  God’s grace is with me, minute by minute and when fear or disorientation try to push in I start to quote scriptures, often lines from Psalm 23. But for the most part God’s peace is my portion and I’m amazed by the grace of that.  This is His story being lived out through me and I just want to stay close to my Good Shepherd, leaning in, my forehead against His, absorbing His Shalom and light… What a Good, Good Father, and He assures all of us that “THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”in the book of Revelation. So press on, all of you beautiful Saints - make His Name famous wherever you are - cling tightly to the Faithful One and Burn with the glorious Love that flows into us through Jesus!