Saturday, August 16, 2008

That We Might Not Rely on Ourselves

GRACE WRITES:

The other day, the doctor informed us that it has been two months since Andrew's treatments ended. I couldn't believe it, because Andrew's healing is still excruciatingly slow. The doctor said that this is much more of a normal timeline for healing, and that the reason we're feeling so frustrated is because Andrew bounced back so ridiculously fast last year that we have the wrong expectations. She said most patients don't even get their feeding tube out for nine to twelve months. We aren't using the feeding tube as our gauge for Andrew's healing, though, because we don't know if Andrew's jaw is going to survive for him to eat (or have a normal face) or even if the surgeon left enough swallowing muscles for him to ever re-learn to swallow. For all we know, the feeding tube is permanent. So instead, we are gauging his healing on things like his energy-level. While he has made some progress, he still sleeps and rests the majority of a 24-hour period and his pain meds are at their highest due to all the pain in his mouth and neck region, still healing from all the burns inflicted by radiation and new ulcers from irritation during his rehab exercises. The only way Andrew can talk or do rehab exercises is with the use of copius amounts of pain medications. Although they work okay, they make him very tired and he is so addicted to them that his body goes into an extremely uncomfortable withdrawl all the time because it is so hard to keep a consistant level in his blood.

I suppose our lives must be a mystery to most of you. Now that treatment is over, things actually seem harder than ever. In the past when we had hard days we grinned and beared it, lost some sleep and recovered over the weekend or over our next vacation. Nowadays, it's as if we've had 6 months straight of tough days, with nothing but a 3 day vacation, with the burden of anticipating tough days for the forseeable future. Its like running a marathon, getting an 8 ounce cup of ice cold water, and then being told that you have at least 26 more miles to run.

Here is what one day this week was like and is representative of a lot of our lives:

I woke up and had my time alone with the Lord. The kids and Andrew woke up and we all rushed off to a morning of doctors' appointments. I have to drive Andrew to everything, not only because I need to hear everything the doctor says, but because the narcotics make Andrew extremely tired and slows his response time, making it inadvisable for him to drive. The kids got to play with the toys in the waiting room until the doctor called us in. When we followed Andrew into the doctor's room, the kids sat down on the chairs and I handed them a pile of books, while Andrew and I spoke to the doctor for an hour or so. The kids went through their piles of books and began to get ansy. Just then the doctor had Andrew sit on the table to look into his mouth. The kids jumped up from their seats, pawed at me to pick them up so they could look too. This is the part that a nurse in the room always laughs and comments on how quiet the kids get as they stare from behind the doctor as she shines a light into Andrew's mouth.

It is such a comfort to have the kids with me. They are a distraction and make me smile in-between our tortuous talks with the doctors.

We often have multiple doctors' appointments in a day. This day we managed to finish around not much later than 1pm, which worked out, because I needed to feed the kids lunch. We hardly ever eat out anymore, because it's torture for Andrew, but I asked Andrew if we could this time, because I've noticed that lately whenever we return from doctors' appointments, I get extremely overwhelmed between being starving because I haven't eaten yet and anxious about all the adjustments we have to make either in Andrew's meds, foods, routine, etc., so much that I usually get paralyzed into utter confusion and don't know what to do. So, I thought we should do something fun and relaxing for me and get lunch in Minneapolis (I'm learning that I need to take care of myself if I'm going to be able to keep taking care of my family).

Andrew injected his food through his stomach tube in the privacy of the car while the kids and I started lunch inside, so that he wouldn't add hunger to his frustrations when he saw our food. After lunch, driving home, and dropping off Andrew's inevitable new prescriptions for various pain remedies, it was way past the kids' nap time.

Andrew usually rests or naps during the kids nap too. When he's awake, he works on his jaw stretches to maintain his ability to open his mouth. Despite the heavy-duty pain meds he's on, these stretches are excruciating.

Once everyone's down and quiet in their rooms, it's as if a switch is flipped and suddenly exhaustion overcomes me. So now I have a choice: I can either take a break for myself and neglect my responsibilities towards Andrew or ignore my own body, drink some caffeine, and take the next two or so hours of their nap to make Andrew's homemade formula in the Vita-Mix and eight cups of vegetable juice in the juicer, and find out from him if there's anything else he needs. (I usually like to make the food and juices daily so that they are as fresh as possible and because they take so long to make that if I made extra batches it would take some painful amount of hours).

Once the kids wake up, it's dinner time. Dinner, of course, still has to be made. If I took a break and didn't finish making Andrew's food during the kids' nap, then the kids will have to have dinner late, I'm in chaos, and I'm trying to make all their food all at once. So I tell the kids to color or play outside, and I start on dinner. Soon after dinner, it's time to prepare for the kids to go to bed. We sing and pray together.

Andrew starts on his night routine. He feeds himself his fourth meal, takes all his meds, showers, and does his speech therapy exercises and jaw stretches. It takes at least an hour for him to prepare for bed. I wind down. And that's pretty much our day.

Other days when we don't have doctors appointments, I spend a lot of time on the phone with doctors, making appointments, asking questions about whatever miseries Andrew is encountering that week, and catching up on errands, buying his vegetables for his juicing, etc. I'm always looking for ways to save 3 minutes here, thirty minutes there, because it all adds up, and I can use every bit of it. I've started using paper plates and paper cups for everything. As much as possible, I try to do my errands at the little strip mall within a mile of our house. I realized, why am I still going to Target when I no longer live down the street from it like I did in our two previous living places? So I go to Snyder's Pharmacy for those types of things, and I pay a little more at the local grocery store, and a little more where I get my haircut. And when I finally got to take Gracie to the dentist about a tooth I was concerned about, it had to be the dentist in the same strip mall, forget if he was actually good or not, not only is it close, it deletes the research time. When I make appointments at the various places, I can make them all in person all at once when I'm already there for something else and don't have to look their numbers up online and get distracted. The good thing is that I'm starting to get to know the people there, and it's fun to bump into them. Other than the doctors and church, sometimes that's my only time getting out.

A cancer lifestyle is so different than a normal lifestyle that it often leaves Andrew and I feeling very alone and isolated in our struggles, knowing that few can relate. Typically cancer occurs in older families, not 26 year olds. People our age celebrate their youthfulness by playing sports, eating a lot and staying up late at night. Andrew feels so different now than others because he can hardly do any of the things that people his age or any age do. No one knows what it's like to be on an endless fast, getting nourishment without the satisfaction of enjoying a food's texture and taste, while watching everyone else take for granted a basic pleasure of life. As for me, most people think, "It's probably like having three kids, right?" Not really. It's like having a really really sick husband and two toddlers on top of that.

I already found being a wife and training two helpless little ones overwhelming, but when my partner and leader in it needed me more than they needed me, the kids took a backseat when it came to delving out the attention and time. As he puts it, he can barely feed himself, he has such little energy.

Imagine the doctors telling you that you would most likely lose the love of your life and the father of your children. I believe that the length of Andrew's life is in the hand of God alone, but He has given me the stewardship of caring for my husband's life. I've always had a hard time understanding the nuances of the relationship between God's sovereignty and my responsibility. I mean, if I never fed my children, I couldn't blame it on God if they starved to death. I feel very much that if anyone's going to give Andrew the possibility of surviving his poor prognosis, in one sense, I feel it relies more on me than on all his doctors. And yet, anything I do or don't do is all in the sovereignty of God and any wisdom or strength I have to take care of him is all by the grace of God. One thing I do know is that God calls me to be faithful with this responsibility.

And so my first priority is to nurse my husband back to health and stay on top of his healthcare, but the children and all their needs are the same as they were back when those in themselves were overwhelming. Like I said, it is like having a very sick husband and two toddlers on top of that.

In lieu of support groups that people with cancer or other situations go to, we find ourselves drawn to a couple of blogs of young Christian widows and widowers of cancer victims that people have sent us links to that we occasionally check. It's excruciating to read their stuff, but when I feel loneliest, or I'm just concerned for how they're doing, I can't help myself. I always come away sobbing, even if what they wrote may not seem particularly sad to other people. I guess because I feel like I can relate so much to what they are saying. I read this man, Rupert's blog this afternoon, who's wife in her early 30's passed a way about two weeks ago. He wrote that she had told him a month or two before she died that no matter what he did or didn't do, she never wanted him to feel guilty, as if he should have done something differently. I cried and cried at that. I feel guilty every day all the time.

If Andrew calls a doctor, I feel like, I should have done that for him. It's my fault. If I had been on top of that, he wouldn't have had to do it himself. It's so hard for him to communicate, particularly on the phone. If I'm late in making his food and he has to eat his hospital formula, I feel like, Why aren't I on top of that? It's my responsibility that I give him every advantage possible to rebuild his body. The week he finished treatments, he wanted to help out by feeding himself all his meals, not relying on me to inject his food when he's too tired. The next week at the doctors, we found out he lost nine pounds. I was horrified and felt like it was completely my fault by not making sure he was still injecting all his food. One comfort is that I found out at our last doctor's appointment that his body is using up so many calories to heal that it's nearly impossible to give him enough calories. And that rather than feel guilty that he hasn't gained any weight since ending treatments, the fact that he hasn't lost any weight since the 9 lbs. is already exceptional.

I also feel guilty all day about my kids. I feel guilty that quality time together sometimes consists of sitting on my lap during a doctor's appointment. Or reading the Bible to them sometimes is playing a Bible CD on the way to doctors' appointments - and that's if I remember to press "play". I feel guilty that sometimes it's so hard to concentrate on them and I'm distracted when Gracie's "date" is to come alone with us to the doctor's, because we have someone to watch A.J., and she asks me a question about the construction workers next to the hospital parking structure, and I'm too preoccupied to even answer. I want to enjoy every moment with them as their childhood slips through my fingers, and yet I wasn't even paying attention during a rare opportunity she had to have the attention not shared with her brother. Gracie wasn't even one year-old when Andrew first got cancer and now at 2.5, she initiated trying to potty train herself with the help of her brother. I play no role in it.

So much of the cancer battle is mental. This is a marathon, but we are sprinters. This is a marathon and the finish line is unknown. The mental battle is fierce, but I am mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically worn out. These two months since Andrew finished treatment have been the most difficult of all for me. And I feel guilty that I am worn out, because then I can't be upbeat for my husband or very much of an encouragement to him.

And then I feel guilty for feeling guilty, because I'm supposed to believe and rest in the gospel that, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ," and "If God is for us, who can be against us?" But I hardly know my way out of my guilt or how the gospel applies in this situation. So all I am left to do is cry out, "Rescue me, God, because I don't know my way out and my mind is spinning and I can't think and I know I'm behind on so many tasks, and my kids need to eat and so does Andrew, and I need to call the doctor, and I can't think enough which to do now."

In 2 Cor. 1:8, Paul says: "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure..." And he said, "But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God."

I may not know what is going on right now, and my mind may be a whirl, but I find that in the midst of my tears, the Lord begins to reassure me He is good and He is faithful, and still very much with us. And while I sometimes feel like I never imagined God would let us get as low as we sometimes have found ourselves, I know He is still merciful, my understanding of His mercy was just insufficient.

15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.

21 Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
- Psalm 34: 15-22

Verse 20 is a prophesy of what would happen to Christ. And so these verses of God promising to deliver and to hear the cry of the brokenhearted apply to Jesus too, even though He suffered and died. So suffering and death does not mean God has forsaken or been unfaithful. What a comfort to know that Jesus preceded us in all our brokenheartedness and suffering. How it makes it easier to bear and makes one feel a Comforter can be found in Jesus.

I have seen His faithfulness in very concrete ways as well. About a month after Andrew finished his treatments, a month in which he was sicker even than he had been during his treatments, I was so burnt out, I felt totally ineffective, could hardly think, was confused most of the time, and hardly knew what I was doing, except that I knew Andrew needed to eat and the kids needed to eat. I didn't know what our needs were or how to meet any of them. But the Lord allowed someone to know.

A friend from our old church in Washington had her best friend in Canada send her 15 year-old daughter, who is the oldest girl of nine children, come to help us for 2.5 weeks. The Lord dropped grace from heaven by bringing Grace Lindeman to us. She was indefatigable and happily did anything I asked her to. She fed the kids all the more involved breakfasts and healthy meals I had been feeling anxious to feed them, but hadn't had the time or mental capacity to invest in. Every time I thanked her for her help, she always found something to thank me for: "No, thank you for letting me come," or whatever else she could think of. She was my friend, a great listener, and brought out the laughter and youthfulness that seemed to have faded away in me.

I was still very busy while she was here, running errands, calling doctors, doctor's appointments, helping Andrew, but my kids got better care and Grace Lindeman always encouraged me to take the breaks I needed. She said, "I came here to help. So that you could take care of the things I can't take care of, like talking with the doctors, and so that you and Andrew could be free to leave whenever you need to."

While she was here, Andrew began to feel a little better, so I snatched what probably would be our one opportunity for awhile for the two of us to get away for three nights. The Lord provided a spa for us, Sundara Spa, three hours away with a kitchen in our room, so I could still make Andrew's juices and give him all his foods. When Andrew had started radiation and chemo in May, I had lost my appetite. Food lost all its flavor and appeal to me and I ate my three daily meals only at of obligation to stay well enough to take care of my family. But my portions grew smaller than they used to be, and I sometimes forgot to eat a meal here and there. The spa, however, pampered us. So it was there that I re-learned to eat large meals 3-4 times a day and even to snack, as they served healthy meals and had all kinds of healthy snacks and drinks all over the grounds. Surprising, even though the food was so healthy, in three days I gained back the few pounds that I had lost in the months since Andrew's surgery in March (although I think I would be much healthier if I could gain another 10 lbs., which is nearly impossible for me...even though I know most of you don't want to hear that, I am finally sharing that because I need prayer for it.)

Andrew still slept much of the time we were there, and I had a hard time shutting off my brain. If he was sleeping and I was swimming in the pool, I kept worrying if he needed me or had had enough to eat yet. Since treatment had ended, he had been on no particular meal schedule, because it had become too frustrating for him to sit with us at meal time and watch us eat, he sometimes slept through his meals, and sometimes his stomach hurt or he felt too nauseated to eat anything when it would have been about time to eat. Our last day at the Sundara Spa, I told Andrew that I still felt like my brain was on over-drive and I still was having a hard time de-stressing. He said, "Well I feel like I relaxed here." I responded, "Well then that's all that matters." After he said that, I felt like I was finally able to unwind. By the time Grace Lindeman left two days later, I felt like I had regained a little bit of my mental capacity, and with that could begin figuring out more ways we could continue to cope with this lifestyle. What a blessing and encouragement she was to our family, bright sunshine amidst the storm.


Physical Therapy

As for other updates, since Andrew's treatments ended, we have been praying that his jaw would heal, because the doctors were concerned that the radiation had killed it. But we finally met with the oral surgeon for the first time last week, and he said that it is too soon to tell, and it is possible the jaw still may heal partially or even completely on its own. He does not recommend hyperbaric oxygen, a prerequisite to surgery, because he says cancer feeds on the same things our bodies feed on, so he is fearful that the oxygen could feed any residual cancer in Andrew's body. He also wouldn't want to do any kind of surgery so soon, because of the risk that Andrew wouldn't heal from it in his extremely damaged and weak state right now. That's totally how we felt about surgery. So that is a relief that we don't have to worry about those treatments right now.

Since they have been fearful about Andrew's jaw, Andrew has not been allowed to chew anything. So any progress Andrew had made consuming food through his mouth has been halted until further notice.

Andrew will start physical therapy in Edina twice a week and speech therapy in Minneapolis three times a week for about six to twelve weeks next Friday, Aug. 22nd. Originally, the speech therapist was skeptical that he would be able to work on swallowing with Andrew. He tested Andrew the other day, and he was surprised that when Andrew drank water, it didn't go into his lungs ("aspirate"). Fluid in the lungs would put him at risk for pneumonia, in which case the speech therapist wouldn't have even attempted to work with him on trying to swallow again.

(When Andrew would consume things through his mouth after his surgery, he wasn't using his swallowing muscles. He just tipped his head back and flushed the food down his throat with a lot of water) .

So those are two prayers that perhaps God is in the process of answering. But we must keep praying that Andrew's jaw would heal completely on its own and that he would be able to learn how to swallow again.

And of course, please pray that Andrew would be cancer-free permanently.

Oh, and I always forget to ask for myself, which may be why I'm having such a hard time. Please pray for me that the Lord would strengthen me mentally, emotionally, spirtually, physically to be able to persist in meeting the needs of my family.



"On [God] we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."

- 2 Corinthians 1:11

I can't think of an acronym, but the letters start with JSCG. To sum up:

1. Jaw heal completely

2. Swallowing restored

3. Cancer-free forever

4. Grace - mental, emotional, spiritual, physical refreshment and strength for me to persist. And to gain 10 lbs.

13 comments:

  1. Oh Grace- my heart goes out to you and I feel like sobbing just reading your update. Thankyou for sharing all of that, I will be praying FERVENTLY for you. You're doing a VERY, VERY, VERY good job taking care of your husband and children. A VERY GOOD JOb! Don't let the enemy tell you otherwise! Sometimes when I'm overwhelmed and I feel like nothing is going the way it should, I have to stop myself and really *look* and see what is true, not what I feel. When I do, I notice that my children ARE clothed and fed, the house is *OK*, they are generally content and are growing in the grace and knowledge of Him, etc. I'll be praying for Jesus to help guard your mind and heart and that He would help you to think about what is true. Sometimes the only true thing I can remember is that He is coming again and that is so good to know.

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  2. Grace,
    I don't know you and I don't know Andrew (my husband, Sam Lau, knew Andrew years ago). I just wanted you to know that my heart goes out to you tonight. I will pray for you. I have no comprehension of what you are going through. But, I do know that God is Able and He is so faithful. May you know His presence more today than ever before. May HE be glorified in they ways you love and serve your family.
    ~Charis

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  3. Grace and Andrew- The Lord has brought your family to mind many times this week. Isnt he so faithful? Our family had a horrible stomach flu for a week. Then I have had the worst morning sickness I have experienced in my motherhood career. I began to feel sorry for myself, especially since Jason felt perfectly *fine*! (My misery loves company). The Lord brought you and Andrew to mind. I checked for an update and there hadnt been one for a bit. Uh oh. I thought. I dont believe anyone is really excited to be the poster child for pain and suffering, yet I must acknowledge that in my mind, that is you and Andrew. I dont have huge encouraging words. I have been in a valley before and its so hard to see and believe the truth. But I wanted you to know how much the Lord loves you and is pleased with you and that He faithfully brings you to the forefront of our minds, so that we are allowed the blessing of uplifting your family before the throne of the Almighty one.
    Amy in Snohomish

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  4. oh, dear gracie,

    my heart is with you as you undergo such a painful trial. i'm glad you blogged in such detail so we could better understand what you're going through. you remain on our hearts and in our prayers - both of you.

    love,
    angie & dan thornton

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  5. Grace and Andrew, Just to let you know I am still with you and praying for your family. May God greatly bless you in the coming days. You guys are an inspiration to me and many others. Keep running the good race.

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  6. I just reiterate what Nancy of Snohomish says...
    "Oh Grace- my heart goes out to you and I feel like sobbing just reading your update. Thank you for sharing all of that, I will be praying FERVENTLY for you. You're doing a VERY, VERY, VERY good job taking care of your husband and children. A VERY GOOD Job! Don't let the enemy tell you otherwise! Sometimes when I'm overwhelmed and I feel like nothing is going the way it should, I have to stop myself and really *look* and see what is true, not what I feel. When I do, I notice that my children ARE clothed and fed, the house is *OK*, they are generally content and are growing in the grace and knowledge of Him, etc. I'll be praying for Jesus to help guard your mind and heart and that He would help you to think about what is true. Sometimes the only true thing I can remember is that He is coming again and that is so good to know."

    You and Andrew are continually in our prayers. We both will keep your prayers in mind...

    That Andrew's jaw would heal completely on its own and that he would be able to learn how to swallow again.

    And of course, please pray that Andrew would be cancer-free permanently.

    And we will also pray for you Grace - That the Lord would strengthen me mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically to be able to persist in meeting the needs of my family.


    You both are inspiration to us...throughout this episode of often hopelessness; you have remembered God and His sovereignty.
    You have remembered that regardless of circumstances, He is in control!

    You both are Awesome people!

    As an update on me; it has been more than a year since Brain surgery. With no side effects and at the end of this month I will be returning to work fulltime.
    Despite the knowledge of man, God's grace and mercy has prevailed!

    Erik and Roxanne Greene

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  7. I don't know either of you, I received your blog from Amanda Thompson. My husband and I are praying for you. We have both had immediate family members battle cancer, and experienced the constant care one needs in that condition. We also have two little ones at home...May the Lord bless your faithfulness! Many prayers!

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  8. Grace,
    I don't know if you remember us- Todd and Lisa Dennison from NJ, but we read and pray for your family often. I have a small thing that may bring some joy to Andrew as he cannot eat. It was something that I found helpful on a long (24 day) water only fast I did years ago. Aromatherapy- esp holding and smelling favoite herbs- cilantro, oragano, mint...or even candles, Vicks (yeah you read that right)--it was soooo soothing to me as the palate is closely connected to smell and can be very relaxing. Anyway, I hope it brings a smile and we will continue to pray for strenght and even joy throughout.
    Lisa

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  9. I can't begin to imagine how hard each day is for you...thank you for sharing, so we can know and share in your burden, and pray specifically. I know the struggles of having 2 toddlers, and with your added care of Andrew, I wish there were more people like Grace Lindeman to help you, or that there's some way people far away could help you guys. You're doing so much for so many people, remember to take care of yourself too, and don't feel guilty about it, you're doing great. Like you said, you have to take care of yourself in order to take care of your family.

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  10. Hi Grace and Andrew! Do you remember us (Dave and Cynthia Hildebrand -- your discipleship couple from Pre-marital Counseling at GCC)? We have been praying for you over the years, but had no idea that you were going through such trials right now. We will definitely be praying for you as you need moment-by-moment grace and strength during all of this.

    I would like to keep in touch with you, so whenever you have a moment, please send me a quick email, even if you don't have time to write anything. This way I will have your email address. Mine is cynthincinci@gmail.com

    Love you much!
    Cynthia

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  11. Hello.....
    I don't know either of you, but I got your blog from Dennis Jamora. I have a chronic illness and only 34 years old! I feel your pain and agonize with you. Know that the Lord has a reason for all things and is preparing us for something even better! He is the Great Physician and I pray He heals Andrews body! I struggle on a daily basis with pain and can only imagine how draining it can be for Andrew but also for the you the caregiver. My husband has been very gracious and by my side through it all! Hang in there, Grace! Keep the Faith!
    Nothing goes unnoticed with the Lord! Fully Rely On God! -Mindy

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  12. After reading your last entry, I don't even know how to express in words what i was feeling.
    our journeys are very different, but there are still many things you shared that i so identify with.

    i wish that i could give you some words to comfort and/or encourage the both of you, but i dont know where to begin (we'll see what happens as i start to write). and even tho ive never met either of you, if you guys lived in driving distance i would be there as often as you would let me ready to juice or run errands or whatever if it would allow you to spend some restful time together and with your kids, or just give you a breather or have someone to talk to while doing things.

    grace, i sooo understand your feelings of "i should have [fill in the blank with a million things we wish we could have done different or better]"
    but i hope you are also able to always know and remind yourself of this...you are doing an outstanding job and i know andrew feels so blessed that he has you there with him, and the love and commitment you are showing to him everyday whether you are perfect and on top of every single thing or not means more to him than your making every phone call or being able to make every meal for him on time, etc. and i know this because i can see thru reading your blog the love as God intended between husband and wife that you guys have been blessed with, and also because he just said so 2 blog entries ago =P. plus i'm guessing he probably wants to help as much as he can because along with his own struggles and challenges, he also probably feels a little helpless sometimes not being able to help you with yours. so maybe doing a few things here and there makes him feel better also, even if they are a challenge. (i say that not really understanding the difficulty he might have doing those things, so i hope that doesnt come across in any way incompassionate)

    andrew, tho i never met you, i had heard of you even before finding out about your more recent struggles with cancer. i think i started attending RCCC, actually maybe when you were still here, and started helping out with the youth group a year or 2 after you went to college. so i had heard your name in passing several times as some of the youth and other youth counselors who knew you while you were here shared with each other about how you were doing in college. I dont remember anything specific, but i do remember (i think anyways..its been awhile maybe im way off) hearing how your life, and maybe lifestyle, changed a lot in college as the Lord continued showing Himself to you and drawing into a closer relationship with Him and giving you a deeper understanding of His love. I'm expounding a little, they probably just said something like "andrew is doing good." I don't want to be preachy and spit Bible verses at you (i know esther kinda got annoyed by that sometimes), so I will quote from one of my favorite songs back in my college days by OutKast..i think the song was called "Get up, Get out":
    "But i'm also sick and tired of struggling
    Never ever thought i'd have to resort to drug smuggling
    No thats not what I'm about
    See Noah just continued travelling his route
    without any doubt
    or fear
    I know the Lord aint brought me this far so He could drop me off hear
    did i make myself clear"

    In her 3+ year battle with cancer in addition to the physical struggles, Esther struggled sometimes with "why?" and "im useless now". why 3 years of school for her counseling degree at Trinity away from her then boyfriend/fiancee, just to be diagnosed 1 week before graduating with cancer and not being able to practice and put her counseling degree to use? why stuck at home and not able to do anything, useless to God? etc etc
    I dont think she ever received satisfactory answers to those questions, at least not this side of heaven. But she was able to hold on to her trust in the Lord that He had a purpose for her life and would not "drop her off" until that purpose was fulfilled. Even if that purpose was just for her to worship Him she wanted to remain faithful. I'm not sure to what extend she was able to really understand things in her last months, but in those months i have seen her life be used by God even though she never left the house.
    I know God grabbed ahold of you in college (or high school or whenever it was) for great things, whether we will ever understand them or not. And I know this isnt anything you didnt already know, but I just wanted to share with you that Esther had her struggles too. so if your faith isnt always 100% perfect and unwavering...join the club.

    I will continue to be praying for you guys. for JSCG, for good times together and with kids even thru trials, and for rest that comes only from the Lord.

    no need to respond..you have too much to do already!

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  13. Hi Grace! I just got caught up on your blog and I am still praying for you and your family! It was so good to talk to you a couple weeks ago and I was so glad to talk to you. I was amazed at how calm and joyful you sounded. I'm praying that you will have time and feel free to take care of yourself and eat and have coffee and shop and do whatever you can to feel and be healthy and sane and relaxed under the circumstances. I love you and I wish you were here to go grab dinner or coffee in Westwood together! =) praying for you, rebecca

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