taking pictures to get the perfect Christmas card, (we did not use this one)
my birthday trip to Lost Pines
and, of course, what Santa brought to each of us.
I was going to have a lot of cute pictures and cute stories....but life happens and in the midst of illness and sadness, I am still reminded of how good God is!
First, Lu got sick over the Christmas holidays. Really sick. His immune system has been steadily improving the older he gets - he hasn't even missed 1 day of school this year which is a miracle for us! However, on December 23rd we ended up at the doctor with a bad case of bronchitis. He had a high fever and we did breathing treatments every 2-3 hours through Christmas day. Needless to say we were exhausted and while Lu was happy with his presents he didn't play with anything until the next day when his fever finally went away.
On Sunday, December 28th my aunt went into the hospital. The last 5 years she have been rough on her and the last 6 months really bad. We celebrated my mom's birthday on the 29th and she and Daddy left to go home on the 30th. They stopped to see my aunt on the way and it would be the last time my mom would see her sister. Their last words to each other were,"I love you with all my heart." On December 31st my mom woke up feeling very ill and slept most of the day. On January 1st she was admitted to the hospital with what appeared to be pneumonia. I left on January 2nd to go and be with her and see my aunt. Unfortunately my aunt passed away before I could get there, about 3 hours later my mom was diagnosed with lung disease, also known as COPD - it was the exact same diagnosis my aunt received 5 years ago. Luckily, my mom's isn't that bad. She can never smoke again and she will have to learn some new breathing techniques, but the doctor promised we had many years left with her!
We are now on our way to the memorial service for my aunt and to spend the weekend with family celebrating her life and our precious time with her. Your prayers are most appreciated at this time. We are thrilled my aunt is no longer suffering, but devastated that we won't be seeing her again - at least not for a while! She leave behind so many people who love her...
but we know she is now breathing easy in heaven. That is all we can ask for!
