My Aunt Faye called me to tell me that Uncle Orville passed away this morning. She told me on Friday that he was close. They had called in Hospice and he was heavily sedated. Holley was able to go by and visit on her way here to Panama City that evening, which was very much appreciated by the family. I was working, so I was unable to go for a final visit, but he wouldn’t have known I was there, anyway.

I really didn’t expect it to be this soon. My sister and I just went to visit them last month and he was telling us how good he felt. But his doctor told him from the beginning that his cancer was very aggressive and advised him not to even bother with Chemo or anything, so I shouldn’t be surprised. We just always are. Even when we know that someone is termially ill, we always think that we have more time than we really do with them.

Please pray for my aunt (Faye Mathews) and her family. All 5 of her kids are with her, along with their kids and grandkids. It’s a real blessing to have that much family support. And my aunt and uncle are both Christians, so that’s another blessing. It’s such a comfort to know that we will see our loved ones again one day. But it’s still very hard to say goodbye to your life partner. They’ve been married for over 50 years and she will have a lot of adjusting to do in the coming months.

Thanks!

If life is good, praise God.

If it isn’t, praise God anyway….He’s probably trying to teach you something!   

My uncle has cancer. My dad’s mom died from it, so did my mom’s mom. But they were both in their 80′s by the time they were diagnosed and it seemed at the time like that was something that was expected. I was fairly young and don’t remember if they suffered much.

Uncle Orville is my mom’s only sibling’s husband. He’s probably in his late 60′s or early 70′s and has always been a very hard worker. I wouldn’t say they are wealthy but from what my mom always told me, they are comfortable. He has taken good care of his wife and 5 children and taught them many valuable skills. A couple of his kids work at a local army base, one daughter is in high finance, another has her doctorate in teaching and a son owns a business and holds the position of commissioner in his community. And they all know how to work with their hands. One of my cousins roofed her own house a few years ago!

Anyway, when he was diagnosed with liver cancer a few months ago, his doctor told him that there wasn’t much use for him to have chemo or radiation. It might only add a few months to his life. Instead, he opted to try an alternative treatment, but that doesn’t seem to be doing him much good, either. At least it isn’t causing him the kind of pain or discomfort the other drugs probably would. They are now giving him only 3 more months to live.

The good thing is that it gives him time to put his life in order, if need be. And visit with his famliy in more meaningful ways. He can spend time telling them how much he loves them and they can tell him how important he was in their lives. Cancer isn’t always a bad thing, is it? We all have to die some day and his illness has made me reconsider how I feel about it.

My mom’s wish was to die quickly and without knowing it was coming. She got her wish. But we were all denied the opportunity to tell her how much we appreciated having her as our mother, grandmother, sister or aunt. 

I know it’s not up to us to choose how we will leave this earth, but after seeing so many people die in so many different ways in my life, I don’t think cancer is such a bad thing anymore.

May God bless Uncle Orville and his family during this tough time in their lives.

I was reading the paper this morning and found another article about the tragedy in the Amish community. Of course everyone feels bad for what they are going through because we can imagine how we would feel if it happened to our daughters.

What we probably can’t imagine is their sincere forgiving attitude. I know that forgiving the one who did it would not be on the top of my list if someone murdered my child. But it seems that it was on theirs.

Members of their group have gone to the homes of Robert’s (the murderer) parents and wife to comfort them! Can you imagine? And then this in the article today was just so moving and powerful:

   “Catherine Saunders, a registered nurse who assisted at the births of two of the murdered girls, overheard a reporter ask someone whether the Robert’s family would be forced to leave the community.

     An Amish man who overheard the question jumped into the conversation and said: “We need them here. We need them to be here so we can hug them and take care of them.”

What would Jesus do? Ask the Amish….they seem to know.

SOUTHERN PHRASES THAT WILL HELP YOU FIT IN
IF YOU MOVE TO THE SOUTH

1.  “Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit.”

2.  “It’s been hotter’n a goat’s butt in a pepper patch.”

3.  “He fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.”

4.  “Have a cup of coffee, it’s already been ‘saucered and blowed.’”

5.  “She’s so stuck up, she’d drown in a rainstorm.”

6.  “It’s so dry, the trees are bribing the dogs.”

7.  “My cow died last night so I don’t need your bull.”

8.  “Don’t pee down my back and tell me it’s raining.”

9.  “He’s as country as corn flakes.”

10. “This is gooder’n grits.”

11. “Busier than a cat covering crap on a marble floor.”

12. “If things get any better, I may have to hire someone to
help me enjoy  it.”