Death and Life: My Mom and Jesus!

     So today is kinda a sad day for me. I lost my mom one year ago today. She lost her battle with breast cancer on Sept. 24th, 2007. She went to be with her Maker one year ago. That is what gives me a smile today. Knowing that she is with Jesus in heaven worshipping God!! For those of you who have had a chance to get to know my mom, you will remember that she was a very spiritual woman and a woman who walked with Christ daily since she was a young woman. She was very open about her faith and encouraged others to evaluate their spiritual lives no matter where they were in life or what they believed. She was not a judging person or close minded bible thumping Christian. She was the opposite of that. What she was, was a woman who loved others unconditionally. I guarantee  that anyone who knew my mom would say the same thing. That is why she loved being a school counselor and why she was such an effective counselor. She met people where they were at in life and showed them true unconditional love. 

   There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she is in a far better place. Don't get me wrong, I love life and this earth that we live on; but heaven is going to be a place so incredibly awesome that there are not words to describe the greatness of heaven. And that is where my mom is right now! I miss her. I love her. But I know I will see here some day again. That is what keeps me going on this day. 

   From a young age my mom taught me about Jesus and the unconditional love that he lived his life by. About 12 years ago I put me faith in Jesus Christ. What that means is that I started to live my life for Christ and not for other things, not for myself. I accepted Jesus into my life because I felt I was missing something and that turned out to be God. Through my 

relationship with Christ I can know God. It says so in the bible. John 14:6-7 talks about if you know Jesus than you will know God as well. I challenge you, the readers of this blog, to think about that. I am not trying to "convert" you or "thump you over the head" with my faith or my beliefs. I am just trying to show you how important faith is to me and was to my mother. 

 I know some of you probably think Christianity and Christians suck. (And unfortunately there are a good number of Christians who do suck and act very judging and unloving.) But I want to let you know that, myself included, there are many loving and open minded people who profess a faith in Christ.  Of course I would love for y'all know Jesus as I do but that is not my choice. Of course it is your choice. It is a decision you can make and a decision that you can make on your own time and whether or not you make any decision at all is up to you.  I just ask that you think about it. Think about where you stand in your faith in what ever it is that you believe. What does that means to you? If you are missing something and if you want more and want to know Christ, He is there for you. Just ask Him to come into your life and ask him to forgive you for your sins. We are all sinful. I think everybody will admit that. Nobody is perfect. The answer to that is Jesus. He was perfect and he forgave us for our sins when he died on the cross and rose 3 days later. Through Jesus we can know God. 

  Sorry to ramble and sorry to preach but faith in Jesus is important to me and was important to my mom. I hope I shared this with you in a non-threatening and non-judging manner. And I felt it important to share on the anniversary of my mom's death. I love her and miss her today but I take joy know that she has been with God in heaven for the past year. I hope a great day for everyone reading this and if you feel inspired to leave me a comment (positive or negative) please do so. 

Another day, another year older

I just thought I would write a little note telling ya'll that I feel a little old today. Yes, today is my birthday. I hit the big 30 today and it made me realize a few things. First of all, sad as it is, I am not a 20 something anymore. I liked being in the 20 something category. It made me feel like I was still 'with it' or should I say 'hip'. I know that by writing that last sentence, I really am not 'hip or 'with it" but who cares. As my wife would probably tell you, I am just a big dork. But you know what, this dork is a man who has a great wife, great kids, and I love them all dearly, I am grateful for every moment I get share with them. Abby, Sam and Hannah are the best presents I could ever want and I thank God for them. 

Losing my Mom

My mom and my sister Kelly

So here is the update on my mom. Her name is Jeanne and he has breast cancer for those of you who didn't know that. Any way she is going downhill fast. The cancer is taking over her body and on Friday we made the decision to put her in a hospice facility called Cherry Meadows. That was her wishes when she got to the stage she is at. Right now the cancer is taking over her brain. It is also ravaging her liver, lungs, and bones. She is on a lot of pain meds for the pain and as a result is not feeling much pain but on Friday things took a turn for the worst. Lately she has started forgetting things and losing her short term memory and Friday she started to not be very lucid. She had a breathing issue where she could not get enough oxygen and she started to panic and we had to get the nurses to come to the house and then she started acting very confused and disoriented and that's when the nurse suggested that it was time to send her to the hospice facility.
So according to the hospice nurses, basically it is just a matter of days or week or two until we lose her. Her body is losing the battle against the cancer. Please pray for my mom that she doesn't feel pain and please pray for my family as we deal with my mom's impending death.

my mom's cancer update

So just the other day I bought plane tickets to go see my mom. Why am I telling you this? Well, for those of you who do not know, my mom has been fighting breast cancer for the last 5 years. And lately things have not been so good for her. She has started to go downhill since I last saw her back in early June. The cancer spread to her liver and that is what is giving her the greatest problems. She has a significant amount of pain from her liver but thankfully is able to control and stay one step ahead of the pain through some pretty strong pain meds. She is also losing her appetite and losing weight and energy as a result of this.
Basically she doesn't have much time left. You never really know exactly how long but she feels she only has a couple months left. This is so hard to hear because I love my mom so much and don't want to lose her. My sisters and my mom's partner, Jacki are also having a pretty tough time dealing with this. So prayers for my mom and our family are much appreciated. The thing that I do find comfort in during this time is that fact that mom loves and knows Jesus Christ. And she is looking forward to the day that she can forever be in the loving presence of God. Amen.
If you want to hear a first person account of dealing with cancer, check out my mom's blog. Its listed on the right side of my page.

My mom

So I just talked to my mom and she told me her cancer is progressing to the point where most people at this stage only live for another year. I wish I could tell you how I felt when I heard this but I can't. There are not words to express. It hurts. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 5 years ago and had a double mastectomy. A couple of years ago we found out the cancer cells returned to her lungs and bones. Just last week she learned that they had spread to her liver and lower spine. She is now going threw her second batch of chemo which after it is all said and done, will help her feel much better. Whats hard for me right now is the though of her not being here. That hurts and makes me want to cry. I love my mom. She is such an incredible woman and I don't want God to take her away from us. She is so strong though. She love God so much and is at peace with what ever He has in store for her. If I had half the unconditional love and strength that my mom has I would be a better man. I don't know what else to say other than please pray for my mom. I don't know who reads this blog anymore but if you do pray. Prayer is powerful. God is miraculous. If he wanted to he could rid her body of cancer in an instant. God's love heals!

B-Day fun

So yesterday was my birthday but Ab and I decided to celebrate it on Saturday. It was a blast. We got some pizza with all our kids at our local pizza joint and then went back to our place for chocolate cake(that I made from scratch) and drinks. It was a good time being able to hang out with friends and let our kids run around the house and play together. I just wanted to say thanks. Thank you to all the people who made my birthday a good time. Anyway I am truely grateful to have the friends that I do. You all mean a lot to me and I love ya'll.

p.s. I have been trying for the longest time to find a GreenBay Packers khaki baseball hat. If any of you know where I could buy one let me know