Battle Weary

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Easton:

This sweet boy is just not doing well at all. Here is the latest update from his aunt Sara:
Also, his xray this morning looked worse. His CO2 was high. They checked for viruses, and still are finding coronavirus. They did a sputum culture, they found some white blood cell activity, so they're waiting to see if any bacteria grow, but he has been negative for bacteria and off the antibiotics for awhile now. Danielle worries that he should stay on some sort of antibiotic while he's in the hospital and has so many tubes and things entering his body, but the doctors consider antibiotic resistance to be of more concern. 
His heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation are all acceptable right now, and they're anxious to see what his 4am chest xray will look like after all the activity today. The doctors are worried that Easton just doesn't seem to be able to withstand backing off the settings on the vent, and Danielle said they said he should have already come off of it by now. They said his lungs are damaged, and they're worried that he's not getting better. The doctors feel this will be a critical week for Easton....

If you want to read the rest please click on his name and that will take you to his facebook page. Thanks!!

Ian:

Ian had eye surgery a couple of weeks ago to correct his double vision and the results of improvement are slow. Please pray for Ian as he is struggling to heal and gain back his eye sight and many other things that are going on with him. Here is a snippet from the latest post, to read the rest just click on his name...


So the cancer is gone (we hope and pray for good!), but Ian is a different boy. He’s different physically, and he’s different emotionally.

He’s been plugging away at his physical and occupational therapies (taking a break from speech for now), and he’s made some major progress, but we all know he has so much farther to go. I know it, and he knows it.

It breaks my heart to see how much he knows it.

IT Guy and & were talking one night, and he agreed that, as totally crazy as it sounds, it would have, in some ways, been easier to handle all of this if Ian had been much more intellectually affected by the brain tumor & surgery. That may sound horrible, try not to freak out on me, but there are times when I just wish he didn’t realize how affected he has been. His realization hurts to watch. He’s frustrated, and I don’t blame him one bit. He’s angry, and I don’t blame him one bit. He’s hurting, and I don’t blame him one little bit.

It’s a tough place to be, for all of us.

But we’re taking it one day at a time (the only way anybody really can), and getting through each day by the grace of God. What else is there to do?

Ian had eye surgery 10 days ago (to attempt to correct the double vision he’s had since brain surgery that keeps him wearing the pirate patch). He was hoping for an immediate complete success. That didn’t happen. The eye doctor told him and us that it could take 2 or 3 weeks to see more improvement, as the brain continues to adjust to the correction. Initially, he saw a bit of correction, but he doesn’t think it’s changed much since. I’m trying to encourage him to be patient, to stay hopeful, and I know he’s trying, but he’s frustrated. Again.

Joanne:

This poor family is still really struggling with the changes the stroke has had not only on Joanne but the whole family. Please, if you are interested, head over to her blog and read the latest update. Thanks!! Here is a little bit from the latest post and again, to read the rest please click on her name...

...Anyhow, this was probably the first Sunday in our lives that we weren't at a service for Easter. There are many reasons that we decided not to go. Some of them were probably valid and others were not, but I know for me that I am in the midst of a Dark Night Of the Soul and that I am struggling mightily with my faith. I don't think it's hit me until recently that that's where I am. And the rest of our little family is there too. Joanne struggles, Audrey struggles and Emma, being the age that she is, struggles in her own way. We are all dealing with so many "non-Christian" emotions--anger, fear, sadness, shame...did I mention anger? We are still very much asking the question, "Why did this happen!" The price to pay has been so great!...

Please keep these three, Easton, Ian and Joanne and their families in your prayers. This is such a long, hard road they are on and they are all battle weary.


2 Corinthians 10:3-5 ESV
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Praying and praying!!
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