Family Update

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for your continued prayers for my mom and dad.

Dad has been getting steadily better and stronger, although he will probably have to remain in the nursing home, since he does have some dementia and is blind (due to macular degeneration). He is also having some panic attacks that we are trying to deal with. The medication they were giving him for anxiety has a warning on it about glaucoma, which he has, so we had to discontinue that.

Please pray that the doctors would have wisdom and and the nursing home staff compassion for dad. He is so sweet. When I am there with him in the evenings we have a nightly routine of prayers, singing hymns, and saying the Lord's prayer. It reminds me of when I was a child. He would come in and pray with me and I would stretch out the prayers so he would stay longer. He is doing the same thing now to me - it's hard to leave him at night.

Mom is holding steady right now. She is tired and sleeps a lot. One night she fell and couldn't get up off the floor. I tried to get her up, but then we both fell. She landed on me, so it was a soft landing for her! Finally my brother and sister in law arrived. She is a nurse and knows how to lift people. They were able to get her up. After that we made the decision that mom shouldn't be left alone at all. So now I am here at the house with her most of the time. She has a home health care worker that comes 3 days a week for a couple of hours, plus the hospice nurse who is coming once a week.

The hospice people are really great - they have a lot of patience and compassion. They really take their time with mom and never act like they are in a hurry to leave, always wanting to make sure that she is comfortable and has everything she needs. Please pray that when the time comes that mom will have an easy and painless transition. She has a strong faith and says that God has given her the "peace that passes understanding."

Lastly please pray for Loyd. The kids are looking after him, but of course I am concerned about him. He is singing a duet (with Rob) this weekend at all the services. Please pray for his health and stamina and that "May the LORD will watch between [him] and me when we are absent one from the other."

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit....Romans 15:13

Mom and Dad on their Smokey Mountain honeymoon - June, 1949.


















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