A Mother's Day Quilt

A few weeks ago Isabelle finished my Mother's Day present early....a beautiful quilt!  Under the watchful eye of her teacher, she faithfully spent many, many hours laboring on this special project.  She started it in the fall and put in around 24 hours of work on this beautiful gift. For a couple of years now, she has been learning to sew under the instruction of her extremely talented and so very sweet teacher, Jamie.  These sewing lessons have been one of the best decisions and biggest blessings for Isabelle, there is so much she has learned.  Currently she is working on a new Colonial/Pioneer dress for herself,  it will be a mix from two of her favorite time periods!  Shelley has sometimes been able to go with Isabelle to her lessons and has also had some opportunity to learn from Jamie.  She has mostly focused on handwork like embroidery and knitting, but has learned a little sewing as well.  She very much looks forward to next year when she will begin her own lessons!

What I love is that Isabelle is bringing that instruction home and putting it to practice here.  Over the fall and winter she made little quilts, pillows, mats, play dresses and other stuff for herself and her younger siblings to use this summer in their hours of playing  "Little House on the Prairie" outdoors!  I love that with sewing she uses her imagination, works on planning a project and has alot of fun....all blended with learning a lifelong skill that will serve her well for all of her days! 



Haircut

Papa asked me for a haircut this past Saturday.  A haircut is no small endeavor. The movement to and from his bed and the need to sit up in a wheelchair for this period of time would involve intense pain, vomiting and will exhaust him.  Why did he want a haircut?  He feels he will be going “home” soon and he wanted to look nice for his Lord.  Needless to say, he bravely endured his haircut and we trimmed his mustache….he looks fabulous.    
“To look nice for his Lord”…..a small glimpse into the heart of this precious man I love so very dearly. 

A Little More Time

Praising the Lord for a little more time.  Papa is a fighter and the Lord has him on earth for a time longer right now, and we are thankful.  You know, it is funny, I hesitated to put anything on the blog about his condition in the first place because things were so up and down.  After a particularly difficult day on Wednesday our Hospice nurse again felt that his time was short.  We had been hearing the same thoughts since last Friday but we had little glimmers of hope here and there as he would speak or eat little bits then have a difficult day then back and forth and back and forth.  Wednesday we spent a chunk of the day watching his breathing.  He spent most of the afternoon and evening with 30 seconds of no breathing, then 30 seconds of breathing, and had very little response or eating that day.   Thursday when Papa awoke, Mitchell was working on school in Papa’s room and Papa greeted him with a “Hello”, which surprised Mitchell…and all of us!  Since Thursday he has slowly been showing snippets of improvement.  His appetite is better and he not only responds to your words but he initiates a short conversation!  He is still in bed, not able to feed himself, and sleeps most of the day.  He of course is very weak and will probably not fully recover to even where he was before, but we are thanking the Lord for where he is.  This time has been so very sweet as it has given us (me in particular) precious time to begin letting go of Papa.  My heart has been so resistant to what I know will be reality someday; my Papa cannot live forever on this earth.  Chad spoke frankly, but lovingly, on Sunday as he shared with me the need to begin letting go and to stop resisting what will eventually come.  Not only that, but of course, the very best thing for Papa is eternity, it is simply my selfishness wanting him here with us.  Chad shared something that really struck me.  He said when we all are in eternity together we will know Papa in a way we have never known him before.  As much as I think he is pretty much the most “perfect” man here on earth, someone who loves unconditionally, who is tender, patient, kind, loving, gentle and so much more;  think of how amazing he will be in eternity with a perfect body in a perfect place!   Papa’s heart is yearning towards eternity, his Savior and his bride of 64 years.  We are thankful for whatever time we do have and amazed once again at the love of our Savior.  Even in the midst of my resistance, God has graciously given us the tender mercy of a little more time with this treasured man.    

Watching, Praying, Waiting

Watching Papa slip away

Praying fervently that he has great comfort and peace

and that his suffering is short. 

Waiting for his Savior to take him home.

Isabelle's note speaks from the heart of each of us.

Revelation 21:4

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes,

there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.