Grieving with Hope

I have never lost anyone close to me. I know there will be a day when I will. It seems the last couple months til now I have been hearing such sad stories of people who are suffering in many differnt ways. I was going through something, and not neccisarily grieving in a loss of someone, but this sermon hit me. And now, it feels more appropriate than ever on the weekend of such heartache. My best friend was sitting in the church this night. I am so glad she was there, so she could tell me about it. I encourage you to listen. I know it is long, but take the time, and listen all the way through. God whispers in so many differnt ways to differnt people.

My links isnt working so paste it into your browser. The message is called Grieving with Hope. http://www.willowcreek.org/mediaplayer/playerHome.aspx?cid=3&id=14

Scroll down to the bottom when you get to their site and click on May 2010. You will see it there.



When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Just an update for those of you who know Evan, and know about his tailbone problem. Evan has from day one been our child who has all the issues. By issues I mean medical. Between kidney appointments, helmets, middle of the night ER visits, its always something. Evan was born with a wierd tailbone/base of his spine. His spine comes all the way down to flesh basically and there is basically just skin protecting it from poking through. He is able to run, and jump and do all the things normal kids do, but if he goes down a slide too hard, or jumps and lands wrong, it causes him a lot of discomfort. He recently has been complaining more about it, so we decided to go back to his pediatrican to seek what other options we had. (Up until now, it didnt seem like much of a concern)We were refered to Helen DeVos Neurosugery. When we went today, the doctor looked at it and decided Evan needs a MRI. The problem isnt now, but it could be later. If he would hit a growth spurt and the end of the spinal cord is stretched, the result could not be a good thing. In severe cases, some kids loose feeling in there legs unexpectadly. He goes the end of August for the MRI and will be seen the next day for results. He will have to be sedated for the MRI just because he wont be able to move for 45 minutes. (Poor buddy!) I am not worried about that part. The part I am worried about is him not being able to eat all day because his appointment is at 1:00. Please pray for good results from the MRI. If there is something that is blocking the base of the spinal cord, or something pinning it down, he will need surgury. I am sure everything will be fine, but no mom likes to think of their little guy having surgry for any reason. I will keep ya posted when I know more from his MRI! Thanks!!

Seeing how it has been about a month ago since I posted last, I thought I should probably update again. We have been staying busy outside enjoying the great weather, and have taken a few small little trips away as well. Ahhh, summertime!

Toward the end of June, Ryan and I thought it would be fun to take Evan to the water fountation downtown holland. It was a hot night and thought Evan would love it. We got icecream at Coldstone, then ventured our way down there. By the time we got there, it was packed and Evan was a little hesitant but eventually ended up loving it.



Over the fourth of July we went camping with our small group. (All except the Hills! :-( We missed you guys!) We ended up at Baldwin Oaks, and actually I was pleasantly suprised with that camp group. I never was a huge camper, as I didnt grow up camping, but the pool was fantastic, and the kids had a blast. On Saturday they had pony rides and free cotton candy for the kids. It was such a nice little get away for the weekend and we had so much fun with such great friends. Looking forward to going again! Here are a few of our fun weekend.







I also was able to get out for my birthday this past weekend and head down to Chicago to visit my friend who lives there. It was such a great weekend, and much needed. We had such a good time catching up, going for dinners and shopping. So much fun! The best birthday weekend ever.

Other than vacations, not a whole lot more has been happening. Ryan is layed off again for a little while, but that was kind of expected. We will see if they get any more work by fall. We will see! Have a great weekend everyone!