Visit to Ohio

I left home last Friday morning (6/11), to visit my parents.  These last trips have yielded a double visit since my brother & sister-in-law bought Mom & Dad’s house in January and live there with them.  What a beautiful blessing!!

Saturday morning (as usual), I was up in time to have breakfast with Mom & Dad and we took our plates/bowls to the deck.  A lovely morning!  Every morning for who knows how long, Mom & Dad have had devotions together before breakfast.

On Saturday afternoon, DearBrother and SIL took me shopping.  She got fabric for placemats and I only got innerlining for K’s coat.   On the way home, we stopped at a farm that has 2 large greenhouses as well as the normal farming operation.  This was their last day of being open with plants and they had JUST WHAT I WANTED AND NEEDED!

I bought 6 yellow tomato plants (2′ tall!), a cup of parsley with 2 plants, a cup of purple basil with 2 plants, and a cup of sage.  SIL had a cup of 2 basil plants, too so I put that on my tab.  I paid $5!!     My poor garden only had 1 yellow cherry tomato and 1 red grape tomato and they cost $5 EACH!!   I was thrilled with my bargain!!

Once home, Dad was outside working and I asked him if we could put the 6 tomato plants in a pot to travel home better.  He does nice planting work!  When I transfered the plants to the garden on Thursday they had already put out many new roots in the bigger space.  Yeah!!

Sunday I secretly hoped the organist (my mom!) wouldn’t play any hymns that would make me cry.  She didn’t but the worship team and small band started the service with “Great is Thy Faithfulness”.  As hard as I tried, I couldn’t sing it all.  Standing by Dad hearing him sing that was too hard on my tears.  They overflowed.

I went to the adult study class with Phil’s sister & her husband and met a new quilting friend.   heehee

Once home, we were greeted by 3 of DB’s grandchildren!  They were visiting for the day.  Fun!!   The youngest needed her pigtails fixed so I handed the ponytail holder to DB.  He raised 3 boys, I wondered if he could do this trick for his 1st granddaughter.  Nope.  I rescued them both and got to fix 2 tiny pigtails.  How fun!!

Soon after this, the littles and their grandparents went to a church class picnic while Mom & Dad and I had dinner with SIL’s parents.   (They come for Sunday dinner for their weekly outing.)

After dinner, while Mom & I did dishes, Dad headed outside to pull a few weeds.  That warmed him up and he was ready for short sleeves when he came back in.

Soon the children were done with naps at their own house and back to the grandparents’ house.  Before supper, Great-Grandpa played cars on the coffee table with Miss L for a bit.  Mr. S is peeking into the picture in the background while Mr. J took a pause in his farming to catch the weather.

After supper together, Grammy (SIL) had brought their swimsuits so the kids changed into their suits.  We drove down the road just a bit to a quiet place to play in a shallow creek! What fun!!

I didn’t know it would involve the short hike through the woods or I would have reconsidered my flip-flops.

Three were too busy to be bothered for a picture!  Sorry to their Mom!

Gr-Grandma was in charge of the towels and G-Gpa had his camera along for a few pictures. He also found a few rocks with fossils imprinted on them.

The whole area of creek where we were was just like this.  Just deep enough to get wet and throw rocks!  Grammy kept a close eye on Miss L as she found a few deeper places…. repeatedly!  🙂  The water was C~O~L~D!!

Three of us changed 3 of them once back at their van and the grandparents took the children home for thier own tub & jammies.  Soon after the parents arrived home so DB & SIL came back for the evening.

Mom asked if DB or I had drawn the short straw to go to their doctor appointments on Monday and we said we both did.  We double-teamed them!

Monday morning after a long enough wait to be too long and a too short of wait to start a project, we headed to the doctor.  Dad got more detailed results of the biopsy he had 2 weeks ago.  Stage 3 lung cancer and we got the measurements… about a golf ball size (but misshapen)  in his lung.  A bit smaller on 2 lymph nodes.  😦   This, their regular, doctor didn’t recommend treatment as his type of cancer cell doesn’t respond to treatment as well as his age & heart condition playing a part.

However, on Thursday they met with an oncologist who is repeating some scans & tests and will give a better answer this coming week.

Meanwhile, the difficult road we are on continues.

That evening Dad’s niece & her husband came over as well as Mom & Dad’s former pastor & his wife.  We had a small family anointing service for Dad.  It was very meaningful, beautiful, and difficult all rolled into one.

Mom & Dad really show they are at peace with all of this that has been thrown at them.  Their faith hasn’t wavered but they cling tighter to He who sustains!  What a tremendous testimony they are to us and those around them.

Cards have started to arrive for them and they so appreciate the thoughts and prayers behind them.  So many specially found them at church on Sunday as well.

Tuesday morning devotions before I headed home.

I had to head home to my men on Tuesday and left early in an effort to pass Chicago before the afternoon mess began.  I did.  I was thankful to arrive home just before 3.

Meanwhile, our emails & phone calls continue and our prayers are stepped up a bit for their continued peace, that they both continue to feel so good, and for help in the decisions ahead.  Thanks for joining us!!