Summer's Gone.....Fall is Upon Us!

I can't believe a whole summer has gone by since I've written on my blog. I apologize, but it's been a long, difficult summer. It began when my parents came up early to say goodbye to their closest friend, Ruth Allen, who was like a second mother to me. She had suffered for 2 years in and out of hospitals and care units, struggling with pain and discomfort, and the pain of being separated from family, children, grandchildren, and friends. Mr. Allen never left her side. He visited her every day, and nothing could stop him, including his own pain he was enduring. I tried to visit as much as possible, but it hurt. Memories came flooding back. The day after my last visit with Mrs. Allen, she went to be with her Savior and Lord. The family had left to make funeral arrangements, and it was almost like she waited until she was alone. Less than two weeks later, after missing his wife's own funeral because he was in the hospital, Mr. Allen went to be with his Savior and Lord. Gone. Just like that. I miss them both dearly.


It wasn't too much longer after that, that my brother's girlfriend's mother took a turn for the worse in her battle with cancer. I tried to help my taking her up as much as I could to see her Mom in a hospice out of state. Again, lots of memories and very difficult for me. I cried myself to sleep most nights.

Then on the way to church one night, we saw a horrible motorcycle accident. When I got to church, my brother texted me this: "That motorcycle accident was Tommy. He died." ????? WHAT??? My cousin, Tommy Mills, Jr. had been trying to help a fellow biker, and they got too close, the accident occurred, and he died. I still can't believe this one. It's too crazy. He was a good cousin. His Dad, Uncle Tom, was and is the coolest uncle I have. I love Uncle Tom, and he had just lost his wife, Aunt Phylis a couple years before. Just so unbelievable.


The day of Tommy's funeral, my brother's gf got a call that her Mother had taken a turn for the worse and wasn't going to be living very long. My brother stayed at the funeral and I drove his gf to see her mom. It was heart-wrenching. She kept fighting for every breath, and then finally Dan's gf told me she couldn't stay anymore (we had been there all day), and that she wanted to go home. So we did. As soon as we pulled in the driveway, her cell phone rang, and we found out her mom had just passed away.

That's a lot of people to lose in one summer. That's also a lot of memories. The toughest memory this summer was when I was sitting with a dear friend's family waiting to hear the result of a surgery that was meant to remove a large tumor in her abdomen. That was a long day. The result? cancer. I could barely breathe. I had had enough, and still have difficulty thinking and even praying for her, because it hurts so very much to see a friend who is like family suffering like she is, like Todd did.

However, Father has been good. He's been so faithful. He's the only reason to keep moving forward, so I will. Each day seems to bring some new challenge, heartache, or surprise for us, but knowing Father knows it all helps us to keep going!