Seeing God in Suffering

We have much going on this last week. I haven't been able to post any on Easter, one of my favorite times of the year, or any more on the thoughts of intimacy God's been bringing to my mind. We have had a lot of hard things this past week. 

There is so much that I'm thankful for in the midst of it, to see God at work in the midst of suffering.

Gary was gone on business Monday and Tuesday, and he told me with the circumstances, he'd prefer me and the girls to stay at my parents house while he was gone. We had a co-op field trip in West Plains at 9 am on Tuesday that he thought would be better if I was already out there, as well as him feeling better about us not being alone. I tried to talk him out of it, explaining what a pain it is to pack all 4 of us up for just one night, but he stood firm, so I said okay and went. THANK GOD. Again, seeing the blessing of submission- poor Belle was up all night with the flu. Had I been home alone, it would have been overwhelming. My sister had gotten everything ready for me to sleep with her, and the girls were in their room (they have their own room at my parents). Anyway, my mother was up with her almost all night and never came and got me, and I had no idea until morning, when I got up to get everyone ready for the field trip. Needless to say, we didn't go, and I stayed there until I thought it was safe to try to drive home that evening. 

Gary's sister, Jeanni, was diagnosed in June of last year with acute lymphocytic leukemia. She's only 35 years old. It has been a constant battle, with one thing to the next. The cancer is in remission, but because of the horrible toxins from the chemo and treatments, she's battling all kinds of other issues. On Thursday, Gary's dad called and said it was pretty bad, with a fight for life going on. She's in the NTICU in Springfield, so we left that evening after closing the store to go see her and be with Dad. It was so sad. She's sedated, so we couldn't visit much with her, but prayed and spent time with Gary's dad. It is a hard thing all the way around. We weren't sure if we were staying or not, but I'd packed a bag just in case. It started pouring, and we went to Jeanni's house to check the weather. While there, Gary decided he'd rather us go home- this would put us at home around 2:30 in the morning. I was like, okay, then let's go. Again- THANK GOD I didn't argue. We got to bed around 3:00 am.

Friday morning, I wake up at 9:00 am, with the flu. It was awful. My parents kept the kids while I was sick. Gary started fighting it, but thank God for our all natural stuff, cause he never got it and kept taking his meds. I realized that in all the rush, I'd forgotten my meds- I will never forget them again! On Saturday, I called my parents to check in and come get the girls- and they all had gotten the flu. I'd forgotten their meds too! Poor things! So, we've all been battling this awful flu that is INTENSE. 

There's a lot more going on that I can't reveal quite yet, but there continues to be this non stop struggle, concerns, with various things. Seems like it goes from one thing to the next. Right now, we're trying to recover and just keep up with our responsibilities of our family and business and church. Gary's sister is just hanging in there, not doing worse, but not any better. We're just praying God's glory be clearly seen through this- however He decides to reveal Himself in her situation. Please keep us in your prayers!