DECEMBER 24

Gary has tried to put on a good front today, not wanting to spoil any of our celebrations, but I know he has been in alot of pain. Today, was our daughter-in-law, Kristina's birthday. We gave her presents and surprised her with a cake at noon to keep her birthday separate from Christmas Eve. Gary joined us for a time and then went back to bed. He came back out for us to open presents tonight, but was not able to stay up for long. I knew that he has been experiencing numbness on the side of his face along with the pain in his head, but I didn't realize the extent of his paralysis until this evening. He really struggled with getting his medicine taken.

This has been a sad Christmas for us, and tonight I was talking to the Lord about how hard it was for me to see Gary suffer and how I didn't want to share any of this on the blog because this is the season for JOY and I did not want to put a damper on everyone else's happiness. Then, I checked my email one last time before going to bed, and there was an email from a friend that said just what I needed to hear! At the same time I was voicing my fears and sadness to the Lord, she wrote:

I’m writing to let you know that on this Christmas Eve, I’m thinking of you and Gary and praying that in the midst of cancer, pain, and sickness, you both will feel the presence of God, once again rejoicing in the miracle of His birth. I pray that the medicines will work, that the pain will be alleviated, and the sickness will stand still for a few hours so Gary can have a joyful Christmas – and you can have some peace, seeing that his face isn’t grimacing with pain.

Sometimes you may feel that no one is praying at “this particular moment,” but that’s the joy of being partners with many others as we pray together for a common cause – and right now GARY IS OUR CAUSE. Just know that you are loved and are in our prayers once again this night.

Wow! God gave me a special reminder just when I needed it the most... that He is present... He knows how I feel... He spoke to someone else's heart to prompt her to write these words.... knowing that it would bring the comfort I needed tonight.

I know we have so many friends and family praying for Gary and appreciate it so much. I can't imagine what he would be going through if it wasn't for those prayers!