One Day You Will Shine Again

My mom and her sister, Jeri. April 2011

*Update: For any who read this blog originally, here is an update on my Aunt Jeri. Her fight is almost over, it's in the Lord's time. She is living at Laura and Nick's house on hospice care. Jason and his girlfriend, Lisbeth, will arrive on Thursday from Maine. Katie's juggling work and visiting her mother. My heart is so heavy looking at these beautiful pictures and thinking of the frail, weak woman I just saw 2 hours ago. One year and 2 months time, that's all it took for the cancer to overcome her. Please keep our family in prayer. My mom is round the clock taking care of her sister. She sleeps on the couch at Laura's house hardly sleeping really, listening for her sister to rustle her covers or call out for a need to be met. My mother, right now, in my eyes is the epitome of this verse, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friend." John 15:13. My mom's whole world has stopped and nothing matters but her sister. Laura is there in the trenches day and night as well, all the while taking care and nursing her new baby boy. Strength, that is what I see, in the women in my family. Please pray for Aunt Jeri's children. Laura, Jason and Katie. My sweet cousins who we grew up so closely with. Watching their mother slip away, their mother who took care of their every need while they were babies. The woman who they watched fight her way back from the edge of her own personal destruction.  My heart hurts for them, for us all.

April 2011

 The day we found out Aunt Jeri had breast cancer
March, 2011

I was reminded of this song by TobyMac this morning when my friend Stacey sent me text that Toby was going to be on The View.  I have always loved this song but today it took on a new meaning for me. We got some pretty devastating news about my Aunt Jeri. I feel her in this song and I am hopeful that no matter what the outcome may be we ALL will shine again. 



You turned away when I looked you in the eye,

and hesitated when I asked if you were alright,
Seems like you're fighting for you life, But why? oh why?
Wide awake in the middle of your nightmare,
You saw it comin' but it hit you outta no where,
And theres always scars when you fall that far

We lose our way,
We get back up again
It's never too late to get back up again,
One day you will shine again

You may be knocked down, But not out forever.

This is love calling, love calling, out to the broken
This is love calling.
This is love calling, love calling,
I am so broken
This is love calling love calling.