We love having Julie's parents here visiting with us. Gloria has been cooking up some great meals and Ron's always so easy to talk with about anything. It has also been great timing because they were able to go to Julie's doctor's appointment with us. Her doctor told her that there are a couple of options: she can either have chemo, which will make her even weaker than she is now; or to involve Hospice. Well, Julie has chosen Hospice. With the impact of that news, we held on to each other, cried and prayed together. We've known her nurses for the past 1 1/2 years and they have become pretty close to Julie, so it turned into a tearful hug fest. Julie told us that she is really okay with the thought of dying, because she knows she is going to heaven, but she is very concerned for our kids. But I reminded her that the Lord will give us the strength to support one another through this so she doesn't have to carry the load of making sure we're okay.

We spent to evening calling family and friends to begin to lean on one another. But I think Julie sensed that we needed some levity so she told Emily & I that she can do anything she wants now. So, I asked her if she wanted to start smoking and she said she'd like to get drunk too. It felt great to laugh in the middle of some pretty heavy stuff.

Our pastor called to talk with Julie and he told her that she wouldn't have to pray in heaven, because she could talk directly to the Lord. We'd already been talking about how wonderful heaven will be. Not only was Jesus a carpenter, but he created the world too. So he's got to be preparing a pretty awesome place for us. I can imagine one of the first things Julie will do when she gets there is to gather a group of kids together to sing some songs to Jesus.

Please feel free to call, e-mail, blog, send a card, or come by and visit Julie. Please pray that we all draw close to the Lord for strength to encourage Julie and one another. Thank you for your love & faithfulness! Greg