Thursday, September 11, 2008

Special People

Bryan and I have had a very busy 2 weeks. But we would not exchange our availability for anything. We are blessed to get to be so involved in so much of our families.

Do you ever have times when in the midst of such great great joy, there is some sadness. Yet you know you must use that joy and happiness to overcome that sadness? I have had that this past 2 weeks. I have had abundant joy!! Last week was one of the most joyful weeks I have had !! This week has thrown me a slight curve ball though. But I will overcome!!! How can I not when God is on my side, He is good, He is in control, and He sustains me so often with His word!!



Granny went in for a heart surgery on Tuesday. I didn't have time to blog about it but I know there were a few praying for her and I thank you. It is such a nice thing to know you've mentioned it and someone emails you to tell you they are praying. Her surgery was about 4.5 hours. She did well immediately after the surgery (she was pretty much out of it and sleeping). However, her body temperature dropped to 93 and her blood pressure was about 70-80 over something. Too low. And she had some internal bleeding in her groin at one of the entry points. And she had to have a blood transfusion (by the end of it all she had to have 2). She is 80 years old and this was very scary for me. Until you get to the hospital to see for yourself, you don't know what to expect. While I was there, her pressure increased 10 points and I could see a slight change in her color. Last night she was sitting up in a chair and the bleeding had stopped! And she was bossing me telling me to go take care of my husband!! Praise the Lord, our great Physician!! She was so happy to eat and sit up instead of lying flat on her back for 24 hours! Continue to pray for a smooth recovery.

My Granny is very special to me and several in our family. She has always been a grandmother and a mother to me. I lived with her and Poppy while I was in high school and college until Bryan and I married. She has made sacrifices for me, she has loved me, and she has been genuine to me. She knows what makes me tick. She has always been honest to me! No deceit at all is in her. I don't like deception. We are a lot a like. Bryan has called me "Little Peggy" before!! Poppy instilled a strong work ethic in me and a commitment to God. I saw him many times provide groceries for those in his church. He was a servant. As I sat with Granny in the hospital, I reflected on her and my relationship with my grandparents. She has changed physically since my wedding and Poppy is not with us anymore. But I LOVE this picture. It sits on a table in my hall and I see it everyday. I will never ever be able to communicate what they are to me. And I will stand by them always!! My family has had bumps in the road since Poppy passed and I have wished so many times I could sit on the arm of his chair again and he would listen and tell me what to do. I remember Granny had surprised me by wearing a different dress to our wedding than I thought she was and she looked beautiful. Poppy wore a charcoal grey suit and he was smashing!!! When he passed away Granny allowed me to pick out what suit he would wear. I picked out this same suit, shirt, and tie not realizing he had worn it in my wedding until I looked back on this picture after the funeral!!! But I love that because it was my favorite suit he wore!

One last hiccup in this week was my cousin Eric leaving with the OK Army National Guard. He left Wednesday 9/10 for Ft. Hood, Texas and then will leave in later October for Iraq/Kuwait for 9-10 months. This was a very hard day for Whitney.You know from my earlier posts he and his wife had their little boy last Wednesday 9/3. Whitney and Jesse were able to get to go down into the terminal with him. Please pray for Whitney. This is a very emotional time for her; having a new baby and telling her husband goodbye. Please pray she will have peace of mind. Pray pray pray for Eric's safety and a quick return. Please pray he will be alert. Please pray they will be able to communicate while he is overseas.

Eric, Bryan, and I and now his family are very close! We've experienced a lot together. I was able to tell him bye at the hospital late Tuesday night. I rode the elevator down with he and Whitney and we talked out in the parking lot trying to avoid the goodbye. Of course, I cried buckets. All 3 of us were emotional. I walked back into the hospital crying and headed straight for the bathroom. I just know the receptionist probably thought someone had just died. And I'm so thankful no one was in the other stalls!!!!

I have to place Eric in God's hands and trust God will guide us through whatever this next year brings. God is sovereign. We cannot change God's plan. We must live through it and bring honor to His name in the process.

13 comments:

Jared said...

HI Julie....aaaaahhhhhh...Just when I thought my emotions were under control. ;-) Just want you to know that I love you! I am realizing the verse in the bible, "Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly," has never had a great pull on my heart. The last two weeks, I have been uncontrollably emotional about Eric. He has become the strong rock in my life that I never thought he would be. The older he gets (or maybe it's the older I get) I see him becoming the leader we've always known him to be. I am so proud that he has a wonderful wife and children. But, I am so scared right now. And, I don't know it I am scared for him or if it is that I am scared for myself. I join you in prayers for him. He called me last night, and it was a calming for my heart.

I am also missing the older generations of our family too. The older I get, the more I am understanding who Papaw was. I get irritated with myself that I didn't take the time to try and understand him while he was here. But, I choose to focus on the special moments that I shared with him and Granny. I am also missing my Aunt Dena. She was such a great example of love and grace. I am looking forward to the final family reunion...make sense?

Anyway, enough of being emotional for me...ha ha ha. I love you! Have a great day!

Faith said...

Wow Julie. You have had so much going on lately and all are very emotional situations. I am praying for you and that you would rest in the Lord and that His peace would reign in each of these circumstances. You are loved and prayed for!

Megan L Hutchings said...

You have had so much going on lately...bless your heat!! I am so glad that your Granny is doing well and recovering a little more each day. It is such a blessing to have grandparents touch us the way we do ;).

My heart is breaking right now for Whitney, but I will pray for the entire family. Perhaps you could tell her to read Leigh Ann's blog (Horton's Happenings) b/c her husband was gone the first year of EG's life b/c of deployment...

Weeksie50 said...

Oh my.. You surely have a lot on your plate.

I said a little prayer for you.

Becky

Leigh Ann said...

How precious your grandparents are! I love that picture, too.

I know Whitney does not know me from Adam, but it always helped for me to talk to someone who was in my shoes while Derek was deployed. Please tell her she can e-mail me ANYTIME or if she would like to call me I can give you my number. Deployment is SO hard, especially with a new baby. I lived that, too. So, if it helps to talk to someone who has been there, I'm all ears. :)

Jessica and Eddie said...

Hey Julie,
It sounds like you've had a busy past few weeks. Grandparents are such a blessing!! I'm happy to hear your Granny is doing much better. I'll keep your family in my prayers.
Blessings!!

Jessica

petrii said...

Julie,
What a beautiful picture of you and your grandparents. I'm so glad your grandma is doing better. I'll keep her in my prayers as well as you and your family and Eric and his as he's being deployed to the middle east.

I hope you are sleeping better.
Much love to you dear one,
Dawn

Heather said...

Oh, Julie. I had no idea that your cousin would be leaving so soon after his child's birth. Heartbreaking! I am so glad someone suggested Leigh Ann and her blog, because I thought of that, too.
I will be praying for you and your family!

MiMi said...

Julie,
I can certainly relate to your relationship with your grandparents. It sounds very similar to the relationship that I had with mine. My grandmother was also like a mother and a grandmother to me. Both of my grandparents are with the Lord now and I still miss them and think of them so often. I am so glad your grandmother came through the surgery and I will be praying for a smooth recovery.

I am sure that had to be very difficult to watch Eric leave for National Guard and also know he will leave for the Middle East in October. I will be praying for all of your family as ya'll go through some very emotional times.

Praying for you and Bryan!

Meredith said...

AWWWWW... your pics of the newest little family member are precious! I will be keeping Eric and his family in my prayers. I know it has to be real tough having to leave just weeks after your newborn baby arrives, but God will be with both him and his wife. Sounds like you have had quite a busy month! Praying for a speedy recovery for your granny! God Bless...

ocean mommy said...

Oh Julie! I will be praying for your sweet grandmother and your cousin and his family. What a great sacrifice they are making for our country. That little newborn is simply beautiful! You can count on my prayers for his daddy.

Hope that you are able to catch up on some rest this weekend!

Blessings,
steph.

Kristen said...

Wow! What a tough week for you! I'm glad to hear about your Granny's recovery! I'm sure your presence made a huge difference!
I'll be praying for her and your cousin and his family! What a difficult turn of emotions from a couple weeks ago when they brought that precious baby into the world.
Hope you've had a restful weekend!

Melissa said...

how's granny?