It is amazing to look back over this very difficult week and see the goodness of God.

One thing that God has taught me is that he cares about every detail of our lives.

God knew my mom would be in the hospital last Sunday night, and he hand-picked a nurse to care for her.

He didn’t pick just any nurse. He picked a nurse that is passionately in love with Him. He picked a nurse that would passionately love my mom.

Our lives were changed by this sweet nurse.

She came to mom’s visitation Thursday night.

Our lives will forever be intertwined.

I just discovered she had a blog and I read this post about my mom. Please go check it out. I hope it blesses you as much as it did me….

It’s Not About the Medicine

I have so much to share about this past week.

I have so many to thank.

I’ll be back soon…

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Mom’s battle with cancer ended at 2 a.m., September 22, 2009.

She did not lose her battle with cancer.  She won!  She now stands whole and victoriously at the feet of her Savior.

We sang hymns in her ears and read scripture to her.  We kissed her beautiful face a thousand times.

The room was filled with her family.  And filled with God’s love.

A few weeks ago, I stood in the kitchen with Mom and I told her how strong she was being through all of this.  I told  her how amazed I was to see her faith so strong and her mouth so full of thanksgiving.

She said, “Traci, I have tried my whole life to be an example to you kids of how to live for Christ.  Now I have to be an example of how to die for Christ.”

Oh mama, you were!  You continually blessed others when they were trying to bless you.  You changed our hearts.  You showed us how a heart in love with Jesus is greater than any trial we face on this earth.

I hear God now saying, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.”

And mom, you are healed.  You’ve wanted to be able to walk on your feet for weeks.  Dance, mama, dance!  Dance with Jesus.

I held her sweet hand as she drew her last breath.  I’ve never known an honor so great.

She was so beautiful.

I love you, Mom.

For all of you wonderful people who have prayed for my mom and my family during these difficult days, I share with you my mom’s very favorite verse that she has clung to all the more before she passed away…

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.    John 14:27

(Before Mom got sick, she tried to start a blog.  She was able to write a few posts.  I wanted to share it with you. http://wandawalkingwiththelord.blogspot.com/)

For you, Mom…

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It’s Monday morning, and I am sitting with my mom in the hospital.

My sister and dad brought her to the hospital in the middle of the night because she was experiencing extreme pain in her abdomen.

They have given her morphine for the pain, and we are waiting for results from an x-ray.

She is very much out of it, but will sometimes speak out of her head. The words she has said the most are, “I love you, Lord.” and “You all are wonderful.”

It reminds me of the scripture,

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

Luke 6:45

My mom’s heart is overflowing with love for her Lord!

Here is a picture of my family that we took on Dad’s birthday, September 4th.

That’s my brother, Blake, in the middle.

He is Mom’s pride and joy.

He recently wrote down some words that had been laid on his heart. I think he did a great job describing our mom.

He said I could share them with you…

There is None Better!

I hear people brag about their moms, but if they ever met mine they would know. There is none better.

You think you know a Christian that talks the talk and walks the walk? Well let me introduce you to my mom. There is none better.

I always thought the best way to describe a Christian is “Servant.” You should meet my mom. There is none better.

Do you know someone who is unselfish? Puts everyone above themselves? Would give you anything they had? I call her Wanda Faye, she’s my mom, and trust me, There is none better.

I’ve known her 37 years. I’ve seen her faithfulness. I’ve gotten up at 5 in the morning and found her reading her bible. I’ve watched her prepare to teach bible studies. This isn’t just a bias. I’m telling you. There is none better.

She’s fighting cancer now. She even does that selflessly and gracefully. I can’t tell you how many cards she has received. What does my mom do? She uses all the energy she has to try and write everyone back. Do I really need to do any more convincing? There is none better.

If you’ve been fortunate enough to meet my mom you know what I mean. If she’s touched your hand, smiled that sweet smile, told you she loved you, told you she was praying for you, well consider yourself blessed…she meant every word. There is none better.

If the Lord does decide to take her home before we are ready. I can’t say I blame him. He knows what I do. There is none better.

****************

Please pray that Mom would be healed. Pray that the doctors would have wisdom and discernment in caring for my mom.

Pray for my dad, his heart is breaking.

God bless each and everyone person reading these words right now…

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Several days after Mom’s first round of chemo, my sister and I were at Mom’s house helping care for her. 

We were cleaning the house real good, and trying to get Mom’s fall decorations out around the house.  She loves celebrating the seasons and her house is always decorated so wonderfully.

Mom was feeling really bad.  The chemo was showing its colors.

One of the side effects of her cancer had been swollen feet and ankles.  It had started several weeks before.

That day, her feet were extremely swollen, cracked and dry.  She asked me to take the polish off her toenails.  A simple task she was no longer able to do.

I jumped at the chance to do that for Mom.  I got all the supplies I needed and went to work.

After I removed the polish, I got some lotion and covered her feet with it.  I rub her feet gently because they were tender and sore. 

She said, “This is humbling….to have someone clean and care for your feet.  I’m sorry you have to do this, Traci.”

“Mom, don’t worry about it.  I consider it an honor.”  I said.

And I did.

As I rubbed the lotion on her cracked and swollen feet, my heart swelled with love for my mom.

I thought about all the acts of love those feet had performed over the years.

Those were the same feet that pushed a rocking chair back and forth every night as she rocked me to sleep as a baby.

Those were the same feet that ran to my side as a child whenever I was scared, hurt, or just needed a hug.

Those were the same feet that pushed the pedal of her sewing machine as she made my sister and I matching outfits when we were young.

Those were the same feet that also pushed the gas pedal in the car as she drove me to countless cheerleading practices, softball games, and school events.

Those were the same feet that excitedly jumped up and down with me in the kitchen when I found out I got my first teaching job.

Those were the same feet that have walked into hundreds of  homes to deliver a meal or offer a prayer for someone in need.

Those were the same feet that proudly walked down the aisle  at my wedding.

Those were the same feet that stood in the choir loft at church as she sang praises to her Lord with all of her heart.

Those were the same feet that have done silly dances in the living room to make the grandchildren laugh.

Those were the same feet that have stood firmly on the solid rock of Jesus Christ and His word.

And now, those were the same feet that lie swollen at the foot of a bed.  And oh how I know that she would love to stand strong on those feet once more…

to dance with her husband

to play with her grandchildren

to cook a meal in her kitchen

to go to church

to walk a thousand more days with her family

Lord,

Thank you for my precious mother and her beautiful feet.  Thank you for the path that she has walked in service and devotion to You.  Thank you for the example she has given us all to follow.     Bless her and strengthen her with your might.                                                          Amen.

"How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (Romans 10: 15 KJV)

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Today (Tuesday) I woke up with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I had spent some time with Mom last night, and though she was doing better than last week, I was still troubled with her condition. Her talking and breathing was very labored, and I worried about the cancer in her lungs.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I teach music at a Mom’s Day Out program that my two youngest sons attend with me. (A fact that I don’t think I have ever shared with you!) :) I have worked there for four years, and I love it. It is located at a wonderful church, and it is a precious place to work. I am so thankful that God has placed me in a job where I am surrounded by wonderful, godly women who continually lift my mom and I up in prayer.

I was having a hard time staying focused at work because I was worried about Mom. My sister, Cyndi, was taking her to a scheduled doctor’s appointment.

When they did her blood work, they discovered her blood was really low. Her heart rate and her oxygen were also dangerously low, so they immediately admitted her to the hospital.

Cyndi called me to let me know, and I wasn’t surprised. I just knew…

There was a flurry of doctors around her for several hours as they did TONS of blood work, xrays of her chest, ultrasounds of her legs (which are very swollen) , and more.

They discovered that she has fluid in her chest cavity. We were worried about her heart, but the cardiologist said that there was no fluid on her heart and it looked good.

They are doing a blood transfusion at about 12:30 a.m.

She should be here a couple of days. They are hoping to build her body back up so it will be strong enough for more chemo.

I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my mom with you. I love these pictures because of her beautiful smile.

This is a picture of Mom with my niece at a Fall festival. We go to festivals together every year and love to eat a big bag of kettle corn!

And this is a picture of Mom and Dad at my nephew’s graduation. They were so proud of their oldest grandson!

Isn’t she beautiful?

Please pray specifically for her coughing to stop, the fluid in her body to go down, and that her time in the hospital will give her the strength she needs to endure her chemo.

For those of you who don’t know, her name is Wanda. She never liked her name when she was growing up, but began to love it when she found out it means, “Walking with the Lord.”

God bless you all,

Traci

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

²³ They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

Lamentations 3:22-25

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