A very difficult day...

Today is my Mom's 77th birthday. She's spending it in the hospital. Yesterday we got up at 4:30 am to drive to the hospital for Mom's brain biopsy. She was in a good mood considering what she was facing. Three of my brothers and my two sisters were there too. My brother, Gary, is a chiropractor and had a full schedule of patients so his wife was there. After 2 1/2 hours, the Dr. took us into a room for the report. They found a malignant brain tumor. We knew this was a possibility but we were still stunned to learn the truth. He said the final pathology report will tell us more next week...then they'll know the type of cancer and how to treat it. His last words were..."it's treatable but not curable." It's so hard to think of losing a parent no matter what their age. Mom and Dad have always been strong for all of us through financial woes, health problems, and every other thing that has come into our lives. Dad is really devastated about this...he and Mom will celebrate their 59th anniversary next month and are so dependant on each other for everything. I know God is allowing our family to go through this for a reason...it's just really hard to see that right now through the cloud of pain and fear. My brother, Gary, cancelled his appointments after the diagnosis and came to the hospital. He is younger than I am but I always look to him for strength...he has a lot of medical knowledge and the confidence to ask the right questions. I know all of the brothers and sisters have looked to him for leadership in this. My poor sister, Ruth has had so much going on in her life. Her daughter was moving to college the day that Mom had the seizure. Ruthie's middle son has finished chiropractic school and moved to Kentucky this weekend. There were all kinds of problems with their rented home so Ruthie was trying to help deal with that over the phone while at the hospital. Then her husband's mother was taken to the hospital yesterday and her husband's stepfather has to be taken for dialysis 3 times a week...so you see the pressure Ruthie's been dealing with! I called her this morning and she was up in the night sick with a migraine so she's trying to rest and get over that today. So please keep her in your prayers too. It's so comforting to know that my friends and all the friends of my siblings and parents are praying for this situation. I know God will be glorified through this painful time and I'm trusting him for my future and for the future of my parents too. I'm clinging to the promise of God in Jeremiah: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."