Dear Mother,
December 2, '06
How are you today? It has only been two years, but it
seems so long since you left here and moved into your new home.
I know it must be just beautiful and you are living there with pure joy. It can’t be as
dusty and gritty there as it is here. I still can’t keep this place clean, as hard as I try.
I miss you so much, Mother. I miss talking to you on the phone every day. Those
phone prayer meetings we had together several times a week were so comforting
and encouraging, a real blessing to me. We knew so many people to pray for. And
those all-night prayer sessions we had several times over the years taught me so
much about prayer. Thank you for modeling that for me, Mom.
How is your health? Better, I’m thinking. I feel sure your backache is all gone.
And those stomach cramps and nausea must be a thing of the past. The
carcinoid tumors must surely be healed up by now. Guess those cataracts
in your eyes have been taken out so you can see perfectly well. How about
that bone spur in your heel? Hope that arthritis in your hands is cleared up.
I can identify with you on that pain -- my hands are so sore and painful all
the time; it hurts to write this letter.
How’s Dad? Is he still building those beautiful stringed instruments, or is he just enjoying
playing music with friends and other folks there? Bet he walks straight, tall,
and pain-free these days. Is he still singing “Where Could I Go But To The
Lord”? And does he still whistle a tune now and then? Please tell him Don and I miss him very much.
Oh, Mom, it must be wonderful living in that city. I’m looking forward to
joining you and Dad there someday. We’ll be there as soon as we get all
of our stuff done here - - you know, all the work the Lord has assigned us to do.
Don and I are both getting more “achy-breaky” each year. More pain,
less energy. And we are much slower than we used to be.
I don’t like to dwell on the negative too much, but this world is in an awful
shape - - wars, natural disasters, robbing, shooting, stealing, sickness and
disease, selfishness, poverty. On the other hand, there are folks everywhere
that love God and praise Him for His love, and His wonderful, matchless
grace and mercy. I’m so thankful to know a lot of those folks. In fact on
one of our visits to a nursing home recently, Don and I met a lady who is
just precious and loves the Lord with all her heart. It just blessed my heart
so much to meet her. Yes, Mom, we’re still doing our Nursing Home
Ministry, though we aren’t able to do as much as we used to do. But we
have a wonderful fellow from our church who is faithful to help us. About
this lady we just met, she has written a book about the things God has
shown her, and she let me read the manuscript, while it’s in the process
of being published. Mom, she’s the mother of one of our church members.
And I just instantly fell in love with her and felt like she could be a “mother figure” for me.
Well, Doris finally had both her knees replaced, and she is doing so well, I’m
really proud of her. Her doctor is amazed at her progress. But she gives
God all the credit. I agree with her. I’ve never heard of anyone progressing
so fast or well, especially from a double knee replacement surgery. She
always suffers a lot of pain all over, and I pray for her all the time and am
so happy that she can see a brighter and healthier future. Doris is always
concerned about Christie, who seems to get worse instead of better with
her awful migraines, anxiety and fears. She’s still having such a difficult time.
Mark and Jennie do lots of searching and studying about this malady so
they will be able to do all they can to help her. Caitlin seems to be doing
very well. My heart aches for Christie. She is our precious godchild,
and we’re so helpless to help her. We pray for her and their whole
family all the time.
Bob is getting ready to retire next month. He has a lot to do around
home to keep him very busy when he’s retired, including working on
a “Registry” of Dad’s stringed instruments. Won’t that be great?
I remember you always wanted Dad to keep a record of all the folks
who bought his instruments. He just didn’t realize the importance of it, I guess.
Patsy and George finally got her aged mother into a wonderful nursing
home in Waverly. She’s very content there, with so much to see as
the folk come and go, and with the busyness around her. I hope Patsy
will get some much-needed rest now and her health will improve. Don
and I will go out there to visit Mrs. Rogers soon.
David and Barbara are here for the month of December to spend time
with Scott and his family. I know they’ll be thrilled to see Kyle again.
He’s such a wonderful grandson. They will be visiting Barbara’s family
down in Ewing for a while too. She lost her brother, Glenn, to cancer
recently. He suffered terribly, for a long time. Of course, I’m sure you
know all that by now.
Dallas and Karen are going through a very difficult time of grief. Daniel’s
wife got discontent and took their baby and all their furniture and left,
went back to Missoula, and to her old job. And Daniel is extremely
heart broken. Brooke was the love of his life. You know I can identify
with them greatly, as this has been the case with Cindy twice in the past.
There is no hurt greater in a parent’s heart than watching one’s child go
through such trauma as a broken marriage and home. Even sickness,
surgeries, job losses, lots of other things….there just can’t be any greater
sorrow in life than a broken home. I can speak to that, because the awful
trauma I, and my children, suffered from our broken home years ago
was more grievous than death. Death is final. Divorce and a broken
home is something that leaves a “hole in your heart” for life. One
doesn’t recover, only lays it upon Jesus to carry it for you.
And that leaves only Don and me to catch you up on. Well, as I said
earlier, we are not as able anymore to keep up the place around here.
We both suffer from a great deal of pain and fatigue….Don with his
old injuries to neck, shoulders and back, as well as his difficulties
with bladder cancer and his lowered immune system from the awful
reaction he had to the treatment in June. And me with my fused
neck & back, and fibromyalgia, not to mention the arthritis giving
both of us pain. We both are having throat problems since our
bronchitis and pneumonia this past summer. We just live with pain
all the time, physical, and emotional from watching our children
“go through the fires” of life. So we have come to the place where
we must sell this wonderful home we can no longer care for, and
find a small place that we are able enough to take care of, and be able to afford
the monthly expenses of life. It grieves me, but it’s ok, and I will
get accustomed to living in a smaller place. I’m always “at home”
with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and that's the important thing.
But you know what, Mom? We know the Lord Jesus as our
Savior, and God as our Father, plus the Holy Spirit as our
Advocate so we just can’t lose. And the day is getting closer
and closer to the time we are going to move to our new home in
the same city where you and Dad are. And your address is
the same as Grandma’s, Michael’s, Baby Justin, Baby Rose,
and all our other loved ones that have moved there. I know it’s
a gated community, which is very popular around these parts.
But your gates are a lot easier to get through! It doesn’t take
a password, or a special key, to get through those gates in the city where you live. All we
need is our names written down in the membership book. And
Mother, you know ours is there!! Yes, our names are written
down in the Lamb’s Book of Life, so we will walk through those
Pearly White Gates in that City that John saw coming down!!
And we’re looking for the Master to welcome us there, along
with you and Dad and the others. I know you’ll remember us
when we get there, though I doubt you ever think of us these
days. I don’t blame you a bit! I know there’s much to see and
think about, to praise and worship the Father, and sing with the
Heavenly chorus!! Oh my goodness! I just can’t wait, Mom!
Don’t worry, Don and I will be there very soon. We can’t wait
to walk through those portals. Heaven’s Gate!
Take care, Mom, and tell Dad to do the same. Soak up all
that wonderful love there. We’re still here, loving you and
Dad a great deal, but we’ll see you soon.
Love, hugs & prayers,
Your daughter, Jo
