BLESSINGS!!!

Its a long post…. hang in there.

I have always been someone who believes in the Lord's power. He can move mountains. I knew it was true in my heart, I could remember times when He has proven it in my life, but even years of believing didn't prepare me for what He had in store or us this past 8 months. GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME. If you have ever doubted that statement or think you will again. Copy and paste the following and save it somewhere. So you can go back to it and see "miracle" proof that God is good and loves us always. Even when the worst of this world comes to your front door, He loves us, provides for us and is there to hold us up when we can not stand on our own. Here are our Blessings:

1. We came upon an opportunity for Mark to change jobs back in November. We have always dreamed of working less than 40 hours a week and yet still affording the home we wanted to raise our children in and have enough income to give to the church and those in need. We had NO idea it would ever be possible for us. Mark got the offer to work 20 hours a week and still receive the benefits package of a full-time job. I was already working 20 hours a week as well - leaving one of us home with the boys each day. We felt a strong urge to take the job. Even though it was less money and a bit of a risk at this point in our lives, he took the job.

Soon after he started and I could begin to see how our new arrangement was working I felt so Blessed. I was thrilled with how our lives were turning out. Mark got to be home to "play on the floor" with the boys and I still got to work and make a difference outside the home. It was more then we had asked for. I also felt a little uneasy. As I expressed one night at our small group, I felt like the Holy Spirit was working on me and preparing my heart for something new. A new opportunity, something that this new life would allow me to handle better or better show Gods love to others. Little did I know what God was preparing for us.

If Mark had been at his old job when all this happened it would have thrown a HUGE wrench in many co-workers lives - as they "sold" what he designed. Without him there is no product. While his new company is a construction company and Mark makes their stuff look great. They can continue to do business without him, their stuff just doesn't look as polished. Having a job with only 20 hours a week required will also allow a much easier transition back when this is all over.

2. Mark's new work has great medical insurance, including disability insurance. There is no doubt in my mind that God was providing for us financially with the this insurance. With his old job we only had catastrophic medical insurance for Mark. He was the guy who never went to the doctor. Literally 3 times in the 10 years we've been married. We would have been in a BIG financial mess without this new medical insurance. If that isn't blessing enough, Mark had worked only a little over the amount of required hours for the disability insurance to be active when he was diagnosed. I know that even though Mark was feeling bad and technically had Leukemia weeks before we went to the emergency room God kept Mark well long enough for him to work all the hours he needed to. The disability insurance is one of the reasons we are making it financially.

3. My parents had been watching our kids 1 day a week at our house since Mark switched jobs. They are both fully retired, willing and able. They love their grand babies and wanted to continue being a part of their lives and watching them even with the job change and having to come up to our house instead of Mark bringing the boys out to their house once a week with his old job. This allowed them to become very comfortable at our house. Just in time for us to need them at our house for days on end to watch our boys and take care of things that would other wise just not have got done. Such a blessing.

4. My mom has a very painful condition called Trigeminal Neuralgia that affects the nerves of the face. It was becoming so painful last fall that she considered surgery to relieve the pain. She felt an overwhelming urge to get it all taken care of as soon as possible. So even though it was over the holidays and fouled up her "hostess" plans she went ahead with it. Little did she know that she would need to be in tip-top grandma shape, with plenty of pain free / patient moments for my boys this spring. God has good timing.

5. My Job has been SO understanding with my need for some schedule changes in order to take care of the kids and Mark in the hospital.

6. Both of our employers have been very generous with support and encouragement. Blood drives and Bone Marrow Donor registries.

7. Friends and family have been praying all over the country. Literally from coast to coast. Friends have donated funds, volunteered to help out, watch kids, bring meals, pray and visit. Encouragement, gifts, cards and blessings have been pouring in since this all started.

…… and now for the quick list….. there are so many blessing it is hard to name them all…

8. Karen now works outside the home so there is some income coming in

9. Stable past careers that we could build up the savings accounts and emergency funds

10. We were already done having kids - it would be quite the challenge now

11. Hospital close to home so Mark can see his family

12. Found the cancer just in time

13. Science and medicine advances that will save his life

14. A healthy, young body that is more than capable of fighting - with out diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, smoking or alcohol abuse.

15. The doctor came early for a bone marrow biopsy one morning and I was not yet to the hospital. They make Mark very nervous and uneasy. Without an abnormal nose bleed to delay the procedure I would not have made it in time. God takes care of the big and little things.

16. A computer was donated for me to use at the hospital and my work allows me to work remotely while Mark has been hospitalized for treatment. Especially during the initial 41 day stretch.

17. Friends and complete strangers rallying to give blood in Mark's name and getting on the bone marrow donor list.

18. That we found a bone marrow match out of 19 million people and that they are willing to donate to Mark.

19. God keeps providing the exact amount of money we need each month through generous donations from friends and family. Each month, every month. GOD IS GOOD.

There is more I am sure I am missing and I KNOW there will be more each week as we stay strong in the Lord through this adventure.

I know NOW that my full heart and feeling of something to come was God saying to Mark and I: "I have given you the desires of your heart, more then you ever thought you would have, so that you will know my love. There is something coming your way that will challenge you, strengthen you and bring you closer to me. I will weep with you and uphold you, I love you and will provide you a way through this." I don't think God gives someone cancer, it comes from living in a fallen world with evil all around us. Our bodies are no longer perfect as God intended. These things happen. But I do know that God works for the good of those who love Him and will never leave our side. Mark and I will stand tall each day that we are challenged by this, even if the Holy Spirit is the only one holding us up and we will, just like Job, declare: "blessed be the name of Lord."