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This started out as my Facebook status update, but it got way too long so I decided to just make it a blog post....


The past 18 or so months have been among the most difficult ones yet for my family. We have been through some things we would not have otherwise imagined. 


We learned of Jon's mom's cancer diagnosis but were given some hopeful options including surgery. My five year old had three ER visits (two in one week!), one ambulance ride, and a diagnostic test (which, thankfully, turned out negative). I had one ER visit that turned into a short hospital stay. My next hospital stay seven months later was, of course, for our little bundle of joy's birth. We made countless visits to both the hospitals in Williamsburg and Richmond to visit Jon's ailing parents. In the midst of all this, our church was robbed and many thousands of dollars worth of electronic equipment was gone. A lot of Jon's personal equipment and some of his instruments vanished. We learned that stuff is just stuff. 


We were called to his father's bedside when we were told we would lose him the first time in May, 2011. Incredibly, he pulled through and we were thankful. A couple weeks later, just before her scheduled surgery, we learned that Jon's mother's cancer was consuming her body and surgery was no longer an option. Two short months later, she did not pull through. She lost her cancer battle on July 19, 2011, one year ago. Since then, I have had many discussions with my boys about cancer, death, and things I did not previously imagine talking about with a 3 and 5 year old. We have also had to look into assisted living facilities long before we ever thought we would. 


Jon is still working on his MDiv and we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am incredibly proud of him for all the hard work he has invested and for his commitment to our family, our church, and his school work. We never would have made it through these months without the support and love from our families, our church family, our friends, and our God. We are blessed!!! He is our provider, our sustainer, and we are grateful.