Sunday, August 14, 2011

Swinging at the Curve Ball

I know a girl.


She makes us laugh.


She has always made us laugh.


I hope this next picture makes her laugh-


One of the comedians is her dad, the other happen to be two of her favorite uncles.


Cousins are special people.
Our girl cousin has spunk. Determination. A heart of gold.


She loves my girls.


They are just a little bit older than she is and they love her back.


She's grown up around us...


and among us


even far far away from us, but then...


in a funny turn of events...


near us.
Closer than ever in fact, in a country not our own.

Now, a dilemma. My blog is a mostly light hearted happy place. A gentle and positive look at mid life, and for the most part, that's me. I'm a person content in spirit and hopeful in all things.

So what to do when a curve ball is thrown? Do you continue blogging as if nothing is wrong? Do you carry on talking about the trivial and the ordinary when life is suddenly anything but? At first that would seem an impossible task. How do you write about life's everyday nonsense when things take a turn towards the heavy? As I've thought about this some I've realized that as much as it feels like everything should come to a screeching halt when the wild pitch is thrown, it does not. Life carries on. It finds a way. There is still beauty around us, even when ugliness rears its unwelcome head. Peace may seem more elusive but its never completely out of reach. Laughter and love and family are the things that bubble to the surface and demand tending and cherishing and holding tight. We question God but rest in the knowledge that He loves us immeasurably more than we can understand or imagine. He who tells the ocean how far to crawl, who has numbered the stars in the heavens, still gently holds each one of us in the palm of His hand.

We heard some unexpected news this week about the girl we love who is so precious to us. AML Leukemia are words that feel a little bit like an iron fisted stomach punch. I know many of you who read here are people who pray. I am a believer in the power of prayer, particularly the power of a praying many. Today I am asking you to pray for a sweet sixteen year old girl with a joyous spirit and a generous and tender heart who has a road to walk that will be hard. We have no doubt she'll walk it with grace and will inspire us along the way with her strength and humor, but this road is not one any of us would choose. Prayer has the power to lessen a burden, to ease pain, to change lives and circumstances and hearts and bodies. Prayer is not the least we can do for someone in times of great challenge. In reality its the biggest and the best.

"Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may find mercy and grace in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

37 comments:

  1. What beautiful honor you pay to this lovely 16 year old girl. You are correct about the prayers of many and "thy will be done." Thank you for posting this.
    Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck

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  2. Bless your heart. What a hard thing to go through. Please keep blogging--about the trivial, about the not so trivial. Use this as an outlet however you need to--lighthearted or not. Will be praying for all of you.

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  3. Dear Joyce,
    I'm so sorry to hear this news. Your little girl cousin will be in my thoughts and prayers each day. I know prayer works. Look at my cousin, Janet and at Joanne! Our God is a good God, and he loves his children very well.
    Never worry about sharing things with us. We love you and are here for you through thick and thin!

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  4. Beautiful Joyce. I love the photographs. Thank you.
    Sheila

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  5. praying for this little girl. Never worry about keeping "things" real on your blog. Thanks for sharing and keep us posted.

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  6. Joyce,
    I'm so sorry to hear this news, but so glad that you chose to share it with us, so we can join your family in prayer.

    Not so long ago, I was very thankful for, and comforted by, the many prayers sent up on behalf of my own family members.

    I'll be praying...

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  7. :( to hear. Prayers on the way for her and her family. It's okay to use your blog to unload-When I was told Charlie had cancer after dealing with #1 daughter's two heart surgeries, I went outside and just Screamed!! No one knows until a person has been and walked in your shoes. Will be thinking of you as well.

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  8. Beautifully written. I knew you would write about this when you could and you did so here with words so well chosen. None of us know when the curve ball will come to us or to those we love. Most of us would rather have it come to us than to someone we love, but even if it did, it would so hurt them too. The love that surrounds your niece by her family and friends will help her step up to that ball. She'll get an extra boost from people like me who don't know her, but love her through her family that we know and love. Blessings to all on your journey.

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  9. So sorry to hear the news of your girl. She will have a tough road to hoe but with prayer and support, she'll be able to walk through it. I understand the dilemma as we have had some of that ourselves lately, not to the extent of yours though. I've decided life goes on even when my heart might be sad. It has to and with God's grace will. Thank you for sharing today.

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  10. The Blogging community is full of real people who sincerely care and befriend their readers. After a while our lives begin to overlap and entwine. You will not journey alone with your neice. We will pray, uplift, and encourage you and her as she fights this battle. So much progress has been made in childhood Leukemia - I hear great stories of cure coming from St Judes children's hospital, so there is MUCH hope.

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  11. Oh, Joyce. I am so sorry to hear this terrible diagnosis. I know it' hard as a family member to handle. But thank God that you know her Healer and Comforter. Thank you for asking us to pray on her behalf. With your international readers who are also Believers in Christ, your niece will be prayed for in many different time zones. And of course we all know from scripture thst "He ever lives to make intercession for us." Please keep us updated as much or as little as she and her folks are okay with.

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  12. Oh Joyce, I am so sorry that she and all of you will be going through this. I will keep all of you, and especially this lovely young woman, in my prayers. *hugs*

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  13. That is so shocking to read. But I¨m glad you are sharing this with us too, not just the good and easy part of life. Of course we will be praying for your niece and I hope she will feel God´s presence in her life!

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  14. You have written about this in a perfect way and many of us will be praying for your niece.

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  15. Joyce, I will be praying. I will also link this post when I do my Prayer Monday post for tomorrow. What a beautiful way you wrote about something that I know must be so difficult.

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  16. Joyce, my prayers continue to be with your precious niece. I am lifting her up to the Lord and know that He is the great physician. Be comforted in knowing that He will hold her in His arms throughout this entire journey. You remember that God tells us that there will be trials in our lives, but that He WILL NEVER leave us and He WILL NEVER give us more than we can handle. Keep us posted on her progress. Love & blessings from NC!

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  17. Joyce, sometimes those curve balls end up being hit out of the ball park ... praying that this curve ball has that kind of dramatic (and joyous) ending. Praying for your niece, her family ... and you as well. {{hug}}

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  18. I have added her to our prayer list. I am on the bone marrow list if she needs that as well. God is bigger than anything we have or can imagine, I will not give up on His love.

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  19. Oh Joyce I'm so sorry I'm late to the blog but know your precious niece is in my thoughts and prayers.

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  20. One of the greatest blessings of blogging is having this community to turn to when you need support. I am praying for this lovely girl and all of you who surround her. You are right that a "praying many" can accomplish much. I think your beautiful words will give courage and encouragement to many who are facing a "curve-ball".

    May you all feel God's loving presence each moment of this journey.

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  21. You have given me inspiration with the description of your niece's situation, and I will pray for her as time goes on.

    Life does have a habit of jumping up and smacking us in the face just as we manage to get to grips with the last one but as you say, we are all in God's hands and we should trust him to guide and lead us in His way.

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  22. joyce: Sending you a pitch of hope...a dear friend of ours was diagnosed with AML and she is now on her '2nd birthday' after her bone marrow transplant...she's doing great and her caregivers and fellow 'BigC' friends are AWESOME! Will be specifically praying for a curve ball that gets HIT out of the park and becomes the BEST homerun EVER! Our valleys do become mountaintops to help others ;)

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  23. Absolutely I will be adding her to my prayers and you and your family too.
    ♥ Hugs ♥

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  24. Thank you for sharing this, Joyce. I too believe in the prayers of many - so count me in! Keep us posted please!

    Hugs,
    Cath

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  25. So so sorry Joyce. Life does seem to have a way of throwing us curve balls when we least expect it. Please feel like you can use this forum to share or to vent and you will have someone on the other side of your words to help share your burden. We will all be praying and sending you virtual hugs from all over.

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  26. Oh Joyce, I know how special it is to grow up with cousins, and the love that is shared. I hope the lovely photos made her smile, and your words let her know that she is surrounded with the love of her family. Now, she is also covered by the prayers of many. May God bless and strengthen you all. <3

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  27. I'll be praying for your niece. And for the rest of you all because I'm sure, in many ways, you're traveling this difficult journey with her.

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  28. What a beautifully written post. Even though I already knew, I was in tears when I read your post. Definitely praying for your niece.

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  29. I will keep this sweet girl, and your entire family, in my prayers.

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  30. Prayers going up for your niece and for your family as well. God Bless.

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  31. prayers from Bob and I to your niece and your family!!!

    Blessings
    Rainbow

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  32. Good Morning, Joyce,
    I am so sorry to learn this new about your special niece. My thoughts are prayers are with her, her parents and all of you.

    Take care ~Natalie

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  33. When we blog we blog about our life including all the curve balls. I am so sorry to hear this. I just love her cubby little face in that first photo. I not only said a prayer but I got down on my knees for your niece and begged God to help her. ((HUGS))

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  34. As I told Tim today, so sorry to hear of Anna's diagnosis. Our prayers are with Anna and your entire family as you help her through this challenge. I'm going to add her name to those we pray for at the Women of Faith Conference I'm attending in DC this Friday and Saturday. Thousands of women in attendance will be praying for Anna and her journey ahead. Love to all from Annapolis.

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  35. Joyce, I just started following your blog in November so I had not read this until you linked it from your Hodgepodge today. I just wanted to let you know that I, too, will be praying for this special young lady.

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