September!

The day after my last blog was our annual family reunion. I knew I needed to come home that first night, so I brought Robert and we came home about 9:45 p.m.. About 15 minutes later I received a call from my sister-in-law telling me that my brother was in the hospital in very serious condition. I waited for awhile to see if he stabilized and he did somewhat. So I decided to wait and go over if they really needed me. At 1:15 a.m. Marilyn called again saying, I had better get over there right now! Jerry was not doing well and they couldn't seem to keep him stable. His heart rate kept dropping and his pressure was very low. After an hour or so they finally got him stable and we were allowed to go in and see him for a few minutes. From everything the doctor said, we knew he wasn't going to make it. The twins were able to get help from their church to come immediately so that they could say good bye. They flew in from Texas.

About 3:30 a.m. he was stable enough that I came home for a few hours, but I could not sleep. I knew he wasn't going to make it and I really pondered that knowledge. When Janene & Janeal arrived about 10:45 a.m. I went over to the hospital to be with my siblings, to say good-bye to Jerry and to let him go home. It was a very bittersweet experience to be able to be with him when he technically passed. We all stood around him and talked to him and told him how much we loved him and to let go and go to mom and dad. I have never had this kind of experience before. We had them unhook everything at about 1:15 p.m., Saturday the 4th of September, 2010. He passed at 1:56 p.m.. It took about 10 minutes after his final breath before they came in and pronounced him dead.

It is wonderful to know that he can see again, that all of his disabilities are gone. What a blessing to know that he is in God's hands now. Because of other mitigating circumstances, we weren't able to have his funeral until the 14th. Thank goodness the twins flight home wasn't until the 18th. His funeral was very sweet. Several of his friends from the special needs mutual came and sang "I am a Child of God". I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. What a sweet experience. He attended the special needs mutual program for about 30+ years. I had the privilege of taking him to mutual the last 8 years. This is the first time that my brothers and sisters and I have been together since our father passed away 2 1/2 years ago.

I had many enjoyable moments with my family during this time. I am so grateful for that. I will miss taking Jerry to mutual very much. Thursday's were our evenings to just joke with each other and remind each other how much we loved one another. Jerry always asked about each one of my kids, he never forgot any one of them. He always said to tell them hi and that he loved them. I pray he is at peace finally, I am so grateful that he is no longer in pain. God bless you Jerry in your eternal path, I will always love you.

The twins flew out that next Saturday. On Sunday I went out to my daughter Melanie's to play Pinochle. That was the night of the Herriman fire. It turned into a crazy night, as did the next several. I am so grateful that only a few homes were lost. Four of our kids homes were in the line of fire, but none were lost! We thought for sure Laurie's would be gone, but it made it and we know that it was truly a miracle!

I pray a special blessing on those men & women who worked endlessly to stop this fire from burning more homes. They are truly heroes!

As you can see, this has been an incredibly emotional month in very many ways. I am very thankful to almost be at the end of it. Hopefully October and the rest of the year will flow much smoother.

I pray the Lord will bless each and every one of you!

Kidney Problems!

I had another client with kidney problems the other day and realized that that is another recipe that Uncle Stanley gave me years ago and I need to share it. He always taught that cranberries were the best thing for kidney problems of any kind. He would take:
14 - 16 oz. of fresh cranberries
1 very ripe banana
1/4 - 1/2 ripe fresh pineapple

Blend all three of these with enough water to make a gallon. You can add honey to taste, to make it more palatable. Drink this over a several day period and voila, you're kidneys start to feel better almost immediately! His home recipes have always amazed me at how they work! Again make sure that you still drink your water, your kidneys will flush like crazy. This combination is great for urinary tract infections also. Of course, stay away from sugar, infection of any kind feeds off of it.

God bless!