Reflections From a Country Girl

Before I went to Houston to see my beloved sister Joellen, I found a reflection that she had written in March 2007 about our childhood friends, sisters, who were dealing with cancer.  It was so moving to me because it was her words describing what to do if you find yourself or a loved one in that situation… and here we are… in that situation.  

I read that to her in the hospital and we cried together over it.

I was so thrilled to be able to spend five days with her at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and there is no way that I can write nor would you want to read many pages of my reflections of my trip.  I am not nearly as eloquent as she is . .. she got all the talent in the family!  I am looking forward to her reflections when she is better  and she can share her experiences.

 

I will share some of the highlights.  I was touched by the devotion and tenderness of Pierce as he takes care of his mother and keeps her thinking positively.  (Many of the nursing staff commented on his devotion to her!)  I was touched by the many kindnesses of strangers especially the “ground angels” volunteer group that gave me rides back and forth from the airport to the hospital including Saturday morning at 5:00 am.  I was touched by my new friend Bev, a nurse at the hospital, who gave me a comfortable home away from home which was only 3 walking blocks away from the hospital.  I was touched by Hannah, a young doctorate student who volunteers at the hospital every Tuesday and came to Joellen’s room to share her beautiful gift of playing the violin just for us.  I am so glad that I was able to share and experience all of these and I was moved deeply!

 

Now back to my title.  How do you say goodbye to your beloved sister in this situation?  I plan to go back to see her later in July,   My hope is that she will be feeling much better then!  As my days ticked quickly by, I began to dread the moment that I had to leave to return home.  It would be hard, but through my scripture reading and prayers, I knew that my Lord would continue to give me and her just what we needed as he had clearly done all week.  The most important and greatest need of all of us is to know “where I’m going.”  And Jesus Christ took care of all of that for us on the cross.  When Joellen said “I’m going to be healed, either there (in eternity in heaven) or here.  I hope it is here,”  I was comforted to know that she knows exactly “where I’m going.”  That’s the most important thing for all of us . .. there is no final goodbye . .. I will see her again!   Hopefully and prayerfully in July!

 

My prayer for you today is that you will know for sure “where you are going.”   

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 6:00:pm and is filed under Health, illness, Medical. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.