Happy Birthday Nathan!

"The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.

The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever."

Psalm 121:7-8

Today we celebrate the birthday of our nephew-in-love, Nathan Stone!  Nathan is the life of the party and our family has not been the same since he started dating our niece, Aubrey.  Nathan and Aubrey were married on October 2, 2009.  We are thankful for Nathan's love for the Lord and his call from the Lord to be a police officer.  We seek the Lord's protection over Nathan's life as he serves on the Marysville Police Department.  Nathan and Aubrey serve in the Marysville Grace Brethren Church and also minister to the middle school youth there.

Nathan & Aubrey

We love you Nathan and trust the Lord to bless you on your special day!

Love,

Uncle Tom & Aunt Lisa

P.S. I couldn't resist putting the pic of the police officer with the donut!

French Toast Breakfast Casserole & all the trimmings

Thank You, Tracey Albert...what a special treat!

Tom helps Pops "fine tune" his Skip-Bo Game skills!

Home-cooked Southern Meal

BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Biscuits & Cucumbers

Thank You, Carylee Meyers...it was delicious!

What a great time we have had with Tom's Uncle Y.T. & Aunt Patsy who are here visiting from Georgia.  They leave today to go to Tennessee to watch their grandson, Dougie, who plays baseball for the Bryan College Lions...same as Tom did many years ago!  Go Bryan!

Last nights dinner was compliments of Patsy DiVelbiss

Awesome Chicken Casserole, (Aunt Patsy brought the squash) Cornbread, Strawberry Walnut Salad AND

Mark DiVelbiss' famous Chocolate Truffles...YUM!

Thank You, DiVelbiss Family



HE IS RISEN!

“Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified.

He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him."

Mark 16:6



Praising the Lord for a wonderful celebration of our Risen Savior this day.  We were so blessed to enjoy our Easter service this morning with Zac, Sarah, Matt and Tom's parents.  After our church service we had a delicious dinner with my sister's family.  (at least some of them!)

[Pictured above:  L to R - Zac, Terry, Brady, Kelly, Cassidy, Pops, Aubrey, Granny, Sarah, Zac, Tom, Lisa & Matt]

Thursday's Dinner

Chickpea Ratatouille, Great Harvest Bread, Fresh Fruit & Pear Pie

Thank you, Esther Laurell!

Easter Cookies

Thank You, Ginny Plaster!

Easter Basket & Coffee Cake

Thank You, Evon Linebaugh!

Sarah & Tom coloring eggs...

Finished art!

Cousin love...

Aubrey~Sarah~Cassidy

Pops~Granny~Matt

Saturday night we were blessed with a delicious meal of lasagna, bread, salad, texas sheet cake and cinnamon rolls brought to us from Barb Bright!  Thank you so much, Barb.  We so enjoyed our meal and I totally forgot to take a picture.

Please pray for Tom as we go in to OSU James Cancer Hospital for his Avastin infusion at noon.  We are trusting our Great Physician for His continued hand upon Tom as we once again travel down another new path.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;

Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;

Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle."

Psalm 103:1-5

It's Friday...BUT Sunday's Coming

Happy Five-O Julie!



'Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.'
- Anonymous

Today we honor our dear sister-in-love, Julie who celebrates a milestone birthday.  We are always sorry that we don't live closer so we can celebrate the milestones together.  We are thankful that Julie loves the Lord, Tim and her family.  We are blessed to have her as a special part of our Anglea family.

is for joyful...Julie!

is for understanding...

is for likable...

is for intelligent...(she can understand her husband!)

is for easy-going...

Tim & Julie

"Marriage is to be held in honor among all."

Hebrews 13:4a

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:14-19

We love you Julie and pray your day is filled with many blessings.

Our love,

Tom & Lisa

Now, since I haven't posted in awhile I need to catch up on my meal "Thank Yous":

Another great meal from Mindy Barlow

Porcupine Meatballs, Fresh Green Beans, Homemade Bread

AND

Fresh Fruit Shortcakes for Dessert!

Thank You, Mindy

Dear Friend, Ulrike Brennan stopped by last week with this

beautiful hanging geranium...Thank You, Ulrike!

Vicki Houts delivered a delicious meal of

Turkey with Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls, Salad and...

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, Fresh Fruit & Muffins!

Thank You, Vicki

Last Saturday Tom was feeling well enough for us to attend

Matt's MVNU Basketball Banquet!

This is Matt receiving his 2nd year certificate from Steve Kaufman, Assistant Coach.

Chicken Tettrazini, Fresh Fruit, Pumpkin Bread and

The most amazing Apple Pie that was devoured before I could get a picture!

Thank you, Karen Estabrook...everything was delicious.

Pork loin, Sweet Potatoes, Creamed Carrots, Blueberry Muffins, Jello Fluff & Brownies

Thank You, Ginny Englehart!  Delicious...

Easter Tulips

Surprise gift of flowers & conversation from Jill Coon

Thank You, Jill!

Now to fill in with words without pictures...God continues to sustain us, which is no surprise.  Tom had a very hard week last week.  The doctor started him on a steroid that proved to be very beneficial.  Tom's platelets still were too low to start the Avastin this week so we will find out today if his platelets have come up enough to start chemotherapy on Monday.  Tom is on the chemo schedule for Monday at noon and they said to plan for half a day for the first round.  He will then have his infusions every other week which then will not take quite as long.  Now that Tom is back on a steroid his appetite has greatly increased (so thankful not to be on the restricted diet any longer) and his sleep is harder to come by.  With some help from the nurse we are tweaking the times at which he takes his meds and this seems to be helping some.  His spirits are good for the most part, however we have had our "moments" and he has talked about things that give us hope that he's thinking forward.

Please pray for Tom's parents who are currently making the drive from Florida to Ohio.  This is a trip they have not driven in a long time.  We know that the Lord has His hand upon them.  They plan to arrive here in Columbus tomorrow (Friday).

Thank you again for rallying around us as we continue to trust the Lord in all things.



"O LORD of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!"

Psalm 84:12

Cross references:

1. Psalm 84:12 : Ps 2:12; 40:4

Are You Ready?

Sleepless nights

Mind racing

LIFE

DEATH

A few weeks ago I awoke thinking

"Who says Tom will go before me?"

None of us know when our day will come

We do know...it will come

"And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment"

Hebrews 9:27

We all will die

What is death?

I'm realizing death is more about those of us left behind

How a person's death changes us

An integral part of who we are...now gone

Who am I without Tom?

Wife, now widow

But...still the bride of Christ

I am a child of the KING

Prepared to CARRY ON in light of the...

pain

loneliness

quietness

newness

I have hope

I will see him again

And when I do...it will all be clear

The questions answered with one look at my SAVIOR

For those of us who have placed our trust in

JESUS CHRIST

Death is when real life begins

"We have a measure of freedom in this life,

followed by an ETERNITY where your choices in this life will be spent."

-Jim Custer

What are you doing with this life?

It doesn't matter how long or short it is...

it's never enough

without Christ

Neither Tom nor I want this experience wasted

If this gives us a better platform to share what Christ came to do for us,

for YOU,

we accept

Do YOU accept what Christ came to do?

Bring you FREEDOM

Freedom from yourself

Your sin

Your flesh

Your hopelessness

Your lostness

Your DEATH

"It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance,

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all."

I Timothy 1:15

As we celebrate the ultimate HOLYday

EASTER

Can you look to the cross

With a sense of hope?

"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,

but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

I Corinthians 1:18

It is our prayer that this Easter you look to the cross

Realize the penalty for OUR sins was paid in FULL

Accept the payment

Accept JESUS

Knowing

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness,

but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."

II Peter 3:9

Jesus conquered DEATH

The cross was not the end

HE IS RISEN

"Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.

He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said."

Matthew 28:5-6

Happy Birthday Makenna & Nellie!

^"The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee."

Psalm 102:28

Today we celebrate two great nieces, who happen to be sisters, that share the same birthday!  Sweet Makenna and Nellie are the daughters of our nephew, Ben and his wife, Ashley.  Makenna and Nellie help serve their parents in Madagascar where they are missionaries.  Currently they are living in Oklahoma City, OK with their grandparents while their family is home on furlough.

Makenna celebrates her 6th Birthday!

Nellie celebrates her 2nd Birthday!

"Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD."

Psalm 144:15

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."

Psalm 20:7

We pray their day is filled with all the special things little girls love.  We love you Makenna and Nellie.

Great Uncle Tom  & Great Aunt Lisa

Heavy Hearts

“Behold, My servants will shout joyfully with a glad heart,
But you will cry out with a heavy heart,
And you will wail with a broken spirit."
Isaiah 65:14

We left the house yesterday at 10:30 for Tom's 11:00 MRI appointment.  We commented on the glory of God's creation as we drove on a clear, crisp, sunshine filled Spring day.  Spring has arrived early here in Central Ohio as the Red Bud, Pear and Tulip tree blooms dazzled us with their bright color and the daffodils and tulips waved their beauty as we drove to the appointment.  We were filled with hope and encouraged one another as we listened to a favorite CD.  No waiting was necessary as they got Tom in right away and told me it would be about 45 minutes.  As I waited, I prayed.  It didn't seem long before the technician was bringing Tom back out when I looked up, heard him coughing and realized "it" was more than a cough.  They quickly turned around and had him out of the waiting area and a trash can came in handy as Tom then vomited.  We still aren't sure where that came from or why...but I wonder if this is the beginning of another hard climb on the roller coaster of life.  Roller coasters can be fun, but after a year of ups, downs, curves and spins...we're ready to get off this ride!

After the MRI we had a short time for lunch before the doctor appointment with the neuro-oncologist.  We decided to go to Wendy's.  Tom wasn't able to eat his sandwich.  I guess the empty stomach didn't want what Wendy's offered!

We arrived at the appointment on time and we were glad to see that the doctor was "on schedule" on the display monitor in the waiting room.  We were escorted to an exam room only to realize that the "on schedule" doctor must have gotten "off schedule" while we waited, waited and then waited some more.  Tom gets very agitated during the waiting process.  I wished I had brought the Skipbo cards to pass the time.  I had a sinking feeling when the doctor finally came into the exam room...MRI showed tumor regrowth...I think he was stalling on coming in to tell us the news.  We are stopping the current chemotherapy regime and contemplating two different options.  One of the options is a clinical trial and we are waiting to hear if Tom even qualifies.  We covet your continued prayer for wisdom as we make vital decisions regarding Tom's treatment.

When we finally arrived home, Tom was exhausted and ready for his nap.  I tucked him in and then proceeded to sob in the other room as I felt my heart crushing, again.  Still I find my emotions raw and guard myself from talking or hugging, which brings a flood of tears.  When Tom woke from his nap we did the "unthinkable"...we allowed our dog Addy up in the bed...which brought a great smile to Tom's face!

As I was typing my phone rang...I just hung up with the Nurse Coordinator at the oncology office and Tom does not qualify for the clinical trial.  No hard decision for me to make...thank you, Lord.  As it stands today, Tom will start Avastin next week.  His platelets are at a low point so we need to let those rebound.  Avastin is an IV drip that will be infused every two weeks.   Two prayer requests while on Avastin:  1)  kidney function and 2)  blood pressure.

This past week we were presented with this beautiful album...a gift of memories from the benefit dinner...truly priceless.  Along with the album is a small "blessings" tin...full of the kind words written to Tom and I...notes of encouragement and blessings.  We are so thankful to have YOU and the body of Christ surrounding us as we walk this adventuresome journey (ride the ride).

Each day we are reading a few cards...remembering and reflecting the love from our dear family and friends.  Thank you to all who participated and have encouraged us along the way.

"Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of a friend
springs from their heartfelt advice."

Proverbs 27:9

Mexican Chicken & Rice, Cream Corn, Cake & Fresh Pineapple

Thank You, Dennis & Wendy Landis for a delicious dinner Saturday!