Rejoicing in Long Days.

"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known." -Habakkuk 3:2

Last night was a long night, a good long night. My dad can't sleep in his bed because when he lays down he can't breathe very well SO I have been sleeping in the bed with my mom while dad attempts to sleep in his recliner. That's right, a slumber party, without matching pajamas and instead of girl movies it is CNN news and the weather channel. Dad ate a huge dinner last night and started a new prescription that was suppose to increase his appetite and alleviate some of the pain. I thought it was going great because he ate and then went to sleep. When I use the term "huge dinner" I mean he had two boost instead of one, and finished a small portion of chicken and dumplings without the chicken! After about 50 minutes into his sleep he woke up and expressed that his stomach hurt. My daddy isn't a complainer so when the man speaks of pain, he means business. I felt so helpless. I could see it all over his body and in his eye. He kept hunching over and couldn't talk because he hurt so bad. Some of the side effects of chemo is nausea, upset stomach, intense sores inside your mouth and aching. He felt them all culminate in the entirety of his body starting around 1:30am. It persisted throughout the night. I prayed. I could interchange the word prayed with cried, pleaded, and begged, for that would better describe the kind of interaction I had with my heavenly Father last night. I got cool damp rags and put them on his neck and forehead, all my efforts failed to lesson his pain. It was one of the worst feelings I have ever felt. Katie Cameron, a good family friend of ours who exemplifies great strength and character, while having gone through hard times herself, sent us a note. In it she reminded me of something that all to often eludes me;"This is a privileged time..." She wrote. A privileged time indeed. Last night my dad let me help him and try my hardest to comfort him. It didn't take away his physical pain but I am confident that he felt my love. Today my dad went back in to get his second round of chemo but his lab results showed that his body would not be able to handle the treatment. My dad was admitted to the hospital today and they gave him a wonderful shot that as of 6:00pm tonight he still felt virtually no pain. PRAISE OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN!!! They hooked him up to an IV to give him nutrients and fluids, he is dehydrated. I also think they were going to give him some good drugs to help him sleep. While he didn't want to go to the hospital, he is soaking up feeling no pain for the first time in almost two months since he was last medicated for pain in the hospital. I wish I could be there. I would give anything to be in his little room just to hold his hand. I hate not being there, and I pray that even now as I type this he would feel my most intimate prayers and love. He will stay in the hospital for at least a few more days and then they will run some more lab test to see when he can be given the second part of his chemo. Please pray for this time of restoration as the second round of chemo will hit him much harder. He will get the drug Gemzar (the chemo given to him the first time) PLUS another one. On a very happy note, the pain he is experiencing is not the cancer per say but much more so his body just reacting to the medicine. Also please pray for my room mates... Lindsay, Melissa, and Meredith. They have been so prayerful,supportive, and Hopeful. I know sometimes they don't exactly know what to say but if they only knew how touched, blessed, and encouraged I was by their kindred spirits... I walked into the house today and Meredith had printed up cards and put them up in the house as reminders to pray. I am not alone, not even a little bit. I rejoice in this long day and a Sovereign God; I rejoice in the hard days to come and in a Savior that's very nature is MIRACULOUS. Just in case you forgot what we are praying for... A MIRACLE! All my love, Kimmy