Saturday, March 28, 2009

Progress Report

Fridays (or possibly Thursdays or Saturdays, depending on how busy our weekend is) are progress report days. *Sigh* So I guess I have to report that progress has been slower than I would like. My progress is about like Olivia's - baby steps! *Chuckle*

I just finished a very sweet scene between Kate and her daughter, Madeline. Remember this story is taking place three years after the death of her husband and she is trying to take another stab at living again. It is a very tender, soul-searching time for them both, but Maddie, with her pure, simple, child-like way of looking at things adds another dimension to the issues of the heart and eases some of the pain. I love writing scenes with Kate and Madeline because it reminds me so much of the sweet conversations I have with my two little girls. So, this is pretty rough, and it will probably change some but I'm letting you get a sneak peek at this scene I just wrote. Let me know what you think. First, a little background info: Adam, ONE of the heroes in The Heart's Journey Home, asked Kate to go to a function with him just as friends. After all, he'd had relationship issues in his past, too. His daughter, Chloe, is one of Kate's students. One side note: don't let the ending of this snippet fool you. It's not Adam at the door. With that cliffhanger, here is the UNEDITED snippet from The Heart's Journey Home:

Madeline hadn’t moved from her place on the bed. “Mama?”

Kate turned. “Yes?”

“Are you and Adam going on a date?”

Kate’s heart fluttered but she quickly snatched the phrase she'd been keeping at the front of her mind. “Yes, but it’s just casual. Adam and I are only friends.”

“Oh-h.” Madeline dragged the word out.

Kate chuckled and returned to her jewelry.

“Mama?”

Preoccupied with untangling the gold chain of a black onyx pendant, she didn’t pivot her attention to Madeline. “Yes?”

“Do you think you’ll ever get married again?”


The question hit her like a ton of bricks and it took a minute for her to recover. She immediately forgot about the pendant and sat on the bed beside Madeline.

“I don’t know.” Kate shook her head wishing she had a better answer for Madeline. “I have no idea what the Lord has in store for us, but I’m certainly not thinking about marriage right now.” She wondered if her date with Adam had affected Madeline more than the little girl let on. “Why do you ask?”

Madeline shrugged and fingered a pink embroidered flower on her bodice. “I miss Daddy.”

Kate pulled Madeline close to her, fighting back tears. “Oh, baby, I do, too. Everyday.”

“But Adam and Chloe make my heart feel not quite so sad.” She looked up at Kate with her big chocolatey eyes. “Do you think that’s okay?”

A small grin played with Kate’s lips, her eyes glistening with the threatening tears. Madeline was moving on, too. A wad of contradicting emotions lodged itself in her throat and she could barely squeak out a whisper around it. “Yes, I think that’s okay.” Kate tucked a stray wisp of hair behind Madeline’s ear. “Daddy wouldn’t want you to be sad.”

“Yeah, I know. He wouldn’t want you to be sad either.” Madeline hopped off the bed and did a twirl in front of Kate’s mirror watching her skirt float around her.

As Kate watched her, she replayed the words Madeline had spoken just moments before. Adam and Chloe make my heart feel not quite so sad. The truth of the matter was, they had the same effect on Kate.

At that moment the door bell rang.

So? What did you think? I wish I could give you more, but you'll have to wait until next Friday (or Thursday or Saturday).

PRAYER REQUESTS: I have several new requests to give you. Please pray for Ned Oeder. He was recently diagnosed with liver cancer and he has no insurance. He will be going this week to try a certain treatment, but there is concern that his lack of insurance will be a huge issue. Please pray first and foremost for healing. Please pray that Ned will have strength, in his mind, body and spirit. Please pray that Ned and his family, especially his dear sister Nancy who was the one who gave me this request for prayer, will experience a comfort that could only come from the Lord. Also, I want to pray that Ned's financial needs will be met and that his lack of insurance WILL NOT hinder the doctors from treating him. Pray that the doctors will be overcome with compassion for their fellow man in need. Pray for them to have the wisdom to treat Ned's cancer effectively and efficiently. Cancer is a tough competitor, but our God is TOUGHER!!!

I also need you to pray for Dave Dean, who is the brother-in-law of a niece of a friend of mine. Dave has suddenly gone missing. He is in his early 30s and recently lost his job. He left his cell phone behind in his apartment, but his keys and wallet are missing along with his car. He hasn't been seen since last Thursday. The police have checked his bank activity and he hasn't accessed his account since he disappeared. His family, naturally, is frantic. Above all else, please pray for Dave's safe return. Pray for a mighty peace for his family. I can't imagine the worry, fear, and concern they must be feeling. I'm asking you to pray that the Lord wiped that away with His presence and love. That He holds Dave's family tight in the comfort of His arms until their questions are answered.

UPDATES: If you remember several weeks ago I asked you to pray for Dave Coleman who was diagnosed with prostate cancer and has his prostate removed in a very aggressive surgical procedure at the Cleveland Clinic. The surgery went great. There were complications post-surgery (including an infection and e-coli), and he ended up in the ICU for nearly three weeks. But the blessing is that he is home since last week and resting comfortably in his own surroundings, with the love and support of his wife, kids and grandkids. Praise the Lord for that! It's always good to be at home. Please continue to pray for healing and strength for Dave and peace and comfort for his lovely wife, Toni.

My cousin, Karianne Peltier who is expecting her first child, had a really hard week. She was in the hospital with terrible sickness. She has GERD which has to do with gastric . . . stuff. (I'm SOOO not a medical person!) and I believe it has been aggrevated with morning sickness. I'm happy to report that she is out of the hospital and is eating things like bananas, cranberry juice, and soft foods. She is suppose to always have something in her stomach. If she always has food in her stomach it will absorb the acid and hopefully prevent the GERD. She is also on a nausea med. Through all of this the baby is doing just fine! Praise God, again!!! Please continue to pray for strength and health for Karianne and for mighty protection for this new little life growing in her.

Our new little friend, Katie Leach, has had to go back to the hospital for an ultrasound on her lung. Apparently there was a spot on her lung that the doctors are confident will be taken care of with the chemo that they are going to treat her with. The oncology reports indicate that this cancer is "favorable" - that it will respond well to chemo. From what it sounds like, the purpose of the ultrasound is just for the doctors to be certain of their treatment options. Please pray that the doctors will learn what they have to and know EXACTLY how to treat this illness so that Katie will be completely healed. Pray for Katie to remain strong in mind, body, and spirit. Pray for Ashley and Ron. They have shown an amazing faith - so much so that I have been greatly inspired, but there is a knot in their bellies to know they had to go back to the hospital. They mentioned in a post that it is so easy to go back to worrying. I can understand that. Especially when it is involving YOUR child. So, I just pray that they can feel a peace that can only come from the Lord. I pray that they can just take a deep breath.

My best friend, Patty Smith, was in Houston this past week and got a positive response from the doctors there. They are planning on trying a new medicine. She will hear later this coming week regarding the specifics. Please continue to pray for her, Ken, and their kids for healing, strength, comfort and peace. I've heard from many of you that you are praying for her regularly and I'm so glad. There really is power in prayer! I'll continue to update you as I get new information.

My Olivia is still doing okay. Physically and spiritually she is the same sweet little Olivia that she's always been. I can't possibly know what her blood is doing. Please pray, as she does every night (It's so sweet!), that "Jesus will continue to heal (her) and help (her) make more platelets." She has more blood work scheduled in two weeks. I'll update you about Olivia then. As for right now, we are getting ready to have Olivia a birthday party so I'll be able to post pictures of her on Monday. It should be interesting. Ten 5-year-olds. Maybe you should pray for Chris and I! :o)

Until next time, love and blessings to all of you!

1 comment:

Sha Toon said...

I loved it....the way you write I can read it and just imagine myself there in the moment. I can identify with all the characters you have written about. I love them all and want to know more about them. I can't wait for more, more, more!!!! I am waiting on the edge of my seat to be able to read the whole thing. You are a very talented person. I have fallen in love with the people you write about and care about them. Thank you! I have not read anything in a long time, because of you....I really want to take the time and read again.