Joel's Journey: 2015

Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015

The year is almost over. Another year ahead! I have to say 2015 has been a tough year but it definitely had a few snippets of happy. Daniel and Erin's wedding, and now they are expecting!! Health is a huge blessing and seeing my kids become successful adults is a highlight. I know several are searching and looking to find their passion in life and what they are suppose to do. Always praying for them!! I have soooo many "want to's" for the coming year. Only God knows if they will happen. Hoping we can survive with Terry's job change. Performance jobs and commission work is a tough world. I can't say I feel very hopeful. Maybe someday the finances won't be such a struggle.

I have my list of things I have written down and with my little iron job, I'll see what can happen!! Ha! It's so fulfilling to make a list and go back later and mark it off! I looked in the back of my bible at a list and I was able to mark 3 things off. One thing was the headstone for Joel and it came about because of the coffee shop job I worked at for 8 weeks! And the other two things happened because of our wonderful kids and their generosity!

Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year's Eve! Going to cook some burgers and do a movie later! Hope I can stay up to bring 2016 in!! Haha!!

Thanks for being with us all these years!!

4 comments:

Teena said...: Happy New Year to you too, my dear friend. I do understand financial problems. This Christmas we went very small and I saw the Lord bless my kiddos through friends and their older brothers/sister. It was amazing to see.

I love you.; December 31, 2015 at 5:03 PM
Daniel and Jaynee Lockwood and Family said...: Merree Christmas, Cindee :) The Lord is so good... We have had the hardest year financially in our entire 20 years of marriage and yet somehow the Lord has continued to provide all wet truly need and taught us so much... Contentment, trust, faith, gratefulness, humility, giving etc... Lessons that are far more valuable than the best paying job in the world! Happee and a blessed 2016. Love, Jaynee :); December 31, 2015 at 6:37 PM
MARIE GRIFFIN said...: Happy New Year to you and your family!; December 31, 2015 at 8:57 PM
MARIE GRIFFIN said...: Happy New Year to you and your family!; December 31, 2015 at 8:57 PM

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Joel's Story

Joel, our 11th of 13 and a twin of Josiah, at age 3 was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer, on December 6th, 2006. Joel had three perfect years of health and he and Josiah celebrated their 3rd birthday Sept. 13th, 2006. The first of Oct. Joel started having unexplained fevers for a few days and would return to active play. After the fourth round of fevers we took him to our family Dr. which they said his iron was low, so we treated that for a few weeks and took him back only to have his hemo. showing lower than before. We were referred to a hematologists and saw him a few weeks with blood checks twice a week. At a visit on Dec. 4th we showed the Dr. the bumps, (which were tumors but we did not know at the time) on Joel's head and he was very concerned and we were told we needed to admit him immediately and start extensive tests the following day. Joel went through rigorous testing and then the dreaded results were given. Joel was at a stage IV the most extensive stage, but we were hopeful that the Lord would use the means of Chemotherapy treatments to restore Joel's body. Joel endured 8 1/2 days in the hospital, came home for Christmas, and returned for his second round of chemo Jan. 3, 2007. Joel had a seizure that night after midnight and went into a coma due to a tumor bleeding in his head area and causing his brain to swell. After tests the following days, the Dr. declared Joel "brain dead" and took us to court to force us to take Joel off life support, as we did not agree with the medical field's definition of death. Our family sought to stand with the scripture, "life is in the blood,"and until Joel's heart quit beating naturally, he was living. We were making arrangements to bring him home and on January 23, 2007 his little heart stopped beating and he went to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven. Our lives are changed forever. God is faithful in the midst of this trial and we look with great hope to be with him someday.