One More Week

Israel took Anya into the clinic today, as promised. Her blood work showed that her counts had actually dropped again since last week so she is not able to start her chemo tomorrow after all. The nurse said that there was no reason for concern, that the effects of chemo are cumulative and so especially in young kids it can cause delayed responses. So we'll take Anya back in on Monday to try again.

Over the weekend we took advantage of the time because all three kids were feeling well and we thought Anya's counts were high enough to be in public. On Saturday we drove to Owosso, MI to attend church where Israel attended when he was in high school. We really enjoyed seeing old friends and Anya loved getting to play with kids again. Thank you to all of you who were there for your love and hospitality...we left "all loved up"! And we sure didn't get to visit with everyone that we would have liked to so we hope to make it there at least one more time before we leave Ohio.

On Sunday we visited the Family Center at the Toledo Museum of Art. The girls loved playing with all of the pretend play toys and painting using the miniature easels. If you live in the area and have kids, I highly suggest that you visit there sometime (http://www.toledomuseum.org/)!

And just one more thing...the other day the girls and I were sitting at the table. The old hymn, "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" came to mind and singing with the gusto an adult free house deserves I belted out "I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free, For His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches over me" and at that moment it became real to me! God's eye is on the sparrow and He is watching over me, over us. We are not alone, God is not unaware of our circumstances or yours! And He is not merely a passive spectator; He is working on our behalf and if we acknowledge Him, He is directing our paths. If you haven't already, I encourage you to surrender yourself and your problems to the One who rules the universe, who is BIG enough to care for each and every sparrow, who numbers every hair on our heads. (see Matthew 10:29-31)