My friend Rachael...

Do you know how you meet someone, maybe even just once, but you feel a connection to them immediately?? You share a similar experience and it just bonds you. Well, that's how it was with my friend Rachael. I think I have already posted about how I met Rachael and her husband Isaac, but I need to post it again. Last June we had a garage sale in which we sold all of Hope's baby things (with the exception of a few sentimental favorite things). This young couple came and as they were looking at things to buy we just started talking and one thing led to another. Rachael shared that she had lost a baby at birth. I shared that I had had a miscarriage at 6 weeks (totally not the same thing as what Rachael and Isaac had to go through, but still pain). Rachael and Isaac were so full of life. So full of hope. And they were pregnant and due in October. They had Mikayla in mid October and she is absolutely beautiful!!! The day before Rachael had Makayla, she noticed a lump under her arm. Being a new Mom, she got busy with her daughter and didn't get around to getting that lump checked until a couple of months later. By that time the news was pretty bad...and it kept getting worse. They had started out at the hospital in Stillwater, MN, but quickly moved to Mayo. They tried everything they could, but they finally said that there was nothing left to do and gave her about 3-6 months to live. Isaac took Rachael home and cared for her the very best he could. A week or so ago they moved her to the hospital in Stillwater. They moved Rachael on Friday from the hospital to the hospice facility in Stillwater. I just found out through Rachael's Caring Bridge site that she went to be with Jesus this afternoon. I knew it was going to be soon, and I know she's not suffering anymore, but this really stinks. So the doctors at Mayo gave her 3-6 months, but I don't even think it was a month ago that they told her that. It went really quickly. I just can't imagine being Isaac or Makayla right now. Thank you for your prayers for that family. If you could keep praying for them, but just re-focus your prayers for strength and comfort for the family, I'd really appreciate it...and I know they would, too. Also, Isaac is self-employed. He's an awesome computer technician. He was over a few weeks ago and did what he could for our really lame desktop (thank God I have this laptop that my friend David upgraded for me). If you need any computer work done, I would be more than happy to put you in touch with Isaac.

Another prayer request: my Mom will be having shoulder surgery on June 5th. This is something she's been dealing with all winter. It is a result of a fall she took some time in November or December. It was snowing and her landlords hadn't come over to plow the parking lot yet. She was walking from her apartment to her garage and there was a patch of ice under the snow and down she went. She's been doing PT all winter and it hasn't gotten any better. The doctors finally said that surgery was going to be the only thing to help the pain. Mom will also be moving sometime later this summer or early fall, so that's another prayer request for her. That she enjoys her new apartment. I think she will. I believe it's a senior citizen type of apartment. It'll be nice for her to be around people her age. My Mom is 70, but a really young 70, but the apartment that she's been living in for the last 9 years has a few noisy younger people, so this will be a good move for her.

On a good note, we had an awesome day today!!! Our friends Beth, Ron and Hope came down from Baldwin and we had lunch together and then headed to the University Farm. Oh my goodness!!! You should have seen the two Hope's together. SOOOOO cute!!! They walked hand in hand, they chased each other around, they laughed. It was just so precious. I have some pictures, but the USB cord I need to get my pictures from my camera to my laptop is upstairs in the loft, directly above where Mark is trying to get Hope to sleep. The floor is really squeeky up there, so I'm not going to attempt to get the cord. Pictures will follow soon.

Thanks again for your prayers for the Grover family.