Welcome to my "Open Window"...a place of hope, encouragement, and adventure as we journey down the road from "Closed Doors" to the new opportunities God places in our pathway. I hope you will take the time to go back and follow the trail of mixed blessings and fears, failures and triumphs from the past and side-trips in the present. Perhaps it will conjure up some of your own special memories, and be an invitation for you to share with others. I look forward to spending this time with you!
What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!
I started writing this last night, but just couldn't finish it. I guess there is so much I want to say, and yet just couldn't find the words, so I went to bed to sleep on it. I really wanted something to be on here on his birthday, but I am sure Matthew would understand. So here we go again...beginning with where I was writing last night:
Today (February 25, 2023) is our son Matthew's 50th birthday. However, like he has for the past almost nine years, he is celebrating in heaven.
It doesn't seem possible that it has been fifty years since I gave birth to this child. His birth was a bit scary...things weren't going well...when he was finally born they whisked him away from me and put him where they could monitor his breathing, etc. I never got to hold him and or really look at him because of the medicine I'd been given (a spinal), and to lift my head would give me a serious headache. The Doctor told my husband that our baby could have some serious problems. My husband didn't want to tell me, but I made him tell me what the Doctor had said. I told him there was nothing wrong with our baby. When they finally brought him to me I took one look at him and knew he was perfect in every way, and he was. None of the dire predictions about him came true. Either the Doctor was wrong, or God healed him right then and there. However, I did get the bad headache anyway and had to stay flat on my back for a week after going home from the hospital, which was no easy feat with an 18 month old child at home and a newborn baby...but God brought me through that too and everything was fine.
We named our son Matthew, which means "Gift of God". And he was that in every way. We had not "planned" on having another child that quickly after our first one, but God had other plans, and His plans are not our plans, but His plans are always best.
Our first two sons, Benton (2 yrs.) and Matthew (6 months)
Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Matthew was a wonderful child in every way, but somewhat precocious and bold. Life would never be boring with Matthew around. He was a happy child and full of energy and a zest for living.
Matthew age 1
Our family in 1980, with sons Scott, Matthew, Benton
I don't intend to write his whole life story here tonight, but felt like I needed to write something special on this, what would be his 50th birthday. But I seem to be struggling. Maybe I will have to finish this another time.
I almost forgot...we traveled down to see our old house in Salt Springs, because I wanted to see for myself if there were any azaleas blooming in the old Memorial Garden. I had posted some pictures HERE LAST WEEK from when our son and DIL took a ride there and reported what sad condition everything outside was in. They were right...the outside of the grounds around the house are in terrible shape...no one is taking care of it even though it is listed for sale at a very high price. We have not lived there for about 4 years, and we haven't been able to get up close to see the condition until now, because it is empty. Anyway, I was pleased to see these azaleas blooming in the old Memorial Garden. It was somewhat comforting to sit in the arbor on Matthew's birthday, that we built in memory of him back when we lived there. It was kind of bittersweet, but I'm glad we did it.
(Sunday, Feb. 26th), Okay, so that's where I left off last night. I've been going back and reading older posts that I wrote over the past thirteen years...yes, that's right...since 2010, when we first got the news that our son was diagnosed with cancer. Below are a lot of different links to posts that were written throughout those years as I was dealing with impending loss and wavering in hope and praying for miracles. Some of these stories are about Matthew's life before cancer, and the other miraculous events of his life.
I don't expect you to go back and read all of these, unless you really want to. I mostly wanted to put them here for my own benefit, so I can find them more easily in the future. There are other posts beyond these that are not included that can probably be found by clicking on the topic, "Death of Child" in the right hand column of my blog page.
Matthew singing to his bride Nicole while dancing at their wedding.
He was singing along with Keith Green's song "Love With Me"
Keith Green singing 'Love With Me'
Matthew was a huge fan of Keith Green, and credits the testimony of Keith and his music of helping to lead him to commit his life to Christ when he was a teenager.
Matthew greeting his grandpa Mursch at his wedding rehearsal party, while his Granddaddy and Nanny Steiner looked on. They are all celebrating in heaven today.
Matthew dancing with my mother, his Grandma Mursch, at his wedding in 1993.
When Matthew became a daddy...1999
Matthew, me, and Noah 2013
"Deer Matthew"
Steiner men, Feb. 2014, John, Benton, Noah, Matt, Scott
Matthew and brother Benton walking together 2014
Our family, Feb. 2014
Matthew's 41st birthday party, Feb. 2014
The last family portrait of Matthew and his wife Nicole and Noah, when they were on vacation in February, 2014. Matthew passed away on May 25, 2014.
If you do take the time to read through the above posts, I hope it will give you a better understanding of just who our son Matthew was. There's so much more...but most of all, he was a wonderful Christian young man, son, brother, husband, father. He loved Jesus, his family, and was a good friend and neighbor to those who had the privilege of knowing him. We don't understand why God chose to take him home so young. But we had to accept the fact that Matthew was definitely a gift of God to us for the time we were allowed to have him here with us. Ultimately he belonged to God, and when God was ready to call him back home to heaven, we had to say farewell. The wonderful thing is we know where Matthew is and that we will see him again one day in heaven. Right now he is there helping Jesus prepare a home for us to come to one day. Jesus said,
John 14:1-6
14 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself;
that where I am, there you may be also.
4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
I guess I need to wrap this up. Like I said before, I have put much of this together for my own benefit for future reference. But if you do take the time to read any of the linked posts, I hope there will be a story here that will touch your heart and help you to understand why Matthew's story was so unique and special. He was a miracle child in so many ways...and when he died my thought was that I guess God ran out of miracles for him. But that's not true. The greatest miracle of all is that Matthew is alive and well today, no longer suffering from the pain and ravages of cancer, living in heaven with Jesus and all those who have gone on before us...and we will be together again one day. That gives me great peace and joy in my heart and helps me to cope when I find myself missing him, like right now.
This song was sung at Matthew's memorial service, another one by Keith Green. It was another special favorite.
Thank you for "listening" while I ramble on. I pray you all have a blessed and wonderful day. And please take time to kiss your babies and loved ones and let them know how much you love them while there is yet time. No one is promised tomorrow.
It sounded like fun to me so I thought I would try it this week and see how many of these I could find. If you like to take pictures and have a little fun with your blog, maybe you'd like to join in the fun.
So here we go:
Anni listed ten things to find and photograph to meet the October Challenge. They can be from indoor or outdoor, as long as they are YOUR photos and not from the internet [unless it's a blog archive image]. Now, get out your spying glass and camera ready; search for each. And again, as the last game, the last one [the 10th] will be the mystery item of your choice. [take a photo of something...preferably a close up with a bit of detail for a hint. A hint only!! Then, at the end of the game, you can reveal what your #10 is. Not until then to give everyone playing a chance to guess via your comment form before the last day of the hunt**.]
Here is your challenge: Note: these in brackets are just hints...you don't need to follow them precisely. Use your own judgement, and will. The more unusual, the better and more fun.
1 - A sign [sign of anything, any material] This is, guess where? Yes, on my back porch. One of my son's famous signs that he made for me:
2 - Think "Outside the Box" on this...something seasonal.
Well, what could be more "seasonal" than roasting marshmallows on a campfire? This little bear is having a good time, with the owls and squirrel and another big bear joining in the fun. Is that a little "outside the box?"
3 - A yellow leaf
Here in Florida we don't get all the beautiful Autumn leaves that you all do in the northern parts of the country. But I found this yellowish grape-vine leaf.
4 - Anything of miniature [trinket, jewelry, knick-knack...anything]:
These miniature old fashioned high button shoes and a couple of miniature tea cups and saucers are in my curio cabinet. There is also a miniature Rickshaw and Coolie just behind them...not every day you see that...
5 - Pumpkin or gourd
In my front yard:
6 - Something that is dated* [document, newspaper, screenshot, etc. *show date!]:
I've shown this recently on another post, but it is fitting for this season as well...this very old Halloween postcard sent to me from my Grandma when I was a little girl, as you can see by the date: October 27, 1957, wow, exactly 63 years ago! And she told me in the note that the card was almost 46 years old then, so that would make it 109 years old now!! I've been a good girl and have kept it all these years just like she told me to!
7 - Anything that is lighted [bulb, headlight, lantern, etc.]:
How about this ceramic jack o lantern? He's grinning from ear to ear and so pleased to be here!
8 - Decorated door [entryway...doesn't have to be of the season]:
Well, might as well keep it in the season...this is my front door right now:
And this is my foyer: (and a partial selfie of me)
Won't you please sign my guestbook?
9 - A printed author's name [book cover, magazine article, TV credit, etc.]:
Well, here is a magazine article, "Miracle after Miracle", written by yours truly way back in 1995. This is the story of our middle son's brain tumor saga...and here is a link to the whole story that can be found on one of the pages of my blog: God's Perfect Timing The magazine article was in a religious magazine called "Alliance Life". I do hope you will take the time to read the whole story so that you know how God worked in miraculous ways in our son's life at that time. Sadly, some 22 years later our son was called home to heaven after a four year battle with cancer, which was totally unrelated to this particular illness that he had 22 years prior. But God never left his side, and we thank the Lord for the miracles that spared our son's life for that additional 22 years, and also enabled him to get married and have a wonderful son, our only grandson, who is now 21 years old.
10- Mystery item. ANYTHING...macro, close-up that will be 'unknown' to us all. We guess what it is!!
The clue (hint) for this picture could possibly be related to the title of my blog!
The answer to the mystery item will be found in a future post sometime on or before October 31st. So stay tuned!
Now I hope you will also "Get Huntin'!!!", and be sure to link up with Hootin' Anni. (See the link above).
I could stop right there and not say another word...This is my "calm before the storm". As I am sure you all are aware, right now the State of Florida is preparing for a very huge Category 5 Hurricane Irma to descend upon our land in a couple of days. People are evacuating the state as quickly as possible...which isn't very quick if you look at the highways headed north out of Florida. We are thankful that we live in a more inland and north central location not prone to flooding, so we are not in the mandatory evacuation zone. However, we do live in the middle of a national forest, and there are many trees that most likely will create chaos with our power lines and possible damage to property, roofs, etc. So that is our main concern...the loss of electricity could last for many days and even weeks in this area. And since most people in this area also get their water from a well, without power there is no water! Therefore we have been preparing as best we can. My pictures today will reflect some of the calm before the storm as well as our preparations:
Our home before the storm. Praying it will still look like this after the storm.
My oil lamps are trimmed and filled with oil...and we have many candles ready for us as well as flashlights and batteries.
We splurged and bought a Coleman camp stove so I can boil water, make coffee and tea!! (and cook meals!)
The red buckets are for the bathrooms...to pour water into toilets for flushing. The water for this will come from rain water. The charcoal is for cooking if needed. (If we run out of other fuel).
We have bottled water for drinking, plus I have been filling our own tap water into bottles and freezing, as well as making lots of ice and storing it in the freezer.
And the biggest surprise and miracle "gift" was the purchase of this generator.
After last year's brush with Hurricane Matthew (click HERE for THAT story) we learned what it was like to be without power for quite a few hours, and we said we would not do that again! But generators are expensive...and hard to find when there is a storm brewing.
So last week when we first heard about the possibility of Hurricane Irma coming our way, we decided to start looking for a good deal on a generator. We checked a couple of places, and didn't see anything we could afford. But then someone told us about the new store "Ollies"... a discount bargain store...and we heard they might have generators. Well, as we explored the store, there weren't any generators in plain view, but upon further exploration of a stack of boxes of something in the middle of the store, we discovered a box with a generator buried on the bottom of the stack. So we called a clerk (Assistant Manager) over to ask about the price, and she examined the box and quoted us a price that seemed way too good to be true. So we had her look at it again, and she reaffirmed that the price she had quoted us was the price. Well...I won't tell you just how good the price was...but let me tell you it was so good that we said "We'll take it!"
As she arranged for someone to come help us get it into our vehicle, I went up to the front to pay for the generator. When the check out clerk pulled up the sku number in the cash register, the price was considerably higher than what the we had been quoted. The Assistant Manager was called over and asked to double check the price. When she looked at what the price was in the computer, she realized she must have made a mistake somehow, but she said, "Well, I have quoted the customer this price, and we will let them have it at that price!" And she signed a note in the computer giving us the discount that she had given us!
Let me just say that it was miraculous. It was so miraculous, that I felt guilty accepting this "gift"...but we have prayed and asked the Lord to bless this woman for her kindness, and also prayed that she wouldn't suffer any reprisals from her supervisors...and we came home with this "gift" from the Lord (and from Ollies).
So now we are ready and waiting, and praying that even though we feel well prepared, we wouldn't be the least bit unhappy if Hurricane Irma decided to just go out to sea. Right now the forecast is so bad for our state...and especially for those in the coastal regions...we really need a miracle.
I looked back over what happened last year with Hurricane Matthew...and what a miracle that was...and I can't help but believe that God is still in the miracle business today...
This morning we rushed through an hour of traveling in a sleet storm to get to the airport on time to catch our flight home from Maine to Florida. For those of you who may not know, we were in Maine visiting our son who is in the final stages of cancer. We really didn't want to leave him, but after much prayer and discussion we decided to head home to take care of some loose ends there and then plan to head back to be with him again soon.
Anyway, the first thing we had to do when we arrived at the airport was check in with our baggage and get our boarding passes. When I put the suitcase that we were planning to check up on the scale, it was about one pound over the limit of 40 pounds. The attendant said I would need to remove at least a pound from the bag before they could check it onto the plane. So I opened it up and tried to determine what I could remove that would weigh about a pound that I could carry with me in my carry-on bag.
My first thought was that perhaps I should remove the package of frozen blueberries that my daughter-in-law had given me from their own blueberry bushes, but I wasn't sure if they would allow me to take them with me as a carry-on. While my husband took the package of blueberries to ask the TSA officer for permission, my eyes were directed to my Bible in the suitcase and I took it out and placed it on the scale. It was exactly the weight that needed to be removed from the bag to make it the legal limit. When my husband came back I told him we'd just put the blueberries back in and I would carry my Bible with me instead.
Our flight was delayed for a little while, so we had time to sit and catch our breath before we had to board the plane. While we were waiting, I decided to open my Bible that was now in my carry-on bag instead of on the plane and read the devotional readings for today. The reading for today was entitled "Acknowledging the Miracle", and the selected scripture readings were from John 4:43-54 and Psalm 30.
As I started to read the scriptures I was overwhelmed with the message of hope and comfort that God had waiting for me there. Let me see if you can understand what I mean.
"So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.
And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee,
he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son,
for he was at the point of death.
Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders,
you will by no means believe."
The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"
Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."
So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him,
and he went his way."
(John 4:46-50)
I cannot begin to tell you what comfort and peace these words brought to me today as we prepared to head home not knowing for certain if our son would live until we could come back to be with him again. I had tossed and turned and cried in my sleep for several days over the decision to stay or return home. Once we finally made the decision to go ahead and return home, God provided me with this wonderful assurance that our son would live, and that I could travel in peace.
Now, I must confess to you that I do not know if this means that he is truly healed from this disease, or if this is merely God's way of bringing comfort and peace to us so that we can take care of our personal matters at home and trust that our son will still be alive and waiting for us when we are able to return. Of course, I would love to believe that he is completely healed and that he will not suffer from this devastating illness any longer and that he will be able to grow old with his wife and watch his fourteen year old son grow up to be a man and someday have grandchildren of his own to dandle on his knee.
I find myself identifying with another parent in the book of Mark 9:23-24, when Jesus asks this father of a young son who had an unclean spirit, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." And the Bible says in verse 24 'Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears,
"Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!"
Lord, I do believe. I know You are able to do "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think..." (Ephesians 3:20)
Whether You have chosen to heal our son completely to live a full and healthy life here on earth, or whether You have chosen to give him more time so that we can have the assurance we needed to make this trip home for now, I give You praise. I will praise You along with the Psalmist in Psalm 30, (the other reading selected especially for today)...
"Oh Lord my God, I cried out to You,
and You healed me."
"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever."
Psalm 30: 2, 11-12
Either way, I give thanks to You today, dear Lord.
Amen.
Oh, and Lord, Thank You that my bag was too heavy to fly today.
I got Your message just in time.
Oh, and by the way, the blueberries made it just fine! I can't wait to make some blueberry muffins or pancakes with them!
Another episode in the life of our family, and especially in the life of our precious son Matthew.
This story takes place way back in time...when my husband had decided to begin his preparation for the ministry and attend a graduate program in Bible and Missions. We had moved out of state far away from family and familiar surroundings, and we were hoping that John would not have to work full time
so that he could devote as much time as possible to his studies. We were also hoping that I would not have to
leave the children (two little boys at the time ages 3 and 18 months) to go to work.
A seemingly tall order, “but with God, all things are possible!”
(Matthew 19:26)
Somewhere along the line I responded to an ad seeking a
couple to be house-parents at a home for boys.
The ad said that this home was located on a farm about fifty miles from
the city in which we were living.
Although the distance from the college might present a problem for John,
the other details appeared to be a workable solution to our dilemma. The directors of the home contacted us and
came to our home for an interview. The
job itself looked simple enough; we would be house-parents to approximately ten
boys, each about ten years old. We would live in a “cottage” with them, and
would have our own personal bedrooms and bath.
I would be responsible for the laundry of our group and the general
upkeep of the cottage. This was a
“Christian” home for boys, and we were to have devotions with them at bedtime
and attend church together on Sundays.
It certainly looked like an answer to our prayers. I would not have to leave our own children
while working, and our room and board would be provided along with a small
salary. John learned that there was a family
in that town whose son was also attending the same college, and they would be
able to car-pool! The main concern was
the fact that we would be giving up a certain amount of family privacy and
freedom, but it was a ministry to young boys who needed a strong father and
loving mother image. We felt God was
giving us the “go-ahead” to embark on this new adventure, and we moved to the
“farm” the first of September.
The Testing
Begins
James 1:2 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall
into various trials, know that the testing of your faith produces patience…”
The experiences we had over the following several months
are too numerous, and some too depressing to describe. The ministry with the boys was very special
to us; we learned a lot about giving and receiving love with those who were
craving such attention and demonstrations of affection. However, our relationship with the Director
of the “home” was less than idyllic.
Although he claimed to be a Christian, the examples of Christ-likeness
were, in our opinion, few and far between.
There was such a spirit of fear, dogmatism, and overpowering authority
that we sometimes cringed beneath the load.
Our spirits were quenched in the fire of this man’s wrath that was often
displayed. Our hearts would break as
discipline was often unmercifully doled out and we would fight back tears of
anger and frustration at being totally unable to do anything about the
situation. My days left alone there at
the farm were often filled with fear, anguish, and bitter remorse. John would come home after school to find me
thoroughly defeated, and yet quite often fighting mad.
One day, however, something happened that changed our
lives completely. It was my
responsibility each afternoon to greet our “boys” at the school bus, and
supervise them in getting out of their school clothes and into “work
clothes”. “Play clothes” were unheard of
as playing was considered a waste of time.
I would then escort them to the dining hall where they were to do
homework until supper. While the boys
from our cottage were changing their clothes on this particular day, my own two
little sons were out in the yard riding their “big-wheels” around on the
sidewalks.
Matthew on his big wheel
I kept looking out the door
to check on them, and they were fine. Besides, one of the other house-parents
was standing nearby in the yard talking to the Director. I had no sooner gone back inside the cottage
to hurry the boys along when one of the older boys from the farm came running
into the cottage yelling, “Come quick! Your son has just been hit by a
car!” There was no time for questions,
and in a panic I ran to the dining hall where I was told he had been
taken. To my horror and shock, there sat
my ashen-hued eighteen-month-old baby, bleeding profusely from the scalp,
barely crying, with a towel wrapped around his head. “Let’s get him to the hospital!” I screamed
in anguish. The Director hesitated, and
then responded, “Well, I suppose he should go…”
I grabbed baby Matthew in my arms and immediately ran to
the car of the other house-parent. This
woman was the lady who had actually run over Matthew as she had started to back
out of the driveway, but her car was the only one available and we had to move
quickly! She jumped in the car and away
we drove. Sorrowfully, I had to leave my
three-year-old son, Benton, standing there with an elderly lady who had “just
happened” to come spend some time at the farm that week. She assured me that
she would take care of him. I wanted to
reach out and comfort him, as he was so obviously distressed. After all, it was his screams that had
alerted the driver of the car that something was wrong in the first place! But
we had no time to lose, and we rushed away to the local hospital. All I could do was pray that God would give
him the comfort that only He could give at such a time.
We literally flew through town to the small hospital,
honking the horn and driving down the middle of the road as fast as we could
go. As I held Matthew tightly in my arms
I cried, “Please don’t let my baby die!” and “Please, Lord, let there be a good
doctor at the hospital when we get there!”
This was a small rural hospital, and good doctors were scarce in that
community.
We safely arrived at the hospital, and as the Lord would
have it, the BEST surgeon in town “just happened” to be in the hospital! Matthew was taken to an examining room, and I
was allowed to stay with him and hold him while they took the x-rays and
examined his head. He was then whisked
away into surgery, where they cleaned all the dirt and gravel from out of his
terribly torn scalp, and pieced the skin back together. Meanwhile John arrived at the hospital. When he got home from the college he was
given the startling news and rushed right over immediately. Soon the doctor came out of surgery and
assured us that Matthew was stable, but he wanted to send him to the large
county hospital fifty miles away by ambulance so that he could be observed by a
neurosurgeon. He told us that Matthew
had a large fracture on one side of the skull, extending from the crown of his
head down to his ear. On the other side
of the skull was another hairline fracture, but there was no indication at that
time that either of the fractures was depressed. That was encouraging news to hear, for a
depressed fracture would have heightened the risk of brain damage.
Later that night I had a terrible time trying to sleep in
my little cot next to Matthew’s crib in the hospital room. Every time I’d close my eyes, I’d see the
whole incident over and over again, and I’d wake up trembling and crying. Finally the emergency room doctor gave me a
sedative, and I was able to rest. The
next morning I was awakened early by a phone call from a young lady at the
college where John was attending. She
told me that the whole college had been praying all night long in shifts for
Matthew, and they just wanted us to know that they cared. I rejoiced to tell her that Matthew had slept
peacefully through the night, and his vital signs were excellent, and that it
appeared their prayers had certainly been answered! As a matter of fact, he was
standing up in his crib at that moment talking to me! We spent a week in the
hospital, and Matthew was released with no sign of brain damage or other
complication! What a miracle!
At the end of the week we returned to “the farm”. Benton had been wonderfully cared for by that
same dear lady who had arrived at the time of the accident. However, she had departed for her home that morning
before I arrived. I did not even have a
chance to thank her. It was as if God
had placed her there just for that purpose for that period of time, and when
her task was over, she was sent back home.
I have thanked the Lord many times since for sending “Big Mama” to care
for our son that week.
As you can see God carried us through some difficult tests and trials on our road to learning to trust in Him. I wish I could say that from then on everything was rosy cozy...but real life isn't like that, especially when one steps into the arena of standing up for the truth. But I can honestly say that even though times were rough, God was always there with us, and He has never let us down. No matter what the outcome of the tests and trials.
Baby Matthew, after his accident. Back to his happy normal self, praise God!
I'll have to finish this story later. It gets better...but just so you aren't left wondering, no, we did not stay at that place very long after this accident...and yes, God did provide another place for us to live and the means to survive until John finished his course of study that year...but that's another story for another day.
As of this writing, March 20, 2014, our son Matthew, now age 41 years, is battling for his life again, this time from a much deadlier foe, cancer. For more on Matthew's life story, see this: "God's Perfect Timing", and this: "Trust His Heart".
Post Script: On May 25, 2014, God called Matthew home to heaven. His battle with cancer was over, and he was perfectly healed at the moment he stepped foot into heaven's gates. For more on this please read: "How Could I Not Want This Day to Come?". Thank you for your continued prayers for Matthew's wife and son Noah.
