Monday, June 1st - Ditto

Monday, June 1st--I guess I could just say `ditto` to last Monday´s post! Everything is basically the same with some ups and downs depending on the day. Larry´s blood sugar is holding in the 80´s. That´s not as good as they would like it to be but definitely better than before. He still has the feeding tube and they are still working to strengthen his swallow. They will do another swallow test sometime this week to see if he is still aspirating. His therapy´s are also more or less successful depending on the day. It can be disheartening. Just when we feel that we are seeing several days of improvements, we´ll have a couple of `down` days and then try to regroup and do better once again. They are doing some lung tests tomorrow because Larry has been coughing more the last couple of days. It could possibly be some pneumonia or just the scleroderma...hard to say at this point.
This past week we had a meeting with the doctor, nurses, case manager, and our family to discuss Larry´s condition and prognosis. Our kids were there and are so supportive, tender, and loving of Larry and me. I am so grateful for them! The meeting wasn´t an easy one but we had a wonderful spiritual experience after the meeting was over when we were able to kneel together as a family and petition the Lord in Larry´s behalf for some specific needed blessings. It was amazing and humbling when, just a few hours later, our prayer was answered in a very profound way. I knew once again, at that very moment, that the Lord is aware of us and our circumstances and that He loves us and helped us with this particular circumstance. It was a great comfort to me. My sister recently shared this scripture with me and I feel that it was completely realized during this time:
`Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path.  Proverbs 3:5-6. She expressed how comforted she has been so many times when she has given him her burdens and how much relief she has felt when sharing her troubles with him. I, too, have felt this comfort and relief many times during the past ten weeks. I know he will always sustain us during difficult times and I pray for so many others who are facing their own difficulties, trials, and heartaches that they may also be blessed and sustained during the struggles they face.