Gladness for Mourning

We are in Greensboro this week. We drove up on Wednesday and will be heading back home on Sunday. Patsy's mother passed away last Saturday and we came up for the funeral. Patsy is Daniel's step mom. I know that she would have understood if Taylor and I had not come since it is such a long drive, but I felt like it was important for us to be here for her. I am glad that we came too. I actually ended up singing for the funeral and Daniel was a pall bearer. The only concern about the whole trip was how Taylor would do. We were concerned about the car ride and, once we realized that we were both going to be participating in the funeral, there was the concern about what to do with her during that time.

God has been so faithful. I prayed about this trip before we came and I have been seeing God answer my prayer. On the way up here Taylor did so well. I even bought some new videos to show her just to keep her occupied, but we didn't need them until the last 2 hours. It took a total of 11 1/2 hours to get here with all the stops we made. Most of the time Taylor just listened to Praise Baby and colored. Daniel had a great idea in bringing her crayons and coloring books. It has been a hit!

When we had the receiving of friends on Thursday night I talked with the funeral director and he told me that his brother's wife would be able to watch Taylor for me. That was such a blessing! When I met her Friday morning I liked her instantly. We took some toys and a video for her to watch. All Daniel had to do was to show Tricia how to use the DVD player and Taylor automatically reached up for her to hold her. Taylor did so well during the funeral. That was such a burden off my shoulders.

Taylor has also been napping and sleeping really well while we have been here. Tomorrow we are heading home and I just hope and pray that she does as well on the way home as she did on the way up. The trip home always has been more difficult in the past.

On a side note, my grandmother has not been doing well. Yesterday she did not eat all day and didn't want to get out of bed. She has Lewy Body Dimentia and has been going downhill pretty fast. She's had a nurse's assistant for 8 hours a day - 5 days a week for a while now and has recently started receiving hospice care as well. When the hospice nurse came out to see her yesterday he said that with her not eating and wanting to stay in bed that she probably will not last much longer and that the family needed to come down. He expects her to go within the week. My grandfather has been taking it really hard and is hurting right now. He has really demonstrated how much he loves my grandmother in everything that he has done for her. He tries to get her out of the house every chance he gets. He even bought a handicap accessible van for her. I am sad for him, but I don't want to see her suffer for a long time. She is being given morphine for the pain that she does have. My prayer in all of this is that God would somehow give the whole family peace that she has a true relationship with Him. My grandparents have been religious people, but some of the things that they believe just does not line up with scripture and I have often wondered if they have truly accepted Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That is what concerns me most. I cannot see their hearts, so I have to accept what they tell me about their faith and that they have been saved.