Annie's Song

" He is the Source. Of everything. Strength for your day. Wisdom for your task. Comfort for your soul. Grace for your battle. Provision for each need. Understanding for each failure. Assistance for every encounter."  Jack Hayford Mom in her element ~ our family's "Queen of Hospitality". This photo was taken at a family gathering in April ~ only three & a half months ago, but it feels in some ways like a lifetime ago. It's weird the things we take so for granted: standing at the stove stirring Brussel sprouts, fluid speech, driving a car, good health... And then something like cancer reminds us in a dramatic and yucky fashion that we are finite. We are vulnerable. Interestingly, it isn't only my mom who has been confronted with her "finite-ness". My family and I have also been faced at several turns with how very limited and finite we are as well. Much of the trauma [aside from the actual diagnosis] comes from the daily barrage of questions

"Lord...give me the gift of faith to be  renewed and shared with others each day. Teach me to live this moment only , looking neither to the past with regret, nor the future with apprehension. Let love be my aim and my life a prayer." Roseann Alexander Isham The extended Rupp family in 2019 This will be a pretty brief post (since it's 12:38 a.m. 😊). The title refers to a text from a dear friend who encouraged me to look for the "tiny little blessings" in the midst of the hard. And I have been on the lookout for blessings ~ tiny and not-so-tiny. As far as tiny blessings: when I arrived at mom and dad's house last week there was a family of four bluebirds in their jacaranda tree. I 💙💙💙 birds and bluebirds are some of my "faves". This seemed a "God smooch", especially as my Abba seems to send birds my way in those moments when I am sad or discouraged. For some it might be Monarch butterflies, but for me a black Phoebe, chickadee or a blu

"Come to me, all you who are weary and  burdened, and I will give you rest. T ake my  yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am  gentle and humble in heart, and you will  find rest for your souls. For my yoke  is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30   Some encouraging Post-its for mom To be honest it has been a very rough week and it has been far easier for me to binge Netflix or open the refrigerator rather than to go to Jesus for solace. Speaking of refrigerators... (great segue right?) I wrote these Post-it notes for my mom in the fall of 2019. In 2019, dad was at Mission Hospital following a 2-day back surgery. Due to complications and rehab he spent almost 40 days at Mission and my mom was completely maxed out. She and my dad had just put their house up for sale and mom was daily spending time at Mission Hospital ~ caring for their pets ~ tending to my dad's orchids (literally a couple hundred of them) ~ handling details related to the sale of their house

  "The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18                                                        Dad & Mom at Chapin Winery in Nov. 2021 A dear friend suggested this morning I begin a new blog for my mom's journey which began two weeks ago on Monday, July 4, 2022. This will be a way to provide updates on my precious mom and to share any spiritual insights that Holy Spirit may impart. It is my hope to be an encouragement to the reader and to honor my mom, Ann Rupp and my dad, Joe. Here is a bit of backstory for the title of this "inaugural" blogpost. I was trying to come up with a fitting name for the blog. There is a song written and performed by John Denver that is very meaningful to my parents: "Annie's Song". (I have linked the song for you at the end of this post.) I am not a musician but I know that songs evoke the most visceral of emotions: the highest highs and lowest lows. This jo