Annie's Song

  "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 This playful photo captures my parent's personalities 😊 Today marks 54 looooong days since mom was taken by ambulance to Mission Hospital. But tomorrow is "Homecoming Day"! Woo Hoo!!! 🎉🎉🎉 The hospital bed was delivered today. Mom and dad's good friend, Susan brought over supplies that will be helpful to dad in caring for my mom. After mom is transported home tomorrow morning a nurse will train my dad in the care that mom will require. Our hope is that a caregiver will be able to start providing 24/7 care beginning September 1st. (The GoFundMe has been an absolute blessing and has provided some much needed peace of mind financially for the next several months.) I have been reflecting on the up's and down's our family (and friends) have

  "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him." Romans 15:13 Mom and Dad with Abby on their last trip to Kernville for a visit with my sister, Cassandra and her husband, Gene. Two weeks ago this Thursday it felt like circumstances were dog piling on dad. Mom and dad are thoroughly devoted to their fur babies: Abby, an immensely lovable German Shepherd and Lenny, a food-obsessed cat who has been spoiled rotten by my mom. 😻  They both have been life long animal lovers and during my entire childhood we had a menagerie of various dogs and cats. Sometimes several cats at once and many of them had quite a lot of personality or straight up quirkiness (aka weirdness). Our family loves to recount our favorite memories from the Rupp animal 'Hall of Fame'. Abby has been mom and dad's companion and source of endless joy for almost 13 1/2 years. She definitely was showing signs of aging like arthritis in her back and sleeping a lot during the day,

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him."  1 Corinthians 2:9   Such a precious picture of my momma! (Photo courtesy of mom and dad's friend Bob 😍) Happy anticipation: my freesia bulbs finally blooming. 😊 As human beings we anticipate lots of things: the beginning of a new school year, weddings, vacations, a dental appointment, job reviews. Some of these things we anticipate with excitement and others bring feelings of great angst. This journey with mom has had its share of both excitement and angst. In the excitement "category" is the likelihood that she will be discharged from Mission Hospital in the next few days. No one will joyfully anticipate the prospect of going home more than mom after being in the hospital for five weeks.  Ironically, there is both excitement and angst for dad, my siblings and me with mom coming back home. It will be a huge transition for the entire family and there are