Prayer for Serenity


Serenity Prayer


"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

 Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen." 

                    Reinhold Niebuhr 


A wonderful photo of mom from Mother's Day 😊


Last week's post was a bit of a cliffhanger and I want to lead off with gratitude. I am grateful for everyone's prayers for Mom. She had a transfusion of platelets prior to surgery and then underwent colostomy surgery last Tuesday, June 13. While the surgery was successful, Ann's post-op recovery has been an uphill battle.

Fortunately, once the anesthesia was totally out of her system she regained her appetite and has been more alert and able to communicate. Ann will be discharged from Mission Hospital today, June 22 and transported home via ambulance. The Ann/Mom who went in to Mission two and a half weeks ago is not the Ann/Mom who will be returning home. Physically she is much weaker. She is unable to walk and it is unlikely that she will regain the strength to walk. 😢 The hospital is ordering a Hoyer lift to be able to transfer Ann from her hospital bed at home to a wheelchair, etc.

Due to her condition she will not continue to receive infusions of Avastin. I believe she will continue the monthly maintenance dose of oral chemo (Temodar) for now. Mom will receive various therapies at home (speech, physical) and home health visits from nurses, etc. Palliative care is being put in place as well.

We covet your prayers for Ann as she transitions back home. She will need a lot of care (as you might imagine). Please be in prayer for my father too. All that has transpired these past several weeks has been really difficult for him. He is a strong, amazing man, but the stress of everything has been so, so hard.

I chose the Serenity Prayer at the beginning of this post because reading it daily (sometimes multiple times a day) has grounded me spiritually, emotionally and mentally: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. I cannot control what is happening with my Mom. As much as I want things to be different, it is not in my power. The courage to change the things I can. How can I be a blessing to my parents? How can I support them? These are the things I can choose to do and that will make a difference. When I'm tempted the pull the covers over my head and hide, I can ask God for the courage to keep persevering. Amen?

Additional prayer requests:

  • For continued financial provision for caregiving through the GoFundMe or other means. (A praise is that the garage sale last Saturday was quite successful. 🎉🎉   A special shout out to the men of Corpus Christi who came by to visit and generously donated toward the garage sale. You guys are THE best!)
  • For Ann to get all the care she needs at home, and for the transition home to go smoothly. We are super blessed to have Fany and Alma caring for Mom. They have been a true gift from God.
Thankful that God gives us a peace that passes understanding when we seek Him!

With love & supernatural serenity,
Terrie

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

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