Doris got out of Cardiac ICU at 5 Sunday and is in a double room now with a phone and can have flowers.  I took her 5 little albums to store all her wedding pictures and filled 2 of them already.  She has some flowers from the wedding and the girls and I will take up more today.  Her pneumonia is improved and she is getting more feeling back in her legs and feet and even trying to swallow.  We meet with the team today.  Neurology did an eval Sunday following the MRI.

 Virg hopes to get two more stents today.  Pray as the doctors work with skill to give him a better quality of life.  He may get to go home by Tuesday if he comes through the angioplasty in good shape.

Donna (known at Iowa City Cardiac ICU as- Doris’ sister, Virgil’s wife, and the lady who won an Alaskan Cruise)

PS  Andrea (David’s wife) is right when she says- You people should be a movie!

Please pray for Doris. She was ambulanced to Muscatine ER and then on to Univ of Iowa Hospitals on Saturday with lethal levels of potassium, kidney failure, and seizures. She is in Cardiac Intensive Care on 4th floor.

They were able to reverse the potassium levels which could have caused her to code at any minute. Slowly they have brought her other medication levels back to her normal. She had been vomiting on occasion starting Thursday and seemed to have a bug of some sort. Saturday morning she went into seizures while we girls were out to Farm & Fleet for a few minutes. Anna and Joseph found her and got Pat who called 911. The paramedics were there as we rushed back. During her ambulance ride to the Univ they had to shock her once as her heart was irratic.

She now is battling significant pneumonia. They are also transfusing her from an unknown blood loss source. Her kidneys are beginning to produce urine again thankfully. She has a face mask to help her breath as she was too weak to breath deep enough to keep the air flow right.

Please pray for our Doris. They say she is a model patient. Mary, Jeanie, Don & Sherrie, and I are taking turns staying with her day and night. Ron & Linda were up Sunday also.

Yours in prayer,
Donna

I can take no credit for this joke. It was forwarded to me in an email and the source wasn’t noted… so I can’t tell you who came up with it first… (p.s., please do not take this as a sign that I would appreciate a bunch of joke forwards… Dude, I get hundreds of emails a day)… Anyway, a little Holy Week humor coming your way:

CHURCH TELEPHONE

A man in Topeka, Kansas, decided to write a book about churches around the country. He started by flying to San Francisco, and started working east from there. Going
to a very large church, he began taking photographs and making notes.

He spotted a golden telephone on the vestibule wall, and was intrigued with a sign which read, “$10,000 per minute.” Seeking out the preacher, he asked about the phone and the sign.

The preacher answered that the golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to Heaven, and if he pays the price, he can talk directly to God.

The man thanked the preacher and continued on his way.

As he continued to visit churches in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Denver, Chicago, Milwaukee, and around the United States, he found more such phones, with the same sign, and the same explanation from each preacher.

Finally, the man arrived in the wonderful state of Texas. Upon entering a church, behold: he saw the usual golden telephone. But THIS time, the sign read: “Calls: 25 cents”!

Fascinated, the man asked to speak with the preacher. “Preacher, I have been in cities all across the country and in each church I have found this golden telephone, and have been told it is a direct line to Heaven, and that I could use
it to talk to God. But in 20 other churches, the cost was
$10,000 per minute. Your sign says 25 cents per call–Why is that?

The preacher, smiling benignly, replied: “Son, you’re in Texas now, and it’s a local call.

Hey family. I have an idea. Let’s start our own Amazon.com and call it Get-It-To-You-On-Time-Azon.

Just a thought.

…and you are winning essay contests and going on cruises and planning weddings and all sorts of good stuff.
Congrats ladies!

Moody Broadcasting Network ran a contest from March 20-31, 2006 in which you entered an essay “What About Moody Radio Floats Your Boat” with regional winners to be entered in the national contest for a cruise for 2 to Alaska September 16-23, 2006 accompanying a crew of Moody ministers, singers, etc. including Dr. Michael and Cindy Easley. I called in the morning of April 4th after finding a message when I got to work. I was on the radio accepting the regional prize when they asked if I was sitting down and then said I was also the national winner. Doris, Mary, and Anna heard it all. I had asked Mary to pray if she wanted to go with me as a friend of mine heard I was the regional winner before I went to work and called me.

Here is my essay which God helped me write in a rush 3/31/06…..
Each morning as I travel to my job I listen to WDLM and am inspired and uplifted and made ready to cruise as a Christian in the workplace and be a testimony for my Savior. I listen again as I return home each evening. WDLM helps keep me on course as a Christian. Each day is a new adventure on the open sea of life. The Moody crew anticipates all my needs and remains close by with constant assistance. I would not be afraid to cruise anywhere with this crew who uses Jesus as their compass.

You can access information on the cruise at http://inspirationcruises.com/html/moody_bible.html

Pray for Mary and me as we prepare ourselves for the Christian Cruise with the Moody Team. It will be like an ole fashioned tent meeting like we attended as kids- but we will be in a cruise ship observing the beautiful scenery God has created for our enjoyment.

Today is one of the most exciting days I can remember. I got a call from my friend before leaving for work this morning that I was the WDLM (Moody) regional winner and was eligible for the national prize of a cruise for 2 this September. I called Mary and asked if she would like to be my guest. She was VERY interested so I asked that she pray and get her radio turned to 89.3 and let me know who the national winner was. She and Doris found the station just as they took my call from work where I had a message to call their 800 number immediately. Doris and Mary then heard me interviewed and announced on the air as the NATIONAL WINNER of over 600 essay entries.

One night as I traveled home from Mary’s I listened to WDLM as I always have it on in the car. They reminded everyone to remember to enter the Moody Cruise Alaska contest which was available online. The next morning I remembered to check it out and was surprised to see that was the last day to enter. I quickly filled out all the blanks and rushed through the essay. Now I know God inspired the essay so that Mary and I would have the opportunity to cruise with Dr. & Mrs. Easley on September 16-23, 2006. Can you imagine how wonderful it will be on such a scenic cruise as guests of Moody Bible Institute? This will be a belated birthday cruise for Mary as she turns 60 in June.

I hope we girls can take Doris on a Mexican cruise in the not too distant future. I have promised to go with her on a cruise, but the Alaskan cruise would be much too cold, and I would not want to get her sick.

Getting the news of the win at work gave me a wonderful opportunity to witness for the Lord. One of the ladies I work with heard the whole interview before and after. She and Mary both said they kept remarking how kool the essay was and then read it. I am hoping to obtain a copy of it to share. They kept announcing there was a delay in announcing the winner. Turns out they were waiting for me to call in so they could tell me on the air. WOW!!!!!

Please pray that Mary and I will be able to use this as witnessing tool throughout the year. God has been very good to us.

Yours in Christ,
Donna

People, have you ever had Johnny Cash stuck in your head? I’ve been Walking the Line since Saturday night. 5 days. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny. Johnny Cash all the time. David Allen Coe tried to butt in last night. But Johnny was having none of it. I’ve Been Everywhere with Johnny (I’ve been to: Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota, Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota, Whichta, Tulsa, Ottowa, Oklahoma, Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, LaPaloma, Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo, Tocapillo, Barranquilla, And Padilla). I guess life ain’t easy for a Boy Named Sue.

So this week is the suckaversery of the last time I saw my mom. I still wake up from dreaming about her and get a hitch in my heart when I have to remember that she’s gone all over again. I see her everywhere. And want to call her. And hang out with her. And talk to her. And want her to come visit me again. I want her to kiss me on the cheek. And pray for me. And love me all the time no matter what. Nobody else is like a mom, ya’ll. I’d like to be a mom, I think. I’d rather do it when she was here, but I think I can do it like she’s here, even though she’s not.

This was a tough year, no lie. It was hard to talk to my Mom’s Mom, and her sisters. It was not fun to watch my Michelle and Jonathan and Robert and Kristin hurting. For the first few months I found it impossible to talk to Liz without losing it. Daniel. Well, Dan, broke my heart sometimes just to look at his face. And Dad, man. Sometimes it was like we lost him too.

But here’s the thing. Isaac has it all right. Isaac misses Mom. And he has special pictures and things of hers that he is keeping safe. But Isaac has this great capacity for joy. And for life. On a particularly sad day some months ago, Isaac woke up all groggy eyed as he does, and he rolled off my couch and looked at me and said: “It’s a good day to be alive.” And he’s right. It is.

You know, all those years Mom was praying for us like it was her job. Even before I was born she was making her case to God for me. And you know what? I think He gave her exactly what she wanted for each of us. He gave us just what we needed. And of all the things on her prayer list, I know that is what she wanted the most.

It’s a little comforting to know that I get to live the life that Mom wanted for me. I have nothing to complain about; period. I love my job. My husband is my best friend. Michelle, Jonny, Rob, KFree, Lizzy, Dan the Man, Zack-o, The Aunts, everybody is here for each other. All the time; night or day. And I am never lonely or afraid. I don’t need anything that He hasn’t already given me. And we all have that just-what-we-need in our own way. Looking at it now I see that God answered Mom’s prayers specifically and faithfully for each of us.

It’s been a long year. And I miss you Pretty Mom. But I’m alright in Houston. And getting better every day.

Well, if you didn’t get in on the Tourney Pick ‘Em, you’ll just have to do it next year. We have a lively basketball debate amongst the cousins. So far, nobody has come to blows…

Hope all is well out there in basketball fan land. Today, by the way, is one of the greatest days of the year. I hope you will all take advantage of it. Spring is finally here. It is St. Patrick’s day (As my grandma Mary Eileen O’Brien would say: don’t forget to wear your green and eat some corn beef & cabbage). It is Friday. And there are sixteen NCAA basketball games to watch today… including Iowa and UNI. Today is the perfect day to skip out early, find a big screen, and hang out with your pals. Have a great weekend everyone. I’ve got to go rummage through the pile of stuff I threw out of my closet while “cleaning” it to see if I have anything green to wear…. Cheers!