tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.comments2023-10-05T04:27:50.037-07:00Team Grace EllenUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-9673114822224210952018-04-27T10:33:12.511-07:002018-04-27T10:33:12.511-07:00YES. I wonder if the thoughts the church was tryin...YES. I wonder if the thoughts the church was trying to handle were originally something like "God was not (so much) in the whirlwind as in the still small voice." God spoke to Balaam not directly through the angel, but through the burro. People want to think of "feeling God's presence" as something that involves going into alpha brainwave mode, and while that's a valuable healing technique the Bible never says that's the only way to feel God's presence. The Bible says rather a lot about part of God being parental love.Priscilla Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02564805564265436613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-1013683000735131422018-04-25T08:12:33.656-07:002018-04-25T08:12:33.656-07:00I love your honesty and your willingness to be ope...I love your honesty and your willingness to be open and share your heart. I'm sorry for the pain you have had to suffer from those who are "spiritually" superior and yet have a wrong theology. I'm so happy that you found that you can read your Bible and listen for Jesus to teach you. He is the best Teacher. And I love the picture and what it says about Jesus' love to us all who need His forgiveness and love every day. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05368066818728112732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-55797086373500468042018-04-25T03:49:40.978-07:002018-04-25T03:49:40.978-07:00Love you my friend! Beautiful reminder for all of ...Love you my friend! Beautiful reminder for all of us that we can get caught up in “rules, other people’s ideals”, or we can take Him at His word. From one black sheep to another - we are a flock and He loves us deeply!Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08405844521858447859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-56229736210974090012018-02-20T09:25:44.116-08:002018-02-20T09:25:44.116-08:00All I can say is “I love you, Melissa” You and yo...All I can say is “I love you, Melissa” You and your honesty are both a gift to the world!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16993524693972425985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-40420816421445839742018-02-19T19:58:47.408-08:002018-02-19T19:58:47.408-08:00You are amazing my friend! I agree and have witnes...You are amazing my friend! I agree and have witnessed that sometimes a type of death must occur in order for new life to begin. Thankful it is not always a physical death, but it is painful none the less. Praying for the sprouts that are starting. I love, admire, and miss you my friend!Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08405844521858447859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-64803324853275819412018-01-16T07:22:52.982-08:002018-01-16T07:22:52.982-08:00Dear Melissa, my prayer for you is both happiness ...Dear Melissa, my prayer for you is both happiness AND hope. And healing for Grace. Your friends at St. Baldrick's love you, and we're willing to step into the suffering with you, too. We are constantly sending positive thoughts and vibes your way. We hope you can feel them! <3St. Baldrick's Family Relations Teamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08735300639856312665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-84501084047880611532018-01-14T08:44:28.132-08:002018-01-14T08:44:28.132-08:00When I think about Grace and all of her family, I ...When I think about Grace and all of her family, I ache for her/your pain. I can't imagine how hard it must be to keep the faith. I don't know how you do it. This blog shows me there is always hope. If you can still find hope, everyone can. Your continued faith and hope through the nightmare you're living, shows me that God is showing me his love through YOU today. YOU give ME hope. Grace is my face of God today. She is true love and hope. <br />You are an amazing mother, Melissa. All my love and hope being sent to you and yours today.Amy Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06439503979045844874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-4928311760351004492018-01-14T05:28:33.922-08:002018-01-14T05:28:33.922-08:00Melissa, I love you so much, and can really identi...Melissa, I love you so much, and can really identify with this as tears are streaming down my face. I keep praying for hope and faith, because at times I feel I’m losing it. THANK YOU to all of you out there who are our stretcher bearers at this time. You know who you are. Through all this pain we feel loved and supported. You are Gods hands and heart when we can’t see Him and feel Him in the dark places. We love you!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16993524693972425985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-22040989782260267802017-12-31T15:41:24.680-08:002017-12-31T15:41:24.680-08:00Melissa,
Happy New Year! Yes, Happy! 😊 Isn’t He...Melissa,<br />Happy New Year! Yes, Happy! 😊 Isn’t He so wonderful to sustain and guide at all times in our life?? He surely provides at every moment in our lives, He knows the needs, the wants, the joys, the sorrows. I encourage you to continue pressing into Him for your every ever present needs. He does not fail. I pray that the Holy Spirit continues to wash over you His discernment, His Peace, His Guidance at just the right moment as He always does...at just the right moment as you care for your family. To You, God, be all the glory!! He is good in the good and yet remains good in the bad for He does not change. Thankfully and mercifully our circumstances do not dictate who He is. He is Holy and worthy. He is our rock and provider. He is the Healer of all that we are. He is the Sustainer of all that we are. May the Lord bless You and keep you. May His face turn toward you and be gracious to you and give you Shalom (Peace.). Numbers 6:24. We continue to lift you in prayer and think of you often. <br /><br />Merry Christmas because it really is despite our circumstances because He has gifted us with Himself. Thank you, Jesus! So thankful He has come to restore us and give Hope. The Hope that does not fail. And that Hope sustains us at all times, in any circumstance, for the completion of all time until we are reunited with Him in Glory! He tenderly cares and provides as we walk through this life. So thankful for this gift, it is what I cling to for my everything. Without it, I am but ash on the ground. <br /><br />And lastly, Happy New Year. Many blessings to you, Melissa. Continue seeking Him to provide for your every moment. And ask Him for wisdom in asking for help. Our circumstances and asking for help are overwhelming for us and yet He orchestrates meeting needs so beautifully as only He can! These are gifts He loves to liberally lavish upon the giver and receiver. It’s breathtaking and indescribable to witness His Power move. To You, God, be all the Glory, forever. <br />In His Grip,<br />Kim<br />kphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04475788465532645714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-40550594821897331812017-12-31T12:13:41.153-08:002017-12-31T12:13:41.153-08:00Dear Melissa,
I can’t even imagine. I have never ...Dear Melissa,<br />I can’t even imagine. I have never met you or Grace in person, but I have followed your journey since even before she was first diagnosed. I’m friends with your parents, and they asked me for prayers when she first began undergoing tests. It has been such a long roller coaster of a journey, and I can’t imagine when the end will be insight. My prayers continue daily. I imagine there are a lot of people out here like me — friends you’ve never met whose hearts you have opened and touched profoundly.<br /><br />May tomorrow...and the New Year ahead, be filled with health, breath, space, and hope.<br /><br />Love,<br /><br />Michelle WortnerThemommerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15251169019088130996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-33171116167037260342017-12-30T21:39:50.423-08:002017-12-30T21:39:50.423-08:00Melissa, I can't pretend to know what your lif...Melissa, I can't pretend to know what your life feels like---I only know my own, and some days, heaven-now sounds more appealing. I recently read the story of Elijah from I Kings 19, exhausted and wanting to die beneath a juniper tree. God's words to him were "the journey is too great for thee, and I will refresh thee." The first part, I have no trouble believing, and I am grateful that God has mercy and acknowledges this state of being, this bruised reed and smoldering wick. The second part--"I will refresh thee"--is harder....a promise that I hope to believe will come to pass. Sometimes we need others to believe for us when we can't. I'm praying that today, for you, for some small moments of refreshment to remind you of the larger work God is doing in you and your family's life. Much love :)--ReginaLove's Doorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17144053267432179872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-21868367058828520922017-12-29T12:04:24.653-08:002017-12-29T12:04:24.653-08:00I am weeping before the throne. I know God will h...I am weeping before the throne. I know God will help you and I pray that this time of suffering will soon be over and you can all be a family again. Thanks for sharing your struggle so we know how to pray! I had no idea the pain and hardships you are going through! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05368066818728112732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-26683899086691067582017-12-29T05:54:13.653-08:002017-12-29T05:54:13.653-08:00I’m weeping as I read this. I am reminded of a few...I’m weeping as I read this. I am reminded of a few things that Jesus said:<br />In this world there “will” be trouble &<br />Do not worry about tomorrow<br />You fell back into autopilot/self preservation for a while - but you recognized it and reached out. Your village is here, we stand in the gap with you, praying. <br />Keep looking up. Keep sharing and asking for help.<br />Love you Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08405844521858447859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-67921126520625842382017-12-29T00:15:50.974-08:002017-12-29T00:15:50.974-08:00Melissa,
Your description of home life after BMT ...Melissa, <br />Your description of home life after BMT strongly resonates with me. If I can be honest, I was terrified of taking my kiddo home. It didn't feel safe, as in I was afraid our carpet was going to kill her. I was afraid of her sharing a bathroom with her siblings.The nurses though I was kidding when I kept asking them if I could take one of them home. I also would have taken someone from the kitchen and a beloved custodian who kept the hospital clean for us. The weight of responsibility was unbearable sometimes. Then I would be ashamed of myself, thinking of friends who would give anything to be in our situation and have another chance to serve their precious babies in the role I was in. Some days felt like I was drowning in a pity party of "Look at everything all my responsibilities!" The truth was I was scared of screwing it all up, either with missing her immunosuppresant by twenty minutes, not cooking her food to the correct temperature, or checking the bathroom to make sure it was clean. <br />All this to say, "Me too."<br />Jesus sees you, Melissa. He is beholding the pleasure of you, His Beloved daughter. His words whisper, "I know. I see you. I'm here."<br />monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18292983562656827738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-12624430874718329102017-11-09T11:52:44.777-08:002017-11-09T11:52:44.777-08:00Blessings to Grace...I read Jesus in the Gospels a...Blessings to Grace...I read Jesus in the Gospels as not terribly concerned about feeling or showing whatever He was feeling. It was all part of the experience of living in a body. <br /><br />In a way I think people who want everyone to work at being/seeming something considered "positive" all the time end up feeding more energy to the nasty stuff by denying it. In their minds a tear is powerful and terrible and *has to* be continually stuffed down under layers of grins and vacuous verbiage, long after someone less worried about "feelings" would have shed the tear and dried off and felt better...Priscilla Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02564805564265436613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-92023056207384807932017-11-08T18:16:23.149-08:002017-11-08T18:16:23.149-08:00Melissa, this was so beautifully written, straight...Melissa, this was so beautifully written, straight from the heart. I heard Jesus in your words, I saw His laughing eyes and then His compassionate ones in sorrow. Grace has a lot of mama in her, you have made Jesus and her proud. I am praying for you and all other families on your floor. Sending so much love to you, your family and your precious Ninja Grace.Kristen Joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15900949533219963456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-48771629948777490832017-11-08T04:56:18.373-08:002017-11-08T04:56:18.373-08:00I love you my friend! I agree with you wholehearte...I love you my friend! I agree with you wholeheartedly. Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08405844521858447859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-24777587009200709882017-11-08T04:33:30.075-08:002017-11-08T04:33:30.075-08:00Thank you for being so real and for sharing your h...Thank you for being so real and for sharing your heart. I've lost two babies to miscarriage this year and have been struggling with some of the same anger towards God. Your words have inspired me (and I'm sure countless others). You, Grace, and your family are in my prayers.awilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04217594339145490680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-20888687243738799572017-11-04T23:06:42.709-07:002017-11-04T23:06:42.709-07:00I don’t know you personally but have seen you and ...I don’t know you personally but have seen you and your family at cancer events. My daughter is coming up on her one year OT and it has been draining . I can not imagine what you are going through and quite honestly you are doing one hell of a job. Know that I am praying for you, Grace and all of your family. I have lots of faith in the BMT being a complete success and this chapter forever closing. Know that there is a community of moms that know how you feel. Tonight I will be praying for that peace and tranquility to stay with you for many many days. Natalie Moraleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17983946084331169740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-84744942976731646412017-11-03T17:12:25.133-07:002017-11-03T17:12:25.133-07:00I am not on FB any longer so have been coming here...I am not on FB any longer so have been coming here for updates. Today I sending prayers of peace to your sad and devastated mothers heart. I am angry for you. Your family. For Grace. I remember listening to you speak last year at the ALS dinner and my heart was full of joy that you all were finding your way to some semblance of normalcy. As a cancer mom, I can relate to some of your feelings but right now, in these moments of fear and anger, I can only help carry some of your heavy load, by praying and sending love and light your way. Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04209967185741239050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-14240311946541334262017-10-30T10:18:37.190-07:002017-10-30T10:18:37.190-07:00I can't imagine loving your family any more th...I can't imagine loving your family any more than I do except God loves you infinitely more. This has to be the most difficult journey to make,but God is carrying all of you on His loving arms. I hope you can feel His arms securely enfolding you. ����������Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-73626164509801367882017-10-30T08:56:14.680-07:002017-10-30T08:56:14.680-07:00Good for you for vomiting this out, sweet girl. I...Good for you for vomiting this out, sweet girl. I wait with you. Terihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07958635810060715228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-74933847637716459522017-10-28T12:54:23.248-07:002017-10-28T12:54:23.248-07:00Jesus already won the fight for you. John 16:33 I ...Jesus already won the fight for you. John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace in this world you will have trouble but take heart I have overcome the world!Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00500414450773540620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-2364173357357720062017-10-28T10:37:18.157-07:002017-10-28T10:37:18.157-07:00❤. You are amazing Melissa. Not sure at all you co...❤. You are amazing Melissa. Not sure at all you could remain at peace in this, that facade would have to be fake. Seems like attempting that would be exhausting as you say. I am praying that you do find comfort and the honesty part you describe seems a better way. I'm not offering advice, I wish I could but you are way ahead of me. So Im sending heartfelt prayers for you to continue on in your battle. You may not feel it at the moment, but you are amazing. God Bless you. MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11944435446463860373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133695789906147700.post-83398825697499139902017-10-28T09:51:01.855-07:002017-10-28T09:51:01.855-07:00I only know personally two kids who had BMT, but b...I only know personally two kids who had BMT, but both were 10+ years ago and both kids are doing really well. I pray that Grace has at least as good a recovery!Rachel Inbarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18211942924192779597noreply@blogger.com