Things are going better with my dad...he began to eat some a couple of days ago. The swallowing issue, we think, was from some meds he was on or a possible small stroke. The pneumonia is better and he is recovering from that, but still weak. We are very thankful because we know pneumonia can be life threatening for someone his age and in his condition. Now he is back in the health facility and seems to be doing fairly well. This is all very hard on my mom, so continue to pray for her. My brother, who is a doctor, has been here from North Carolina and he will be leaving on Saturday. He is such a help during these difficult days. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouraging comments.


On a lighter note, Gracie and I were able to visit Union University last weekend for their preview day for prospective students. At first Gracie was somewhat disappointed after visiting Samford...mainly because Samford has such a beautiful historical campus and she loves that. But, after visiting with the professors at Union and meeting students, we love that place! It is truly a unique Christ centered school. We saw evidence of that in so many ways. I can't really express all that we learned while there, but there were so many things we liked about it...from the in depth overview of the English and Literature department...to the secret church service they were having one evening to experience what it would be like to worship in secret trying to avoid persecution and danger--it all was so good. I really enjoyed chapel. It was GO week while we were there which stands for Global Outreach, so we were able to see firsthand the emphasis on missions. Gracie is really interested in going on international mission trips while in college, so this was excellent! And...the kids...I was so impressed with the young women we met and what Gracie told me about them. She was able to spend the night with some girls and learned so much about their walk with Christ, how they handle relationships with young men, and their convictions. We were so happy about what we learned from them! What wonderful role models for Gracie!

We are excited to see how God provides and we are praying that He will make our paths clear as we seek His will for Gracie! This is an exciting time.

Gracie's last time to go with us on our September beach trip...next fall she will be in college! Hard to believe!


Another fun thing about visiting Union was meeting Kelly! We have been blogging friends since we began blogging...about three years ago. We have kept in touch, done a bible study together, and exchanged book recommendations. She is such a joy. Now we are real friends since we have met face to face! Thank you, Kelly, for taking care of me while I was there. Kelly was so sweet to take me out to dinner, show me around Jackson, and tell me all about the churches there. It was such a helpful and fun evening. Kelly is such a strong and God fearing woman. I learned so much from talking with her. She has been fighting breast cancer this last year and is now going through radiation. But, the Lord has been faithful to her and always with her...she testified to that. Her faithfulness is a great example to me. Her inner and outer beauty was evident as she spoke about what the Lord has been teaching her through this trial. Such wisdom!