Family time

The whole Mischnick family was able to gather in Madison today; hooray!  Matt's parents traveled from South Dakota to Waterloo, IA, to visit Mark's mom, and then the rest of the way to Madison.  Matt's sister, husband, and four kids traveled from another part of South Dakota to Madison, with a short stop in Waterloo as well.  Matt's other sister, husband, and three kids traveled from Northern Illinois to Madison today.

The South Dakota cousins came by our house this morning so Kate and Ethan could get some good cousin time and I could have a chance to visit with Matt's sister and brother-in-law.  Then we all congregated on the first floor of the hospital this afternoon and evening.

Anna came down for a visit for what seemed like a long time for her.  The cousins had some pictures to show her, and then they all gathered in the "movie theater" to watch some cartoons.  After taking Anna back upstairs to rest, a few of the cousins got a mini-tour of P4 and saw Anna's room.  Then Grandma and Grandpa kept Anna company while the rest of us had some pizza on the first floor.

All in all, it was a very good visit.  These kinds of opportunities for us all to be in one place don't come along very often, so we cherish the times when it works, even if it's not under the best of circumstances.  We love our extended family and wish that we would all live closer to one another.

In general, right now what our family misses most is being all together and having fun together.  We used to have a lot of fun, especially at dinnertime and in the evenings.  Now the majority of our time together is spent trying to figure out the logistics of life or talking about Anna's health.  We miss the laughter of our kids, all of them.

Matt and I have been told that couples going through stressful situations like ours often respond by either being drawn closer together or by having it become a wedge in their relationship.  Matt and I have fallen into the first category.  In the past few months, we have learned a lot about one another and about our relationship. 

One of the biggest things that has surfaced has been knowing that we do much better when we are able to deal with any crises together in the same place.  The Monday this all began we were physically separate and a few of the harder conversations have happened when we have not been able to be in the same room.  Those were probably the hardest times.  When Matt and I are able to, literally, hold hands, we are able to deal with things in a much stronger way.

We hope that when this is all over, our family is stronger than we were when we began.

Time for prayers

Thanksgiving
Please thank God that Matt's whole family was able to gather together today for a little while.
Please give thanks that my mom had the strength to make it through this week.
Please give thanks that Anna is growing stronger every day.
Please give thanks that Anna has been able to see all of her extended family since her initial diagnosis.
Please thank God for family.
Please give thanks that Anna will have the night nurse and day nurse for the next three days; we love consistency.
Please thank God for the rest that comes with weekends.

Requests
Please ask God to protect Matt's family as they travel back to their homes in the next few days.
Please pray that Anna is able to safely gain weight.
Please pray that Anna's treatments are 100% effective in killing the cancer.
Please pray that Anna experiences few (or no) side effects from the treatments.
Please ask God to be with those kids and adults who are visiting Anna these days; it can be hard to take it all in.
Please continue to pray for strength and wisdom for Matt and me as we try to keep our heads above water for the next four weeks of Anna's treatment.
Please continue to pray for Anna's care staff.

Another song that has been on my mind lately is "We won't be shaken" by Building 429.

This world has nothing for me
This life is not my own
I know You go before me and I am not alone
This mountain rises higher
The way seems so unclear
But I know that You go with me so I will never fear
I will trust in You

Whatever will come our way
Through fire or pouring rain, we won't be shaken
No, we won't be shaken
Whatever tomorrow brings, together we'll rise and sing
That we won't be shaken

You know my every longing
You've heard my every prayer
You've held me in my weakness
Cause You are always there
So I'll stand in full surrender
It's Your way and not my own
My mind is set on nothing less
Than You and You alone
I will not be moved.

We will trust in You
We will not be moved
We will trust in You
And we won't be shaken.