No more tears, no more crying

Earlier this month was my Grandma's 91st birthday. My sister and I, and the two little boys went to visit her (it was fortuitiuosly on a Saturday and we were in Sydney).

Grandma has been in a nursing home for about 18 months since she had stroke and her dementia worsened. In the last six weeks she has been in major decline and has been unable to shake pneumonia.

She still enjoyed seeing the little boys even though she was not quite sure of how she was related to them and was very tired from the visitors she had that day. Alex sang "Happy Birthday" a few times (we had been practising in the car).

Unfortunately since we saw her she had declined rapidly and late last night went home to the Lord. My parents and aunts and uncles were able to see her yesterday.

Please pray for our extended family as they arrange the funeral.

This song, from the CD Alex listens to before bed, is a good reminder of the home that my grandmother had been anticipating eagerly for some time.

No more tears, No more crying

There's a country awaiting us

No more sadness, No more sighing

God's preparing a place for us

All our troubles will be gone

We'll see Jesus on his throne

No more tears, No more crying
There's a country awaiting us
No more sadness, No more sighing
God's preparing a place for us

Crystal river flowing by

God himself lights up the sky

No more tears, No more crying
There's a country awaiting us
No more sadness, No more sighing
God's preparing a place for us

Simone Richardson, A very very very Big God

Something else under the sun

There are so many stories of car accidents in Australia which we read without thinking of how many people can be affected. This one is however more personal (to us) than most - John grew up with the man involved (in fact we saw him a fortnight ago), and our sister-in-law was one of the first people at the scene. John's parents have gone to Dubbo with the parents/grandparents of the people involved.

Please pray for the family (and ours).

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.

Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so men are trapped by evil times
that fall unexpectedly upon them

Great Grandparents

I can remember my great grandmother - she lived till over 100 and was a sprightly, well-read older lady. I think that I saw her about six times - she was in Perth - before she died.

Alex is a very lucky little boy - he has four great-grandparents still living. Unfortunately all of them are under some form of medical care at the moment.

• John's grandmother is starting chemotherapy for lung cancer (the doctor suspects that it is somewhere else as well)


• One of my grandmothers is in rehab after having a mini-stroke a fortnight ago. Unfortunately it looks like she may need to go into care as she also has demetia.


• My other grandmother is in a nursing home with advanced demetia.


• and my grandfather is in hospital with pneumonia and possible/probable renal failure.

I am not so sure if they will all survive for much longer. Please pray for our families as they minister to our elders - only one of the above is a Christian - especially with the rest of the extended family watching and worrying and grieving.