Papa Chuck....

(I couldn't resist this picture, he was modeling the santa hat for the my girlies)

Well, I haven't posted on here for a few weeks. So much has happened in that time. I really don't know where to start. On Aug 24th my stepdad, Papa Chuck, was in a car accident involving him on his scooter and a pick-up truck. He was on his way home from work at about dusk and the truck pulled out in front of him, claiming not to see him, and hit him. The jerk was scared so left the scene and didn't bother to even call 911. He did later return but not til after Papa had been taken to the hospital via careflight. I won't get into details about him because one, he isnt worth wasting my energy on at the moment, and two....well I really don't want to get going on such a horrible person that would just leave another human being lying in the middle of the road.

The last two and half weeks have been a huge roller coaster for my family, especially my mother. We were called on Monday night, the 24th, late saying that during the surgery to repair one of two broken femurs, that Papa's blood pressure had dropped drastically and that the right side of his heart had almost completely given out. He was not expected to survive and we were told to come home quickly if we wanted to say good-bye. After loosing my daddy only two short years ago, Papa has been given a lot of "Dad" duties I don't think he expected. He will not and has never tried to replace my dad but he has made me feel like I am as much his blood as any of his other children. He has always given me and my other siblings an open door policy so to speak, treating us with love and respect.

Anyway, we (Liz, Jayne and I) made it home Wed morning. Cherrie made it home Wed afternoon and Jennifer by Wed night. Papa by this time had received 3 priesthood blessings by wonderful Priesthood leaders and we were waiting. He slowly progressed to our joy but would still need more surgeries. He survived a surgery that following Sunday to close his abdomen that had to be opened to allow the ventilator to do it's job....then stablize.....Thurs he underwent the next surgery to repair his second femur. Again, his blood pressure dropped very low and he had to be revived. The girls and I had to return to Utah on Saturday afternoon (the 5th) unfortunately to get back to "life". We have received daily updates on progress or in our case, the lack of progress. Papa has not been awake since Aug 25th and without blood pressure medicines at this time he would be gone. Today we are to conference call with my family in Ohio and the doctors to determine what we are to do further, what can be done further and what Papa's chances are to still recover.

I am not by any means loosing my hope but I am trying to be realistic at his odds. I like my family, pray every day that he will be healed and able to come home. I have seen miracles in the past few weeks that I am very grateful for as well. I have seen the wonderful blessings of the priesthood in action and have a greater appreciation and love of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For the knowledge that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us and for the fact that he knows us so well that he is there to comfort us no matter what the trial. He never gives us more that "He" knows we can bare. We just have to remember that we must be patient and willing to accept his plan and his will. Not always an easy task. I was just looking at a blog for Paul Cardall, a wonderful pianist that has had a major heart condition since he was 22 hrs old. He is now 36. He wrote that his illness was a blessing. He also found the quote I will close with from Elder Neal A. Maxwell. Most of you know that Elder Maxwell suffered from a long battle of leukemia that eventually took his life in July 2004.

Philosopher and spiritual leader Neal A. Maxwell wrote, “God loves us and, loving us, has placed us here to cope with challenges which he will place before us. I'm not sure we can always understand the implications of his love, because his love will call us at times to do things we may wonder about, and we may be confronted with circumstances we would rather not face. I believe with all my heart that because God loves us there are some particularized challenges that he will deliver to each of us. He will customize the curriculum for each of us in order to teach us the things we most need to know. He will set before us in life what we need, not always what we like. And this will require us to accept with all our hearts--particularly your generation--the truth that there is divine design in each of our lives and that you have rendezvous to keep with destiny, individually and collectively.”

For anyone reading, please keep Papa in your prayers and also my mom. Love ya! me