It has been little over two years since I last wrote, and so much has happened since then. I really did not take the time to write because I was too busy or tired. Which is not a very good excuse, but that is the only one I have.
My dad at one point was very sick and in the hospital for about a month. One of my sisters and I spent most of that time with Mom in the hospital praying and waiting for any good news. We almost lost him a few times, which actually scared me. That was when I fully realized that I could actually lose my parents. I asked God to prepare my heart first before He took them.
Some of you may know that my hubby’s step-brother George and his wife Diane were living with us. About six months after they moved here, Diane found out she had colon cancer. I was taking care of her while George was working. I took her to the doctor’s and the hospital for appointments and treatments (which she hated!). Then at home, we cooked, cleaned, talked, and enjoyed each other. She became the big sister I don’t have (because I am the oldest in my family…lol).
She got sicker in late 2013. And I felt helpless! Nothing I could do would help the pain she was going though. She just kept getting worse. Until one day in Spring 2014, she begged George to take her to the doctor. She could not take the pain anymore. George took her to Abilene and she was admitted into the hospital immediately.
She was there for about three weeks. When I go visit her, she would be preaching to people that were not physically present in the room. Then she would look over at me and asked if I was getting it. I told her I was. I asked her several times who she was talking too. She answered me a few times but she said it so low that I didn’t catch who or what she said. Then she would be speaking in tongues continuously. Nobody was getting much sleep in that room; especially her. She would maybe sleep about 5 minutes at the most because of the intense pain she was in. Then she would start preaching and / or praying in tongues again.
While she was there, she eventually decided she was done with this world. She had enough and was ready to be with God. She decided she wanted to see her grandchildren one last time. George set up things to get her to South Carolina where the kids were living. Her son came in from the Army on leave. Both of them drove her to South Carolina to see those kids.
She spent some time with not only her grandchildren but others that she had poured life and love into while she lived there just a few years ago. They all came to her hospice room to talk her and tell her what she had done for them; how she helped them in their time of need. They just loved on her as she had loved on them through the years. She had always been afraid that she did not finish her race; that she would not have anything to lay down at Jesus’ feet. God proved to her that she did more than she really realized.
On May 20, 2014, God took my beautiful sister-in-law to be with Him in heaven. I know she is completely and perfectly healed in His presence. But selfishly I want her here with me. She meant more to me than just my sister-in-law. She helped guide me into in the truth that God had started revealing to me. She was my teacher, my confidant; my sister; my friend; my mentor. I will never forget her and the talks we had.
I knew that when she passed into God’s glory that I would grieve. But I didn’t expect it to be at that depth and hard. I nearly went off into the deep end folks. While I was grieving, my family suffered. I tried to keep up appearances on the outside. But my hubby and kids knew the truth. They kept me from going insane. Sometime in the fall, I seemed to wake up and realized what was going on. But even then it has taken me almost another six months for me to come around and be alive and functioning again.
Then there was George. This beloved man of Diane’s went right up to the point of insanity and almost jumped in. He probably would have if my hubby didn’t pull him back and got him some help before it was too late. He is on the mends to some degree but he is still working on it. He is planning on going back to his archbishop and get some help while serving the Lord Almighty.
My present assignment from the Lord is to write two blogs and continue studying His word. He wants me to write not only in this blog but another one as well. The second blog is where the talks with Diane and my personal studies will go. And maybe even her personal writings as well.
In this blog, we will discuss anything and everything that surrounds and compasses Texas foods and hospitality.
Until next time,
Chef Texas Rose