HOPE2HEAL

I want to share about a very exciting ministry with you today.  My brother, James Crum, has started this ministry with his family as a branch of his overall ministry.  I want to share how the ministry idea started.

HOPE2HEAL comes out of an experience we had when our mom was in the hospital.  As most of you know, she had been diagnosed with a glioblastoma in January 2017.  The first step we took was surgery to remove the tumor.  Mike had taken a break from sitting with mom, and James and I were there with her in ICU after surgery when we heard a knock on the door. We weren’t sure who it was at first, so I went to the door.  When I got there, I recognized one of my friends from high school.  Now high school was a LONG time ago! And to be honest, I didn’t have very many close friends, but this lady was one of the ones I counted as a true friend.  She told me she just wanted to stop by and give me a little something and let me know she was praying for my mom, me, and my entire family.  She hugged me, and I cried!  She didn’t stay.  She just wanted us to know she was thinking about us.  I returned to the room and explained to James who it was, and we looked in the bag.  We found pens, a notebook, a puzzle book, mints, candy, just little things to use as we sat with mom.

That little gift meant so much!  We used that notebook for the rest of the time we took care of mom!  We had so many notes about doctor’s appointments, lists of things to do, notes to leave for each other as we came and went.  The puzzles helped pass the time.  Candy is always good! That gift though, really impacted my brother.  He knew then that one day he wanted to do something like this.  Our journey with our mom is done, but we are ready to journey with others.

HOPE2HEAL has been started.  They will provide care packs to those who are receiving cancer treatments.  They will have some basic things in them that people need as they go back and forth to treatments like a water bottle, lotion, hand sanitizer, warm socks, etc.  They will also have some scriptures and a personal note in each one.  We are so excited for this ministry!  Even though my brother is heading it up, I plan to be involved in it as well.

If you would like more information, I would encourage you to visit my brother’s website jamescrum.com and click on the HOPE2HEAL tab.  The main way you can support us is prayer.  This is new territory for all of us, and we covet all of your prayers.  If you want to support the ministry financially, you can do so on the website.  We appreciate any and all help.

We are looking forward to good days for HOPE2HEAL as we look forward to God’s healing for those with cancer!

Paralyzed

A year ago today my family’s life changed.  My mom had gone to the hospital on January 13, 2017, with what she thought was a stroke.  Even though the symptoms were similar, she was not responding to the medication to relieve the pain.  By Sunday the 15^th, one year ago today, we were told the devastating news no one wants to hear.  My mom had cancer.  She was diagnosed with a glioblastoma which is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer, and it was in her brain.

When I was thinking about what to write today, I thought about our reactions and decisions and feelings associated with that day.  There are so many things that have happened since that day that I could write about. I think that at some point I will write about those.  In fact, I want to write a series about words associated with a cancer diagnosis.  They aren’t necessarily words for the patient but words for the family.  But today, I want to talk about the word “paralyzed.”

We had to make some quick decisions with and for my mom when we received the diagnosis. Fortunately, mom was able to help in those decisions, and we all decided on surgery followed by radiation and chemo.  While we were in the processes of everything related with my mom, we just acted.  We went day to day.  We only planned out the next few days or maybe a few weeks.

We were paralyzed to plan further than that.  We had been told that most of the patients that have glioblastomas removed will have a reoccurrence within the first year, and they won’t live long when it reoccurs.  We knew we had limited time with mom.  So long term plans were put on hold.  When people asked me about any plans, I would say it depends on what was happening with my mom.  My brothers couldn’t make long term plans, even ones associated with jobs.  All three of us were juggling schedules because we had decided to take care of mom during this time.  Since we all lived long distance from her, that also took a coordinated effort on our parts.  Our spouses put plans on hold because none of us knew what the future held.  But it was what we wanted to do for our mom.  It was how we honored her and how we honored our promise to our dad to take care of mom.

In a little over 8 months my mom reached her eternal reward.  I may write other blog posts that cover more about her journey (and our journey with her).  I will say this for now.  My brothers and I do not regret the journey with our mom.  There were hard days.  There were great days.  There were days we didn’t know if we could do it anymore.  But we look back and are glad we did the journey with her the way we did.

However, for me, the word paralyzed is still part of my journey.  At the beginning of last year, I had made some plans to accomplish some things, as most of us do.  When things happened with mom, those were put on hold.  I don’t regret that at all.  As I told mom last summer, there was nothing I would rather be doing than spending time with her.  But ever since she has been gone, I have this sense of still being paralyzed.  It’s as if everything is still on hold.  I can’t seem to get going again.  I know I should.  I go through my day doing the things that have to be done.  I go to work and teach.  I get the paperwork done that needs to be done.  I go to church.  I put one foot in front of the other…. But other than that…I feel like I’m still waiting.  I just don’t know what I’m waiting for.  Paralyzed.

Maybe this is part of the grief process.  Maybe everyone feels this way at some point in their life whether they are going through grief or just going through a rough time in their life.  I do know that I’m ready for this feeling to go away. I think I’ll cling to my mom’s favorite verses for a while.  “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:4-5 KJV).

Resolutions and Goals for 2018

I’m thinking about resolutions or goals for this year .  I don’t like making them because I don’t keep them.  But what if…

What if I kept them?  What if I tried at least?  What harm would it do?  So if I were to make some goals what would they be?

Bible reading comes to mind.  I’ve been doing more of that on a consistent basis lately.  No pressure.  No set goal of so many chapters.  If I would continue that, a goal for the year might be: Read my Bible every night I’m home.  It doesn’t lock me into something I can’t get behind on.  It’s just read.

I am also thinking about Tenaciously Teal or T-Teal and how to do something there.  This is a non-profit that reaches out to cancer patients.  They provide care packs to people who have cancer as well as giving gas cards to some who need them for transportation.  They also sponsor brave shaves and empowerment photo shoots for cancer patients.  They sent a care pack to my mom as she fought cancer this last year.  I was also part of a care pack party this last year as well.  I want to be a part of another care pack party.  I also want to write some encouragement cards for the care packs.  Or I want to deliver some packs someday.  So maybe a goal would be:  Volunteer for T-Teal by writing cards, participating in a care pack party, and asking to deliver care packs.

I already have in mind some commitments to church.  But I think putting some voice to them would make them more solid.  So my goal there would be:  See that a pictorial directory gets completed for Lake Overholser Church of the Nazarene and participate as a greeter.

Blogging is another priority.  I do not think I will ever be a daily blogger, and maybe not even a weekly blogger.  But I can do one a month.  So my goal will be:  Write at least one blog post per month.

This last year with my mom has shown me how important it is to have one’s affairs in order.  This has been on my mind for quite a while.  So my goal here is:  Have a will for Kevin and myself made and to have all of our important documents and papers in order for our kids.

Another goal that has come out of this last year with my mom has to do with purging the amount of stuff I have.  I did a good job this last year of getting rid of things, but I’m far from done.  So a goal for me in this area:  Go through rooms again and through the garage to purge and organize the things we do have.  (This goal will take a good chunk of the year to accomplish.)

For someone who doesn’t like to make goals/resolutions, I just did a pretty good job.  So what are your goals?  Take a risk and write some down!  My pastor does a sermon early in the year that outlines his goals as well as gives an accounting of the previous year’s goals.  He says you should write them down and have someone hold you accountable.  I guess since I just made this my first blog post for the year, anyone out there can hold me accountable.  That’s a little scary!  But guess what?  I just crossed off writing my first monthly blog post on my goal list!