Mom is Now at Peace

This morning, Mom passed away at home, surrounded by her family.  We will dearly miss Mom, but are thankful that she will no longer experience pain and is now in glory.

The funeral visitation will be held at Vineland Free Reformed Church, 3685 King Street, Vineland, Ontario on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 - 9:00 p.m..  The funeral service will take place on Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at Vineland Free Reformed Church.  If you wish to attend at the cemetery, we will be meeting at the church between 9:00 - 9:15 a.m. and then will drive to the Vineland Cemetery.  

We would like to thank everyone for all the kindness that has been shown to Mom and Dad and all of us during the course of Mom's battle with leukemia.   Even though Mom lost her fight against this disease, she is victorious, in the sense that she is now with her precious Saviour, never to experience pain and suffering again.

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling. 

Psalm 46:1-3

Mom's Health is Declining

Mom has taken a turn for the worse.  She is experiencing more difficultly breathing, so we have had to increase her medication dramatically.  We are thankful that she is very coherent during the times that she is awake.

At this time, we'd like to ask that anyone who is interested in visiting Mom, please call first to see if Mom is able to have company.

Thank you all for your prayers, kind words, meals and offers to help in a variety of ways.  It means so much to us!


The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears.

2 Samuel 22:6-7

Our Time With Mom

Today will be three weeks since we brought Mom home from the hospital.  We found out that the nurses and personal support workers had been told that Mom likely only had 1 1/2 to 2 weeks to live from the time she left the hospital.  We are so thankful to be given this precious time with Mom and are cherishing every moment.

Mom is getting weaker and more pale every day.  She has had some episodes where she experiences shortness of breath, to the point where she begins to panic.  Thankfully, we are able to administer medication to alleviate this feeling.  She continues to remain pain-free and is very alert during the time that she is awake, allowing us to have such meaningful conversations with her.  It has been a blessing that the children, grandchildren, family and friends are able to visit at anytime.  The grandchildren, especially, have brought a lot of joy to Mom and Dad.

So many of you have sent Mom encouraging e-mail messages, cards and flowers, left telephone messages, made quilts, shawls, picture frames, etc..  All of these have been passed on to her.  She is too weak to respond to your specific messages, but she wanted us to assure you that your kind thoughts and actions have meant so much to her.

We are thankful that we were able to bring Mom home and that the transition has gone so smoothly.  The nursing care and personal support workers have been so caring and helpful.  Our church community and friends have continued to uphold us all in prayer and the offers for meals, babysitting, etc. have been overwhelming.

Please continue to pray for the following:

miraculous healing;

that Mom remains pain-free and at peace with the plans that God has for her;

that Dad is able to care for Mom while feeling God's everlasting arms carrying him through this difficult time;

that we all continue to experience peace and rely on our heavenly Father for strength.

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,

    And a time to die;

A time to plant,

    And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill,

    And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

    And a time to build up;

A time to weep,

    And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

    And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,

    And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

    And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain,

    And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

    And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,

    And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

    And a time to speak;

A time to love,

    And a time to hate;

A time of war,

    And a time of peace.

Eccl. 3:1-8