Your prayers are needed!

My family and I could really use your prayers today! We just found out that my Aunt Kathryn has had another stroke. This is her third stroke and it doesn't look like she will recover from it! My aunt is my mother's sister and she is 85 years old. I believe that ever since my mother passed in 2002 my aunt has not been the same. She took it terribly hard when my mother died and was not able to get to the funeral. She and my mother were the best of friends and spoke on the phone several times a week.



My aunt and my mother were voracious readers and I know that is why I am. They would exchange books through the mail and I always loved seeing what books my aunt sent to my mom! Then they would get on the phone and do their book reviews. When my mom passed away I got a lot of my mother's books that even have my aunt's name inside, so I am thrilled to remember that!

When my aunt and uncle would visit we would stay up late and talk and she just always had the best advice about boys and friends and faith. My aunt hated goodbyes though and would often get up early in the morning before us and pack her bags and leave. She would call later and act like her leaving was no big deal!

My aunt never had any children of her own, but she had several nieces and nephews and grandchildren through her husbands first marriage. We spent countless summers of our childhood in Ohio at their lake. I have fantastic memories that I will never forget. I remember my parents allowing my sister's and I to fly without them for the very first time. We were 16, 14 and 13. My older sister Julie just got her driver's license so my uncle let her drive his Fiero. We thought we had the coolest uncle to have a Fiero, and she thought she was pretty neat to get to drive it! I remember being so jealous of her I don't think I spoke to her for the rest of the day! There was another time that seems like it was just yesterday. I was painting my cousin's nails who was probably 4 at the time, and one of us knocked over the nail polish remover all over my Aunt's dresser. Honestly, I don't think it was me, but because I was older it was my fault. I can still hear her yelling at us, boy the look on her face was not pretty! It's funny how when I got older we would still talk about that!

I absolutely adore my aunt and hearing this news has really broken my heart. I know Heaven is where she needs to be and the fact that she can finally reunite with my mother is just beautiful, but I haven't spoken to her in a couple of months and I am beating myself up about this. I had just said to my husband this past week that I needed to call her but I never got around to it. I hate living with regrets and I know my aunt knows how much I love her but I just wish I could have said it one more time.

I would appreciate your prayers during this hard time that the Lord can take away her suffering and that he can help my Uncle John to stay strong. She is the love of his life and the pain he is going through right now is so devastating to him.

Thank you all so very much, I knew I could turn to you!