The Blog

This blog is sometimes a mystery to me. Recently I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet people who faithful read this blog...most of whom I have never met.

Last week we were visiting Brian's family in Kansas City. They attend a very large church (several thousand members) and after church was over a lady tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Chantell, I'm so happy to met you, I'm Patti." Tears began to roll down her checks as she told me about how she reads the blog each week and how she has been praying for our family. I tried to introduce her to Ryder but she said, "Oh, I already know all your family .I know who Ryder is an what he looks like." We chatted for a few minutes. I cried as she shared about how she has been affected by reading this blog. Patti is in the "Life" group with my Sister and Brother-in-law....and a part of God's family..so it makes her my sister in grace.

I also spoke with a lady on the phone last week that I have met a couple of times. She thanked me for the blog. She is a good friend of my mother-in-law, Vera. They both lost their best friend Barb to cancer that week. Barb has been a faithful reader of the blog and even referenced it in her blog. More than anything Barb was a prayer warrior for Regan. Though I don't know Gail or Barb extremely well I feel close to them because I know they are praying and reading. We are bonded together...we are sister's in grace.

Regan received bows in the mail a couple of months ago from a woman who reads the blog. She is the friend of a wife of a guy I grew up with. She reads and prays for us. I've never met her but she made Regan two hair bows and wrote a wonderful card to let us know how our journey is affecting her journey. We will probably never met until heaven...but I look forward to it...we too are sister's in grace.

A month ago Brian's step mom Janice has a family reunion in Indy. Brian, Ryder, Regan and I went (Rylee was at camp). It has been five years since we have seen this part of the extended family (three generations). One of the cousin's who is five and lives in CA saw Regan as we walked in and she exclaimed "I know her, that's Regan, I pray for her." We are family but we she and Regan are sister's of grace too!

Last week I was talking to a long time family friend of Brian's family her name is Sue. She just lost her husband to Parkinson's. She has with a woman I have never met...I heard her say, "So, this is the little girl I've been praying for."

Most of the time when I set down to write I think...will anyone check it...does what I have to say make sense....is everyone tired of my ramblings...but something in me (I think it is the Holy Spirit) moves me to think about something which leads me to write about something. I feel strengthened to move through difficult moments knowing that people are with us...people we don't even know and people we know very well....people from Lincoln, Texas, South Korea, Colorado, Mexico, Oklahoma, Ukraine, Kansas, Indiana, Tennessee, Egypt........
Some how knowing that God is using this for something more than just our own family gives me peace. Sometimes I wonder why Regan didn't die on that Monday...maybe it was for this to happen. For a Sister-in-law to tell a friend and in that share a miracle and watch God's grace in action. Maybe it was for a little girl in CA to learn to pray. Maybe it was for a woman dying of cancer to pray and remember someone else's need. Maybe it was for me to regain my faith in the body of Christ. So, thanks for reading, responding and most of all "bearing-up" our burden with us.