Christmas Greeting

Dear Family,

Merry Christmas to my dearest family, and all my friends.. Thank you for your prayers and for not giving up on me.
I love all of you very much. I wait everyday for my miracle from God. Be assured that I pray everyday for all of you just like I did before I got sick.

In His Time,Miriam

Happy 29th Wedding Anniversary - December 18th 2011

My Dearest Miriam,

Happy 29th Wedding Anniversary my dearest and precious wife Miriam. Today, I turn to the Word of God for His Word best describes you.

Proverbs 31: 10-31.Description of a Worthy Woman ( My Miriam ) 

10 An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.

12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

13 She looks for wool and flax
And works with her hands in delight.

14 She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.

15 She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household
And portions to her maidens.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.

18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.

19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hands grasp the spindle.

20 She extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them, 
And supplies belts to the tradesmen.

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.

26 She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:

29 "Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all."

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

31 Give her the product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.

29 incredible years. Thank you so much for marrying me and for raising our two wonderful boys. Warren and Howie have grown to be wonderful God-fearing and God loving young men. They continue to honor you and our Lord.  Thank you for being a living example of what it means to live for Christ and to walk in the Spirit. I know you feel so helpless right now but I know, you continue to quietly pray deep inside as you have always done so all the days of your life. You bore and still bear every fruit of the Holy Spirit. You have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. You are truly an amazing woman, wife, mother, daughter and friend. 

I am going to borrow some of the encouraging words your cousin Thanny wrote to Lulette's family. Thanny, I changed some of them for Miriam.

"It's difficult to see the purpose of suffering in this world.  The only way to accept it is by faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen and the substance of things hoped for.  We are all praying for you everyday that you receive the faith and strength you need.

We should all realize that we are but Pilgrims here on earth. God's word tells us that :

 Our days may come to seventy years, 
   or eighty, if our strength endures; 
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, 
   for they quickly pass, and we fly away. 

(Psalms 90:10)

From the viewpoint of eternity, It does not matter how long we live here on earth, be it 30 or 100. This world is not our final home and we should all remind ourselves of this.

Miriam, to live a life that counts, you abided by two principles in life. Obedience to God and service to others. You are indeed very different and very special. You are a gift of life. A gift from God. Your beautiful and infectious smile said it all. The words that came out of your mouth were always full of encouragement, wisdom,HEALING and love. 

Many people live very long lives on earth but have never enriched the lives of others. You, however,  have enriched everyone's lives with your presence and your relationship with family and friends. We have experienced living in heaven on earth because of you. Thank you so much.

Let me finish by quoting and paraphrasing Joshua 1:9 "... Be Strong and Be Courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. For the Lord, your God, is God. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be with you wherever you go."

Happy Anniversary my dearest sweet heart. 

In His Time,

Alex

Birthday,Wedding Anniversary and Christmas all rolled into one!

Dear Family and Friends,

I gave Mom Miriam a late  bath last night. As I finished brushing her teeth at 11pm (she knew since I told her), I said "now your teeth and mouth are quite fresh and clean". She replied with the most beautiful smile of acknowledgement and satisfaction. It was her only way of saying thank you. 

I cried and I thanked her repeatedly for marrying me and for always giving her best (24-7)  to everyone in her family and friends. I also told her how much we love her and appreciate all her sacrifices to me and our family. What an incredible "all rolled into one" gift for our family's upcoming birthdays (two in December and one in early January), 29th Wedding Anniversary and Christmas from Mom/ Miriam. 

She knows, she hears and she feels. So all of you Prayer Warriors, continue to Pray without Ceasing!!!

In His Time,

Dad Alex

A Week in Huntsville

Note from Sally

Matthew and I have just returned home after spending a week with Miriam.
Whereas it is so hard to see her like this, we are grateful for every tiny sign of progress.
Miriam definitely gave a big smile the first day when she looked into her brothers' face and there were several occasions when she laughed ( appropriately) at our conversations!

We are grateful for the many friends she has who stop by and visit with her - these wonderful folks are making a difference in her recovery!

We are grateful for the staff at Big Springs who love Miriam and tenderly care for her.

We are so very grateful for Skype which allows our family to connect and visit with Miriam from all over the world.

The progress is slow; Miriam still cannot move, speak or eat, but we are grateful that there is progress!
Please continue to pray for our dear sister, that God will allow her to fully emerge from the coma and be able to follow commands so that she can return to the rehabilitation center.

Thank you for your faithful prayers!        Don't stop!
We are so very grateful for each one of you who reads this and prays!
God Bless.................Sally