From Minnesota

Happy Fourth of July to all of you. Who knew I would be in your cone-tree to celebrate Independence day!

It was great to see lots of my cousins and aunts and uncles yesterday at my Grandma's funeral. I am so glad that my grandma is done hurting. She is having the best 4th of July ever!

I had blood drawn at the OrangeCity, Iowa hospital and am anxious to get the results. Sunday I was very sick with a high fever and chills, Monday and today are a bit better but the fever comes and goes and I feel funky - something is not quite right. Hopefully I still get a call today with the results. My parents and cousins and uncle prayed for me today and I know God has heard our prayers so I have confidence that one way or the other He has it handled.

I think Troy is a terrific blogger. He uses that lame excuse that I am better at it then him as a way to keep from writing, but I have always know it was just a way to wimp-out easily. He does not have the patience it takes to load photos. I can forgive him for that.

I will close by sharing the lyrics to a Michael Card song that was read at my 97 year old granny's funeral yesterday. I liked the words a lot.

Come Lift Up Your Sorrows

If you are wounded, if you are alone,
If you are angry, if your heart is cold as stone,
If you have fallen and if you are weak,
Come find the worth of God
That only the suffering seek.

Come lift up your sorrows
And offer your pain;
Come make a sacrifice
Of all your shame;
There in your wilderness
He's waiting for you
To worship Him with your wounds,
For he's wounded too.

He has not stuttered, and He has not lied
When He said, "Come unto me,"
You're not disqualified;
When your heavy laden, you may want to depart,
But those who know sorrow are closest to His heart.

In this most Holy Place
He's made a sacred space
For those who will enter in
And trust to cry out to Him;
You'll find no curtain there,
No reason left for fear;
There's perfect freedom here
To weep every unwept tear.