Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Joy's earthly belongings

Monday we went to Christian Health Care Center and got Joy's belongings.  There were three boxes and a sack filled with her things. Margie spent the afternoon separating things for distribution. She also removed all the identification tags that were sewn into each item.  She will finish that today.  Margie had a good night.  We are so pleased she is feeling better these days.  It is a real answer to prayer.  And we thank you for praying.  It means so much to us. 

Monday, July 30, 2012

Our day at church

We went to  Sunday School and in the afternoon we conducted the Memorial Service for our dear friend, Barbara Pattee.  Our son attended with us then left for his home later in the afternoon.  Margie has been on a new medication which works better without sugar in the system.  Since she has greatly reduced sugar, her nights have been wonderful.  We are rejoicing and pray they continue that way. Thank you for praying and please pray I will be directed to say the things at our daughter's memorial service that will honor the Lord. Thank you.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Response

We are pleased with the great response to my bulk mailing concerning Joy's Memorial service.  We are blessed with so many friends and their prayer support means so much to us.  I will have another memorial service today for a dear friend, Barbara Pattee.Lord willing we will attend church this morning.  Our son and grandson are here.  The rest of the family was here yesterday but returned home in the afternoon.  Margie had a restful night. Thanks for praying.  

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Resting well

Margie had another good night for which we are thankful. Yesterday we kept plenty busy with many things to do.  It is amazing how much can get on one's daily schedule.  We are so pleased Margie is feeling better and able to do more than before.  We are receiving emails and phone calls and text messages and cards regarding Joy's passing. Today in Ferndale is the Old Settlers activities.  We do not plan to attend.  Our family however is here for the day to enjoy all the action.  Thanks, dear ones for your prayers. 

Friday, July 27, 2012

Happy repeat

It is always very pleasant for Margie to have a good night.  We are thanking the Lord for her improvement.  She has returned to a medication that she used long ago in treating allergy and related things.  This is not a sleep medication.  We are pleased so far and we pray it will continue.  This is not sleep medication.  Thank you for praying.  I had a grave side service yesterday for our friend Bill Daws and Sunday will have a memorial service.  Then the next Saturday, August 4, our daughter Joy's memorial service.  

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Good report

Margie saw her surgeon yesterday who gave a good report of her progress after shoulder replacement surgery May 8.  He gave more physical therapy routines to do which she has already started on.  Last night, again, Margie had a good night.  We are so thankful. I have a funeral this morning. and tomorrow I meet with a family about another one.  We are getting quite a number of e-mails and cards relative to our daughter's passing.  Surely it is a blessing when one has so many friends. We are blessed.  Thanks so much for praying.  We appreciate it so very much.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Christian Health Care Center

We dropped by the Christian Health Care Center where Joy lived for 6 months before her home going. We expressed our gratitude for their tender care of Joy.  We put the bouquet of pink roses on the main counter at the Baker Landing there with a note of appreciation.  We checked with the accountant to close out Joy's finances and returned home.  Margie had another good night and this is such a blessing.  Tomorrow I have a funeral and another Sunday.  Please pray for me as I minister to others.  Joy's service will be August 4, at 1PM at our church First Baptist in Ferndale.  

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Arrangements made

Margie had such a good night's rest. We are rejoicing.  Yesterday the arrangements for Joy's memorial service were finalized.  It is set for Saturday, August 4, at 1:00 PM at First Baptist Church Ferndale, WA.  So many asked about it, we switched from a private grave side service to a memorial service in our church.  kWe have received scores of comments via email, Facebook and phone calls. Indeed Joy had a host of friends around the country.  Thanks for praying.  Margie had strength to go through our busy day yesterday which was a blessing.  You are a part of that as you pray.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Arrangements

Today we make arrangements for Joy's service.  It will probably be a memorial service because the week has started off with wind and rain making a grave side service sort of inconvenient.  Margie had a wonderful night which was a blessing after her very "awake" night before that.  We attended Sunday School and it was a blessing.  People are so kind in their words of sympathy to us in Joy's passing.  Please pray for the two funerals this week that I will conduct.  Thank you much.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Kept busy

Because of our daughter's death yesterday, there was much to do: authorizing her removal from the Christian Health Care Center, initial information to the mortuary concerning Joy for them to do the legal things, and much more.  We received many phone calls, texts, and personal words of comfort.  We chose a floral  bouquet to honor her and put it in the church with this note:  In Memory of Joy Poulson who spoke her first word  "Jesus" July 21. Margie had a poor start to her sleep last night but finally was able to rest and we are hoping to be in church today. Thanks for praying. We will be making arrangements for Joy's burial this week. 

Saturday, July 21, 2012

FIRST WORD - JESUS

For years we shared with churches and friends that Joy's first word would be Jesus. This morning some time, July 21, she went to be with Him and spoke that precious name, Jesus  We were advised by the Christian Health Care Center yesterday that she was showing signs of decline but had no idea it would be so quick.  We have wanted to visit her but Margie's condition limited her getting out especially this week after being in ER on Wednesday and having a seizure that night.  Please pray as we make arrangements. We need your prayer support and thank you for them.  

Friday, July 20, 2012

Better

Thankfully things got better last night. Even though Margie was still trying to get to sleep by midnight, she finally made it and had a good night.  We were not able to attend prayer meeting because she was still pretty "washed out" after her ER and 911 episodes the day before. What would we do without your prayer support?  Thanks so much.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

911

Those who read this blog know that yesterday was quite a day for us.  But it still has one more "adventure" which I will relate now.
After a very tiring day, Margie and I were having our evening prayer time.  I finished my prayer and she always starts right in to pray, but she was quiet.  I thought she had fallen asleep while I was praying.  I asked her a question and she did not respond.  I turned on the lights to discover she was in a full seizure.  I held her hand, called 911 and they were here in almost seconds.(it is very nearby). It was a year ago that I discovered her first seizure in this very same place.  We decided not to send her to ER because the trauma of the morning time there would have complicated things for her we are sure.  I assured 911 I would monitor her and call again if she needed further help.  Thankfully she didn't. We are disappointed with this new happening because the seizure medication has worked well all year. We don't know why she would have another but we must trust the Lord.  And we are.   Thank you for praying.  It is our lifeline.  (check out my poem I wrote today for our website at www.ralphpoulson.com)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Emergency Room

I took Margie to the ER this morning at 3 a.m..  She said she wanted oxygen.  The normal treatment for these choking/breathless spells did not work.  At the hospital they said her oxygen level was okay.  But the gasping for air continued.  At this juncture we have no idea what's going on.  She had many tests at the hospital but kno definite diagnosis of the problem.  We have an appointment with Margie;'s doctor at 3:30 this afternoon.  Please pray she can get some relief.  At 3 this morning she didn't care if she lived or died - sad indeed. We appreciate your help in prayer.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Blessed day

Margie had another good  night. We are so pleased.  And yesterday, her birthday, was pleasant with calls cards email and text messages.  She was indeed grateful for the host of friends who remembered her. We even heard several in Brazil.  What a blessing.  She had a P.T. session also and did well on it.  We called about our daughter Joy and she is doing well.  We are pleased the way they tenderly care for her and speak about her in such loving terms.  Thank you dear ones for your prayer support.  It means so much to us.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Happy Birthday

This is Margie's day.  We are so glad she had another good night.  What a gift that is - always.  Our son treated us to a meal yesterday honoring her birthday.  That was special and she appreciated it very much.
she has another physical therapy session  today.  She is trying to be so careful not to further make her back pain increase. She has to be very careful.  Thanks for your prayers, .

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Day after day

We are grateful for another night of good rest for Margie. It is hard for Margie to feel the way she does day after day.  With all the medical help she is receiving, these things still take time.,  She knows this but it is hard for her to cope with the everyday pain and discomfort she faces. We sincerely thank you for praying.  We both appreciate it and know in God's timing things will improve.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Good report

Every time Margie has a good night, that is a good report.  She had another good one and we are grateful. During the day she has to be so careful with her back and hip. Obviously at night that pressure is less and we are grateful.  Her shoulder recovery is good.  She did have to cancel one appointment but will resume Monday again.  Our son Rawlie arrived last night to get some things done on their properties and attend a important wedding. The rest of his family arrives today.  Please pray Margie will get relief in her hip and back.  She says she feels so useless not being able to do much and gets her depressed.  thanks so much for praying.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Busy Day

Margie kept quite busy around the house yesterday and  had a very good night.  She did not overdo but worked a little bit and rested.  Today she will have to be very quiet and not do much.  I made a qsuick trip into town to take the laptop to the4 Geek Squad and they are attempting to install Carbonite on the machine.  For some unknown reason, Carbonite was not able to do it so I thought the Geeks can get it done. We'll see. I also did some necessary shopping while in town.  It is not often I have left Margie alone but she has improved and now I can do it occasionally. Thanks so much for praying. It means a lot to us.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Good one

Each good night Margie has is a blessing for us.  Last night was good.  We thank the Lord for the rest she can get.  She took it real easy during the day because of her back and hip pains.  She forfeited her therapy session today because of it also.  She will get back on regular schedule next week, Lord willing. You are special to us and we value your prayer support very much.  Thank you.  This morning I am going to Best Buy and the Geek Sqaud to see if they can install Carbonite on the laptop. For some reason Carbonite techs could not yesterday. Sounds ironic doesn't it?

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

First part -no good

The first part of the night was painful but finally she got to sleep.  The rest of the night went well. She is having lots of hip/back problems and we don't know if that is going to get solved soon or not.  We pray so.  Thanks for praying about these issues.  We appreciate it.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

YES!

Wow, yes!  One more night of decent sleep.  We are so happy about this.  Margie actually had two treatments yesterday and we are sure they contributed to her good night of rest.  Our evaporation cooler which keeps our bedroom cool at night needed a good cleaning yesterday so I did that.  Several other things needed attention which I took care of, including a few weeds in the front flower garden.  This morning I will have a phone conference with Carbponite so they can get the program installed on our laptop computer. For some reason in our switch to a new computer, we could not transfer my subscription and Carbonite has spent literally several hours trying to get it installed on the machine. We hope they succeed today.  Thanks, friends for remembering us in prayer.  We appreciate it.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Another night

Yes, another good night and we rejoice.  Yesterday we were able to attend our church service for the first time since the first week of May.  It was Margie's two months since surgery May 8.  We start today   the round of therapy scheduled for this week.  She will try also to see a chiropractor relative to her hip problem.  You are so faithful in your prayer ministry for us and we appreciate it.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Thankful

We praise the Lord Margie had a good night.  She only had a slight choking spell at one point but soon got control and went back to sleep.  We are grateful for at least the 4 nights she has been able to sleep. We never dreamed that Icy Hot patches would help that much.  They along with your prayers and many others, she slept.  We plan, Lord willing, on attending church this morning if all runs normally. Today marks two months since her shoulder surgery.  We think she is doing quite well and the therapists seem pleased with her progress. Thank you so much for your help in prayer. Margie saw the doctor yesterday and some good suggestions were given plus a change in medication.  We pray it will all work out well.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Depressed

Margie started the night feeling real low.  In fact so much so that today we will be seeing the doctor about what can be done to give her some relief.  We appreciate our prayers about this.  For anyone who gone through it, knows what we are talking about.  We praise the Lord she had a good night.  Her neck and back were giving her plenty of pain and I thought the night would be a mess.  Thankfully, she had a very good night.  This is a real answer to prayer.  Thank you for your help in prayer.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Another good night

We know how to count our blessings.  Margie had another good night for which we are very thankful. We tried yesterday to get a chiropractor appointment but none was available.She had a very good physical therapy session at the local facility, learning new maneuvers to aid her in recovery from shoulder surgery.  The weather is warmer so the swamp cooler in our bedroom was going full blast to keep the room very comfortable.  Today we will have more of them going because the weather is warming now. We attended prayer meeting last night which is always a blessing.  Last week we did also but then Sunday was DOWN again.  Please pray she will be able to make it this Sunday if the Lord wills.  Thanks so much for praying.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

A blessing

Yes it is a real blessing when Margie can get a rest at night.  Last night she did.  Her back was hurting and I drove us to the drug store where I got a pack of Icy Hot patches.  We had never used these before.  This morning she greeted me with a thankful spirit for a good night of sleep.  We know that perhaps this will not work another night but at least it was worth it for the one good rest she got. Today is filled pretty well with appointments.  Thanks for praying about this sleep problem.  We really appreciate it.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

That note

When I saw the piece of paper with Margie's handwriting, I knew she had another bad night. She was asking me to let her sleep as long as she could this morning.  In other words the start to last night was not good and she could not get to sleep.  Pain was the main factor in this.  I don't know how the doctors are going to find a solution to this one.  Please pray.  Our family plans on being in Ferndale sometime today.  We will not be participating in the meal etc they plan.  We are better just being here in Margie's comfort zone.  It is a beautiful day and we suppose tonight's firework displays will be LOUD.  In fact they have already started.  Thanks for praying.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Call me at 7

Margie's not to me during the night was "Call me at 7"  That means she had lots of pain and was trying to sleep because until 1 or so this morning she didn't get any sleep.  Her physical therapy at the Ferndale facility went well.  In fact the therapist used ultra sound on her shoulder and did some massage techniques which helped her a lot. BUT as Margie often has said, after the first such treatment, she sometimes has a BAD night.  That's what happened last night.  We go this morning to a sleep clinic in Bellingham.Margie's primary doctor though she should give it another try.  She did last year but nothing seemed to work.  We'll try again today.  Thank you for praying. We appreciate it. 

Monday, July 2, 2012

AGAIN

We are so happy Margie had another good  night. Even though she awakened early this morning she had a good restful night. She goes to her primary doctor this morning with concerns about medications and also her back and hip pains. This afternoon she will start her therapy at Mountain View Physical therapy in Ferndale.  We hope to be able to go see Joy one of these days.  Margie has  not been able to travel around much.  Thanks for praying.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

One of the best

Margie had such a low day yesterday. She had  many hurts and things that caused concern.  She had to  take it easy all day and I helped her all I could to make it through the day. She was tired from not having sleep the night before. We praise the Lord that last night she had one of her best nights.  Those do not come often so we are thankful when they do.  She feels pretty shaky this morning but oh so glad she had a restful night. We would have gone to church today if she wasn't so shaky but I felt she should not go unless after breakfast she feels more stable.  Thanks for your faithfulness in prayer. We appreciate it greatly.