i keep drawing a blank when i start to write
tonight. backspacing to delete and just sort of
staring at this square i'm supposed to type in. it
seems that the time is coming soon for sarah beth
to leave us to be with Jesus. and the closer it
gets, it seems to me to be a little more difficult
to find words.

julia said that sarah beth had a very emotional
morning, but eventually was able to calm down.
sometime this afternoon, things changed and her
breathing slowed. kathleen called around 4:30 p.m.
to tell me what was going on and said that we
should come soon. our family gathered and spent
the evening at sarah's bedside. many many precious
moments there together. sarah was able to say some
things she needed to and so were the rest of us.
greg and blake (sarah's uncle and cousin - my
husband and oldest son) are out of town but were
able to talk to her by phone. kathleen read a
passage of scripture that sarah mentioned and
keith read one of his favorites, which also
happens to be one of sarah b's. again, God gifted
us with beautiful time together.

sarah beth's body and mind are failing her, but
her spirit will not. she is sure of God. only God
knows the moment He will say to her (to any of
us) that it's time to come to Him.

tonight she said, "rest assured that Jesus paid
for all of us." she wants so much for everyone to
come to Jesus.

thank you, always, for praying.

leigh ann


john 14: 1-6 (sarah beth wanted to hear this
tonight)
1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in
God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are
many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told
you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come back and take you to be with me that you also
may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place
where I am going."
5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where
you are going, so how can we know the way?"
6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me.

sarah beth was awake and talking again this
evening when we were able to be there. kathleen
said she'd been awake a good bit today. one of the
highlights of her day was being able to get
outside. when julia, uncle dale & aunt martha were
there with sarah and mark & kate, they opened the
doors to her little porch and wheeled her out
there in her bed. she was able to breathe in some
fresh air, and see the river and the bridge. i
wish i knew how to post pictures on here, i'd
share the one mark took of her while she was out
there. she looked glad to be out there - and the
faces of those watching her were beaming.
precious.

i reminded her again of the prayers that are
constantly being lifted up on her behalf. i tell
her the whole world is praying for her, because
honestly so many people are letting us know of
their prayers that sometimes it's hard to keep
track. what a wonderful predicament!

when my boys and i were walking down the hall from
her room to leave this evening, i asked them if
they were taking this all in - if they were
remembering to appreciate each moment with sarah
beth. if they are realizing that each time we see
her that she is awake and can see us and know us,
talk to us and smile at us - each of these times
is a gift from God. they said "YES!" before i even
was finished speaking. it's a good lesson to
learn, really...to cherish the moments we have
with the people that mean so much to us. and not
to wait. life brings hardships. time flies.

i know that i can speak for more than just myself
when i say that i believe the way God has used and
continues to use sarah beth is astounding. mind-
boggling, even. she is His willing servant and
continues to walk through this painful journey
with strong, absolutely huge faith. the way He can
work His will and accomplish His plans through one
young woman, now confined to a bed in a body that
continues to weaken is miraculous. lives are being
touched and faith is being strengthened in so
many. God is able.

thank you, again and again, for your prayers and
for the ways you show love to sarah beth and our
family.

leigh ann


2 Corinthians 9:8-11 (The Message)
God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways
so that you're ready for anything and everything,
more than just ready to do what needs to be done.
As one psalmist puts it,
He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the
farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more
than extravagant with you. He gives you something
you can then give away, which grows into full-
formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way,
so that you can be generous in every way,
producing with us great praise to God.

after much thought, discussion and prayer, the
decision was made for sarah beth to go to the
hospice house for her care. she made the move this
afternoon and was all tucked in when we went to
see her. it's a very homey and restful
environment. from her room, she has a nice view of
the ohio river and the bridge. they'll be able to
get some fresh air there too, with the doors to
the porch open. hopefully this will be a peaceful
place for sarah beth and for her mom, dad and
brothers.

she was tired when we were there, a little groggy
from her medicine, but she was talking to us and
smiling. she said she thought it was silly that
she had to ride in an ambulance to move there.
kate asked how else she would've gotten there and
sarah said, "walk with my walker."...we all
grinned at that. she's nothing if not determined.
=)

God has sarah beth poised to bless a whole new set
of people in her new surroundings. as you're
praying for sarah and for our family, pray for
these people as well - as they care for her and
for the napiers, and as she shares herself with
them.

so grateful for your prayers,
leigh ann

sarah beth had a pretty good day yesterday. still
confused at times but also some times when she
really seemed "there". her eyes were brighter and
she seemed to be a little more alert. i've been
anxious to relate one thing that she said to me
yesterday. she whispered, "would you...would you
please ask people at church to pray?" ...i just
think this was such a precious, humble request for
her to make. i assured her that people at church
and people so many other places, even people she's
never met are praying for her. (thank you for
being some of those people!) i told her i'm
praying for her and she said, "i'm praying for
you, too." honestly, it wouldn't surprise me a
bit.

she was sleeping when i got to her room today.
kathleen said it had been an emotional day so far
for sarah. she'd also needed to have her pain med
increased again. she woke up while we were there,
so we were privileged to have a few little
conversations, pray together, see some smiles,
give and get some "i love you"'s and even an "i
love your guts" from her. =)

a little funny thing to share: jason was giving
(or trying to give) sarah a few bites of mashed
potatoes, teasing her by doing the old airplane
trick to try to get her to open up. (complete with
airplane noises.) sarah wasn't interested and did
some funny little thing with her hand while making
a sound as though she was shooting down jason's
plane. SO FUNNY. cracked us all up!

thank you again for your prayers for sarah beth.
please continue also in lifting up mark and
kathleen, jeremy and jason.

we ALL love your guts,
leigh ann

sarah beth wasn't feeling well today and needed
some quiet time to rest and to be with just a few
of her people. her pain medication was increased
again today. hopefully that will make her more
comfortable.

she was able to listen online to the worship
service at mclean this morning, got some rest, and
had some important conversations with her family.

the power of your prayers to God for sarah and our
family is very evident in the way everyone is able
to move through these days. thank you. i hope
those words never seem casually thrown out there -
we mean them with our whole hearts.

leigh ann