when we got to the hospital this evening, sarah
beth was asleep after having been awake for a big
part of the day. kathleen had texted greg earlier,
saying that sarah's color was good, she was sleepy
and speaking in whispers. we weren't surprised to
find her asleep. of course we stayed anyway - lots
of family there. after awhile, sarah beth's eyes
popped open and with that, she had everyone's full
attention. we had a time of prayer, then sang a
few songs together that are some of sarah's
favorites - there's something about that name, i
love you Lord, amazing grace, how great is our God
- she even sang along in her whispers with us all,
smile on her face. (i can't even tell you what a
beautiful sight that was.) sarah's uncle greg
suggested "victory in Jesus" to her and i wish you
could've seen her reaction - her face just lit up!
when asked about a favorite scripture of hers, she
said romans 12:1-2, so it was read. here it is, in
case someone reading isn't familiar with it:

"1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of
God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your
spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any
longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you
will be able to test and approve what God's will
is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

sarah beth, in the way she is walking this cancer
journey, is a perfect example of "living
sacrifice". she has given herself over to the Lord
time and time again to be used as He sees fit. and
He has grown her into such a woman of His. a
living sacrifice being molded continually into
what God had planned for her all along. sarah's
uncle chuck asked greg to read 1 peter 1:6-7:

6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a
little while you may have had to suffer grief in
all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your
faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes
even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine
and may result in praise, glory and honor when
Jesus Christ is revealed.

in our time together tonight there were many tears
but also many smiles and even some laughter. that
seems to be the way it always is. our hearts are
heavy as we continue to realize more each day what
is happening with sarah beth. but we aren't
without hope. and neither is she. our hope is in
God alone. who else could bless hurting hearts
with moments of joy?

as we were leaving, she was getting a few more
bites of her oreo blizzard, a request of hers from
earlier in the day. she looked to be enjoying it
pretty well. =)

as always, thank you so much for the time you take
to pray.

leigh ann

i'm in charleston (wv) with two of my sons for all-state choir
rehearsals so i wasn't able to see sarah beth today. my
husband (uncle greg) and oldest son, blake, had some time
with her though. greg says sarah beth and kathleen were both
able to get some rest today - this is great news because
kathleen is extremely tired. sarah is still talking with those in
her room even though sometimes she is confused. they
increased her pain med again. greg said she seemed
comfortable when he left the last time today.

please continue to stand with us in prayer. and, still... thank
you.

leigh ann

even though not much changes from day to day right
now, i know that so many are checking in here for
a word about sarah beth that i feel i need to post
at least a little bit of an update as often as i
can. she is still having a good bit of awake time
and is talking to us. she's confused at times. it
is such a blessing to see those beautiful eyes
open and to hear her voice. my boys and i were in
to see her for a few minutes this evening and on
the way home we talked some about how each time we
get to see her again is such a gift from God.

at the risk of being extremely repetitive, i have
to thank you again for your prayers for sarah beth
and for our family. as you pray for her now,
please also pray especially for her mom and dad,
who are so very tired in every way. and for her
brothers, jeremy and jason. they are all by her
side continually.

we pray for you, also. so many love sarah beth.

leigh ann

not much change in things here, other than sarah
beth was awake a lot yesterday. she had some
emotional moments and was agitated quite a bit.
they are still doing what they can to keep her
pain under control.

some of our family and friends from out of town
have been coming in to see her. she had some times
of music yesterday - she had a call from one of
her favorite musicians, michael w. smith; some
friends from church came yesterday and sang a song
for her earlier in the day, and we had a short
time of singing together last night in her room
with some of our family - sarah beth's request.
and you just don't turn her down if you can help
it. =)

jeremy told me a few minutes ago that she's still
having pain and that the pain med was increased.
she is resting. the family is trying to keep
visitors to a minimum to allow her to be calm and
rest.

i know how that there are no answers to why this
is happening to sarah beth. but i trust that God
has a plan and that His reasons are beyond good. i
know for a fact that God is working in her to have
an impact on the lives of others even today - even
as she appears to be in the process of leaving us
here.

thank you thank you thank you for your prayers and
support and many expressions of love for sarah
beth and for our family as a whole. sarah b loves
your guts. and our family loves your guts too.

leigh ann

just to let you know a little about sarah beth's
day. she had some nausea and fever for awhile this
morning but they got the fever down with meds and
ice. she was surrounded again by family and
friends, many who love her coming in for a few
minutes to encourage the family and maybe whisper
a word or two to sarah. smiles and tears and even
a little laughter. precious time together, even in
sorrow. every moment matters...a good lesson.

jason just told me that she perked up a little
around 9 when everyone left. she even talked a
little, telling jeremy to get her a pepsi, and had
a few sips. =)

keep praying. and thank you.
leigh ann