Chapter 8:

Prayers for Julie

Still makes me cry to read this post from June/July 2017 hospital stay.

July 3, 2017

Yesterday, Sunday, was a huge blessing for our family.  We were able to have a really nice family day together with Julie awake most of the day.  Today was different.  Very tired and needing large amounts of pain medication.  She slept most of the day.

Julie had another fraction, 3 of 10, of radiation to chest and skull today.  Her pneumonia is improving, and she is able to drink and swallow now, but she still has no appetite.  Only drank water today, refused everything else.

We had so many kind visitors today.  Friends held her hand.  She recognized them all and with effort mumbled there names, even faintly smiled, then would fall back to sleep.  As they left she would wake up to whisper, "thank you for coming."

One visitor was a latino lady who was a former housekeeper for Julie.  She knelt down on the floor, placed Julie's hand in one of her hands, then placed her other hand on Julie's head, then bowed her head, closed her eyes, and was silent for several minutes.  I decided to take Julie's other hand in mine, and bow my head as well to participate in this obviously sacred blessing that this faithful christian woman was giving Julie.  After that, the lady had 3 other friends who came into the room and prayed for Julie, and they all told me they would continue to pray for her, and me.

This was not the first time we have been blessed by this woman's faith.  We have holy water and prayer beads in our home that she has given us in other hard times.  We are very humbled and grateful for this.  Despite our difference in specific religions, we share the same faith that Jesus is our friend and savior, and that he is there to help us.

Tonight I was even more concerned about her unresponsiveness.  I have lost some objectivity and get a little freaked out. So I called Jonny to come over, and we both pronounced a blessing upon Julie.

We are not the only ones praying for Julie.  So many are praying.  Close friends, family, distant friends, some who know her very little, and some who are total strangers who have heard about her.  We are thankful for this.  I am puzzled and amazed at the goodness of people, and their capacity for compassion.  From such people I have learned much about what it means to be christian.  Julie is among them.

Til tomorrow…