comfort food and a {prayer} request

since i don't have time for my 'most organized Christmas ever' post,

i thought i'd pop in and say hi.  :)

tonight it's all about comfort food over here.

i'm impatiently waiting for the individual meatloaves and baked potatoes to finish baking.

i slathered the potatoes with garlic grape seed oil and the house smells so good.

pretty soon i will pile up the meatloaves with ketchup.

yum.

do any of you like meatloaf with your ketchup?

:D

ok.  enough small talk.  :)

there's something weighing much heavier on my heart tonight.

i wanted to ask you, my friends, a favor.

would you please pray for my niece, Charis?

i have mentioned her before, but not in detail.

she is four.

at nine days old, she received a heart transplant.

an absolute miracle.

she battled cancer this summer{a very aggressive kind}.

she went through two rounds of chemotherapy. 

she is back in the hospital with a terrible mouth/throat infection,

she hasn't been able to eat or drink hardly at all,

and she had a biopsy of her bone marrow today along with a pic line put in.

you never think that something like this will touch your family, 

but when it does, your faith is stretched, and you learn to trust in ways you never thought possible.

i am learning.

my husband and i had the privilege of visiting with Charis for a few hours yesterday.

she doesn't talk much because of her mouth pain, but our time together was precious.

i will treasure it forever.

we are petitioning God to do great things for Charis and her{our} family.

we pray that He will be honored and glorified throughout this time, 

and that His perfect will will be accomplished.

i was reminded this morning that nothing  we experience in this life,

whether it be physical pain, emotional torment, or any struggle of any kind,

is foreign to our great God.

He knows what we are feeling.

he has experienced the pain, grief and devastation that we feel.

we are not alone.

He desires for us to get on our knees before Him.

He never tires of our prayers.

He is my refuge, my strong tower, my hope, my strength, my shelter, and my friend.

so, all comfort food aside, i guess i just wanted to ask for your prayers tonight, friends.

we need them.

xo

7.  today i am thankful for precious moments shared with my loved ones, and my GREAT GOD,  who is my refuge and strength in times of uncertainty and trial.

thank you, Jesus.