Each Day Is a Gift

So glad you are back here. Our prayers are with you and Pres!!

MUCH love and prayers!!!!!!!!

Jon and Kelly

Your home! I've been getting updates from Karen!

You've been in our prayers. Hooray for getting a run in!

Love you Smooth!

I too am happy that you've returned home? Hope all is well in the Lew family? How is Larry? How is Smooth? It seems so strange that I'm not planning on meeting Larry in Ogden a week from Saturday to watch you finish the Ogden Marathon! Welcome home!!!

Smooth....I have been so worried about Larry. I hope all is going well. Would love to meet sometime and get a run in with you. I would love to hear about your mission.

Hi Ms. Smooth!

Welcome home Smooth. Great to have you back. We'll be praying for Larry. I hope he is improving.

I hope all is well Smooth!

It's so good to see you back on the blog. Hope you and President Lew are doing well under the circumstances.

I know one girl from Herriman who will be happy to have her running friend back. Hope to see you this summer.

Welcome home Smooth!! What happened?? Why are you home early?? If it's too personal to share I understand...but I hope everything is okay.

I hope your husband is doing well and you also. I'm glad you are back to running.

The suspense is killing me. Why all the well wishes to Larry in vague, carefully worded, nondescript language?? Did he leave the church?? I guess I'm just nosy.

Hi all, thank you for the well wishes and "welcome home"!!!

Jon ~ Thanks for the delicious dinner you and Kelly brought over last night. It was most appreciated! Tell Kelly it was yummy and we devoured it. It was so great to see you two! We just love you! :)

Toby ~ It's good to be home although things don't feel the same any more; but the love and caring people like you make it super nice to be back! :) I was bummed that I didn't see you at Ogden; but more bummed that you didn't get your BQ. Keep at it, I know you have that BQ in you. I know you CAN do hard things and you will reach your goal. Hope you're having a wonderful Memorial Day! Luvs!

Hey Slick ~ So good of you to always check in on me. Larry is slowly improving and I am doing good. I need to start my SGM training program and feeling like a total newbie.

Rhett ~ Thanks! Larry is going to be okay even though he is at a very low low point right now. Thank you for your prayers; we can definitely feel the power of faithful prayers offered on his behalf.

Kimmy ~ I would love that very much! I need someone to run with and talk about our mission, I need that "debrief"! Are you running SGM? Will this be your 10th? Sure miss you and Kathie! :)

Tim ~ thank you! "All is well" is an often spoken phrase by a dear dear friend who served with us in the mission. It helps me to stay positive. All WILL be well even when it doesn't seem to be so right now! Thank you for your well wishes! Hope you and your family are doing well. :)

QP ~ you are so dang cute! President Lew is going through a really tough time right now. We are so grateful for all the love and support given us and all you's prayers. RAD came to visit us in the hospital and treated me to lunch. And she also waited for me at the Ogden finish. I sure love her!!! I am so lucky to have such good good friends!

Nancy ~ thank you for your well wishes. You are so kind!

Mack ~ Curiosity is natural and normal! Thanks for your interest in what's happening in my/our life. Here's a short version of what transpired over the last 6 weeks.

President Lew took ill the weekend of April 12,13 with vomiting, coughing and massive headache. He continued to work hard with meetings, interviews, and just wishing the headache would go away. Finally the evening of April 14, I couldn't stand it any longer and took him to the ER where brain scan showed a bilateral intracranial hemmorhage. His blood doesn't clot as fast as most people because he is on anti-coagulant (Coumadin) to protect his metal heart valves that were implanted exactly 10 years ago (result of a belated diagnois of endocarditis). Anyway, within couple hours of admitting to the ER, he became unconscious; they were able to reverse the anti-coagulation and perform emergency craniotomy to evacuate the hematoma. The surgery was successful in that he has no neurological deficit. Subsequently, blood tests revealed that he has renal failure. Further testings and biopsy were held off because of the danger of bleeding which he had another one 10 days later in the supra-peritoneal area that went down the muscles of his right leg, causing femoral nerve compression, etc. He was monitored and symptoms treated in the ICU and stablized enough to be flown back to UT on a medical jet on May 8. He underwent lots of tests and procedures to determine the cause and treatment for his renal failure. He was discharged from the hospital on May 20. He is now on a high dose of Prednisone and receives hemodialysis three times a week. He is very weak, fatigue easily, and experiencing all the side effects of prednisone and renal failure. We remain hopeful that he will regain some renal function and return to better health. My life and focus now is to take care of him. We continue to pray for miracles and for the comforting peace that we so desperately need right now. The range of emotions we went through and are still experiencing is unreal. We miss our missionaries terribly and mourn the abrupt end to our mission. We are however very grateful for all the love and support given us. Sometimes I feel helpless but I don't ever feel hopeless. My faith and trust is in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hold onto the convenants I have made with my Heavenly Father and know that all these things are for our own good. Again, thank you for all the love and concern you wonderful friends are showing us! :)

Hey Smooth - Ann and I and the whole Murphy family are keeping you and your family in out thoughts. I know your faith will sustain you but keep with the running ok? There's no such thing as having too many meaningful things in your life!

Hey Rob ~ THANK YOU to you and Ann for your prayers and encouragement. You are so right about not having too many meaningful things in life!!! :) :) :) I will keep with the running!!! :)

Just saw this. Welcome back, even under these trying circumstances.

And if you've gotten a little out of shape, don't compare yourself to you of two or three years ago, compare yourself to yesterday!

That old fitness will return.

Rob ~ Yes, I have gotten out of shape, a lot out of shape. Thanks for the wise counsel to not compare my former (sounds better than old) fitness self! :)