Sigh....

It's been a rough Holy Week thus far. I suppose that we're getting a tiny taste of Christ's sufferings this week as one piece of sad news seems to come after another; I sincerely hope that no more is coming because I feel quite burdened as is.

We received the news that our friends' daughter, age 10, who has undergone nearly three years of treatment for leukemia, has now had a recurrence. She has spent over a week in Children's Hospital and a bone marrow transplant seems to be the next plan. We're praying that her younger sister will be a 12-point match as a donor. We've been rejoicing as C. was nearing the end of her long treatment that started at age 7, and now she's back at the beginning again. Please pray for C. and for her dear family -- they are such wonderful people and it grieves me so much that they're having so suffer further.

We had been hoping that Keith would be able to work with C's dad as I have been working with C's mom, but we received word this morning that Keith and Jeff did not win the contract they were hoping for. So Keith's future job is up-in-the-air again, a very minor thing compared to the news of C's illness, but still a disappointment.

My sister-in-law has been in the hospital since Saturday with a viral infection of her gall bladder, and although home lately, may have to have her gall bladder removed if the infection does not begin to clear. She's been in a lot of pain that the pain meds don't seem to be helping much. We've also had news of a missionary whom our church supports who has been diagnosed with kidney cancer and had the kidney removed; his wife has been ill for the past six months with a form of hepatitus that has been resistant to treatment.

Then we've had smaller disappointments, like the cancellation of E's much-anticipated trip (supposed to leave today) to see her cousins in Phoenix over Easter and for whom she made lovely birthday gifts that she was planning to give them in person. My niece's and our neighbor's pets have died this week (a hamster and a rat, respectively) -- small things, but when compiled with the other sad news of this week, added to the general dejection of our household.

And I need to go finish writing the Bible study on joy that I'm preparing for Lake Murray's women's retreat in a few weeks. Perhaps writing about joy when I feel far less than joyful will give it the depth it needs.

Time to buckle down in prayer and watch LOADS of Jane Austen films (in that order), I think, to at least give us some lightness in the midst of our rather sad Holy Week. I know that our disappointments have been nothing compared to the sufferings of Christ, but I still need to allow the events of this week to increase my prayer and allow me to enter into His pain at least a little.