“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Tonight as I rocked my sweet baby girl to sleep, I thought about how God chooses to heal some people and not others. For a moment, I thought about how unfair it is that my children will probably grow up without a grandma at all, as their other Grandma passed away from colon cancer five years ago. It just doesn’t seem right that God would choose that for my children. As I was thinking this, a familiar song by Aaron Shust came into my head. Some of the lyrics are “To God alone be the glory, To God alone be the praise, Everything I say and do, Let it be all for you, The glory is Yours alone.” This song reminds me that my life is not all about me and ensuring that I am happy all the time, it is about bringing glory to God. That is our purpose in life and our one goal should be to know Christ and make Christ known. If losing a close loved one brings God the most glory and draws us closer to Christ, then that is what is best for us and for His eternal Kingdom. This is a hard concept to understand and except, but I know that God is going to provide awesome role models for my kids and I know that He will turn everything into good for us because we do love Him.

A sweet family friend recently gave each member of our family the book Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman. This is a great book to help people through times of hardship and pain. The entry for yesterday spoke to me greatly. Here is an excerpt from it:

“Around the turn of the century, a bar of steel was worth about $5. Yet when forged into horseshoes, it was worth $10; when made into needles, its value was $350; when used to make small pocketknife blades, its worth was $32,000; when made into springs for watches, its value increased to $250,000. What a pounding the steel bar had to endure to be worth this much! But the more it was shaped, hammered, put through fire, beaten, pounded, and polished, the greater its value.”

Sometimes I feel like that steel bar, beaten and pounded down. During these times, I just have to remember that God is using this pain to make me a stronger person and witness. If we never experienced pain in our life, then what kind of person would we be? The pain is what makes us stronger and draws us closer to Christ. Just as the steel is beaten and pounded to be molded into something incredible, God is molding us and using our life experiences to shape us into something beautiful and incredible.

Treasured Moments, Precious Memories

God's Stars

Last week God gave me as amazing memory with my grandkids, Caleb and Abby. While the rest of the family slept, God blessed the three of us with the gift of morningtime. It was still dark out when I gathered blankets, apple juice and a sippy cup full of milk to accompany us on the back porch glider.

As we cuddled, Caleb pointed out in the darkened sky that there appeared three twinkling stars. The sun had had yet dawned and these stars still shone brightly. Shortly after this, the sun begin to make it's appearance and as the sky turned white. Then we noticed the stars had begun to fade and could no longer be seen as brightly as before, even though they were still there. As God began a new day with all it's glorious possibilities, the Son's brillance shone with such power and majesty that the stars were no longer visible. I thought of my life and how I had been born, "for such a time as this" so that God might use a twinkling star to shine for Him for a time.

He counts the number of the stars, He give names to all of them. Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength, His understanding is infinite." Psalms 147:4-5

The River of Life

So much to look forward to. . . "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. The holy dwelling place of the most High." Psalm 46:4 "And He showed me a river of the waters of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb." Revelation 22:1

The Utlimate Gift

"How is your Mom?" This seems to be the question of the day for all of us. I am asked this multiple times each day. So, how is she? She is doing pretty good. She is still feeling fairly well and getting around great. My mom's situation is unique in that she is still relatively healthy and fairly symptom free. Her body and immune system have not been beaten down with chemo or radiation or any other painful treatment. God had blessed us with this special time where she is feeling well and can enjoy each day. And we are enjoying our days, we spend them laughing and having fun. This past month, we have made so many precious memories that I know we will always treasure. Although there are times of sadness and tears, overall this is a happy time for all of us. We all know without a doubt, that our sweet mom will be going to a better place and that we will see her again. We will not be saying "Goodbye" but "See You Later".

My mom has recently expressed that she feels God is preparing her for a journey. A journey from this earth to a place of ultimate healing and perfection. Though at times she is sad for what she will miss out on on this earth, she has an overwhelming sense of peace and feelings of excitement and anticipation for her journey to Heaven. She has described the moments when she is in pain as like childbirth. As someone that has recently gone through the pain of childbirth, I know exactly what she is describing. Although the pain is intense, the excitement of what is to come overwhelms the pain. As the pain intensifies, so do these feelings of excitement and anticipation. One new mom I know described these feelings as like Christmas. You just can not wait for the sweet, precious gift that is to come and the pain you are experiencing is just one step closer to that gift. That is how my mom is feeling, with each twinge of pain, she knows that she is drawing closer to her Ultimate gift and healing, which is going to be with Christ! How awesome is that!!

‎"And He shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and their shall no longer be any death, any mourning or crying or pain, the first things have passed away." Revelation 21:4

"Hiking" in the foothills

When you take along Beaufort the dog, a three year old, and a one year old, it really shouldn't be called hiking. But, a few nights ago, my mom got a burst of energy and wanted to go walk around in the foothills. We kept a slow pace, but we all enjoyed ourselves!

The Pace Clan

These pictures were taken by our dear friend, Ellen Benson. Check out more of her photography at http://www.ellenbensonphotography.com/

Dear Family and Friends,

We live in a world of so much uncertainty and Satan can easily use these questions to cause worry, fear and strive in our lives. While God has not promised to show us every answer, He has given us promises for life that we can ultimately trust Him with throughout our lifetimes. Some of these promises are these:

Before the foundation of the world God loved me and appointed a plan to bring me to Himself.

Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross to die for the sins of men and purchase a place for me in Heaven.

I have been born for such a time as this, my birth, life and death is in God’s perfect time to accomplish His best for the world through me and His best for me.

Nothing can separate me from the love of God, not sin, pain, cancer or death.

God will never leave or forsake me but goes through all of life’s trial and joys along side of me.

God knows the past, present and future, nothing surprises Him and He works all things for my good because I am called according to His purpose.

Jesus has gone to prepare a place for me and promises that He will carry me into His glorious presence that I may live in eternity with Him.

In His Love,
Cyndi

Welcome

If you are here, you have probably heard our story. About a month ago, my seemingly perfectly healthy mom was diagnosed with cancer that has metastasized into her lungs. The doctors said that the cancer is incurable, and Mom has been told she has less than six months to live. My mom counts herself blessed to know that during these last months on earth, she does not have to endure chemotheropy or other treatments. She is actually feeling pretty good at this time and has been able to spend the last month enjoying family time. We have been blessed in so many ways by many of you and would like to share our story and our gratitude through this blog. Mom's prognosis here on earth is poor, but we are assured that Mom's prognosis in heaven will be a grand one. In Christ, she has assurance of her salvation, and she knows the journey will have a happy ending. Thanks for joining us on Cyndi's journey.