Happy Mother's Day!

I wanted to take the time yesterday to write a special Mother's Day message to all the Moms who have touched my life. However, since it was Mother's Day I got to be taken care of and enjoy the day myself. So....today I just want to take a moment and say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! to all of you who have taken on the role of being a role-model, caretaker and caregiver, hospitality clerk, psychoanalyst, guest relations specialist, chef, cabbie, referee, counselor and pastor to children of any age. You are a treasure who has been commissioned by God to make this world a better place by doing your job to the best of the abilities He has instilled in you. Thank you to my own Mom ~ a beautiful lady I am proud to rise up and call blessed, and to Shelley ~ another Mom I am proud to know and share a life with. God bless you all!!

Here's a poem I found online that I think pretty much sums up Motherhood to me.... I hope you enjoy it!

When God Made Mothers

By Tricia Stertz
Couriers For Christ
Omron, Wisconsin

When God made the world He was pleased with it all,
And had sweet communion with man 'til the fall.
But when Satan's dread vict'ry that day led to sin,
God paused, and He thought, I need someone to win
The hearts of the little ones ere they grow cold,
And they yield to sin's temptings and stray from the fold.

And so God made Mothers with hearts brimmed with love.
To them He commissioned this charge from above;
To pray for their little ones, fervently, daily;
To laugh with them, cry with them, play with them gayly;
To teach them the truths from the Scriptures of old;
To be strong and gentle, to be meek and bold;
To wash little feet whenher own feet were aching;
TO mend broken hearts when her own heart was breaking.

And so God made Mothers and planned 'twould be so,
When her children were grown that she must let them go;
With eyes filled with tears, yet her heart full of joy
To know she'd done best for her girl or her boy.
And God said, when surveying His work (so I'm told)
A God-fearing Mother is worth more than gold!

Chris is Home!

there's so much to be thankful for...and I wanted to update you all on my brother-in-law, Chris. He's home for a while now. He was able to come home on Friday (May 4) where he and Tami welcomed their granddaughter, Avalynn Claire, to the world. (She was born Friday morning.)

So ~ I wanted to let you know they're home for a while...but they'll be heading back down later this month for more skin grafts. Here are Tami's last e-mails with the oldest being first.....

May 1, 2007
Chris will be going into surgery in the morning to put a temporary cover over his open foot. The covering is called integra which consist of shark and cow cartilege with a silicon layer. Pray that the "temp covering" will take so Chris can come home for the time until his skin graft. Also pray for our family as Andrea (our daughter in law) is having a little girl on Friday - Andrea and Isaiah (2 yr old) grandson live with us. Bethany is finished with UNL on Friday and will be moving back home for the summer. I have finals next week for the 2 classes I am taking at the local community college. So if you would remember us, I am feeling a little stretched. Tami

May 2, 2007:
Praise and update about Chris' surgery today. They put the integra covering on Chris' foot and stitched up the incision above his ankle. The dressing stays on for 5 days before they will change it. Dr. Hau said that the foot looked real good and that Chris may be able to go home on Friday. Chris is guardedly optimistic. He really wants to get home. He has done great and is such an encouragement to me and many others.

Please continue to pray for our family, we are going to have a new granddaughter on Friday. Pray that we all will see how God has blessed us and truly cares for us every day and in so many ways. Thank you, your prayers are a treasure that have incredible impact and value!

May 5, 2007
Yesterday the surgeon came in and took a look at Chris' foot and was pleased with how it was looking. So the pick line came out (IV) and we loaded up and headed to Norfolk. Chris is on oral meds and will go back next Friday to have the dressing changed and looked at. I get to be the nurse for the week, I am sooo not nurse material, but God is faithful and Chris has been great and understanding. We were able to go to the hospital and see our new grandaughter who is beautiful. Thank you for your continued prayers, a few weeks before this all started I was praying that I would be able to praise him in the storm (song from Casting Crowns and also when Paul chose to praise the Lord in prison). It has been such an incredible blessing to praise HIM and have my eyes on HIM in this whole thing. We have been blessed! No words come to give the depth of praise in what He is doing and for who HE is!

If you'd like to send a card or anything to help them out (refer to my April 27th post), please send it to their church ~

Chris & Tami Graham
c/o Christ Is King Community Church
203 S 8th St, Norfolk, NE 68701

Thanks, everyone, for your prayers ~ we are so appreciative!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

A video of Garret McCauley, right, and his brother, Miles McCauley, second from right, won $100,000 Sunday on the television show “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” They are holding an autographed photo of the show’s host, Tom Bergeron. From left are parents Mike and Molly McCauley and son Kevin. (Mike Salsbury/The Columbian)




Okay, this is crazy ~ I can't believe I have the opportunity to say this, but....

MY FRIEND, MOLLY, AND HER FAMILY WON AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS $100,000.00 GRAND PRIZE!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to the entire McCauley family ~ it couldn't have happened to better people! WOO HOO!!!!!

That's all.

*******
Edit & Addition:

Here is the article that ran in the Tuesday "Columbian" here in Vancouver ~ I don't have a link to a video of it, yet, but when I get it ~ trust me, it'll be here!

******

Tuesday, May 08, 2007
BY MIKE BAILEY, Columbian staff writer

If Miles McCauley's future includes a college degree, the 8-year-old can credit a tube of diaper-rash cream and his older brother, Garret, for providing the funds.

Garret, now 10, painted Miles' face with the cream about seven years ago. Because the boys' mother, Molly McCauley, caught the antics on tape, the Ridgefield family is $110,000 richer.

The money came from ABC-TV's "America's Funniest Home Videos." First, the video was chosen as a weekly $10,000 winner in February. It then beat seven other weekly winners in Sunday's episode to claim the grand prize of $100,000.

The family already used part of the $10,000 for a visit to Disneyland; another vacation will come from the $100,000 in winnings. "But most will be put away for college for the boys," Molly McCauley said.

That includes younger brother, Kevin, 6, as well as Garret and Miles.

McCauley said she often tapes events at home when her husband, Mike, is working as a pilot for UPS.

"Most of the time, though, the camera is out of film, or the batteries are dead," she said. "But when I saw the back of Miles' neck was covered in the cream, I grabbed the camera and started filming."

In the video, Molly McCauley asked Garret what he had done.

Miles responded, saying his brother had painted him with sauce, a term the family used to describe the diaper-rash cream. Garret had lathered up his brother because Miles had a blemish on his face.

Just after Miles turned his head toward the camera, the video ends.

"The batteries went dead," Molly McCauley said.

But there was enough on the tape to impress the show's producer and make it one of the top three videos for the February show.

A studio audience vote determines the weekly winners. Three times each season, the audience chooses a $100,000 winner from between six and eight weekly winners.

The vote for the most recent $100,000 contest was made by visitors to Walt Disney World.

About 40 friends and family members were at the McCauley home Sunday to watch the show. The visitors did not know the McCauleys had won until it aired.

McCauley's said her sister, Lori Young of Ridgefield, gets credit for the windfall.

"(Lori) said if I didn't, she was going to take the tape and send it in and she wasn't going to share any of the prize money if it won," McCauley said.

Although the McCauley brothers now have a hefty college fund, they weren't too happy after the show was over on Sunday.

"They were crying before they went to bed," McCauley said. "They were sad to see this all come to an end."

"They wanted to know Sunday if they would ever see (host Tom Bergeron) again. They think of him as Uncle Tom now."

The Flood of Care...

Okay ~ so I've got this idea as to how we can help Chris & Tami out during this time. In talking to my sister I've discovered that Chris probably won't be able to go back to work until July at the earliest. Tam continues to work for Todd Dickey in Norfolk, about two and a half hours away from Lincoln, but there are a lot of trips back and forth...and gas is expensive (as if I have to tell you that...) It also means a lot of eating out that they can't afford (have you eaten at a hospital lately? It adds up!) So...with all this I've thought of ways we can help them out from across the miles....

If you'd like to send Chris an e-mail...click on the linked title above to send it through St. Elizabeth's -OR- send it to: husband_21dad_24@hotmail.com

If you'd like to send Chris a card with your get-well wishes you can send it to:
St. Elizabeth's Hospital
555 S. 70th Street
Lincoln, NE 68510
Attn: Burn Center
Chris Graham Rm 135

If you have the resources, it would be great to shower them with gift cards for the necessities. Cards from gas stations, McDonalds, Applebees, Starbucks, Hy-Vee groceries, Pizza Hut, Subway, Grisanti's, Valentino's, Qdoba, Burger King, Wild Oats...I know they don't sound like the necessities, but when you're away from home and having to eat they become necessary. I know Tam has gone "grocery shopping" and picked up bread and peanut butter & jelly, cereal (which she then asks for an extra milk with Chris's meals to eat), and stuff like that, but if food could just be taken care of it would be such a blessing.

You can send it to the address above for now ~ if it changes I'll make note of it here and via my e-mail updates.

If you can't send a gift card or whatever...please just drop them a quick e-mail or card and let them know you're praying.

Also...if you're a moto-crosser you can help out Tami's employer by buying via e-bay from powersportsnation. here's a link to his store: http://stores.ebay.com/powersportsnation (tell 'em Tami's sister sent ya!)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
God bless you!!
Trayc

The prayer request list...Part 1

If you click on the linked title above, it will take you to the burn center page for St. Elizabeth's where Chris is now admitted.

Here are the prayer requests Tam & Chris have shared via their e-mails...in some instances I'm including the entire e-mail so you can see what's going on when it's written....

********************************
From 4/27... (Chris)
To be specific pray that I will handle the surgery well and that the Doc will be able to find the problem, correct it and that my healing will be more progressive because of it. Pray for Tami she is having a hard time handling this, and at first when they transfered me here to St. E's it was like pulling the rug out from under me (stole that from my father-in-law). I am adjusting better now, I feel good other than my foot hurts a little. I did have my hopes up on getting home sooner, I just have to put it all in the Lord's hands and remember He sees the big picture

From 4/25... (Tami)
Pray that Chris will be able to do ok with the pain, they are definitely going to be drugging him up. That I will be able to be a source of strength for him and I know that strength has to come from the Lord because humanly speaking I can't do it. I cry just thinking about what my husband is going to go through. There is a lot to think about and in it all the Lord is in control pray that we will trust him and see Him in the midst of all this. Thanks and once again know that your prayers mean so much.

From early 4/25... (Tami)
They are going to try and treat the wound so the ankle will clear up. Otherwise the surgeon will have to remove tissue around the ankle. They really don't want to do that because it makes the skin graft more challenging to heal. Please pray for Chris as he will probably be experiencing more agressive treatment to his foot. Right now the wound is 3 1/2 x 7 inches. Chris was talking to the doctor that told him they were moving and Chris recalled what Pastor Greg told him on Monday, "expect the unexpected" We are seeking the Lord moment by moment and appreciate your prayers.

From 4/24... (Tami)
Pray that we will learn to let go and let God. Chris a very responsible and hard working man and it is very hard for him to receive from others what he feels he should be providing. Pray that he will see that God loves him in many ways and one way is through receiving what HE gives. You have no idea how much it has meant to us to receive the love from all of you. Last Thursday we were sitting outside in the sun (the first time Chris had been outside for 13 days) and Chris expressed how difficult it was to process all the love that he had received from so many and yet means so much. I think that we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. We thank you again for remembering us in prayer. Last Sunday Joe Metcalf asked me if we felt prayed over. You have no idea how much your prayers have sustained and covered us in all of this process. Lord give us eyes to see and a heart to receive - YOU receive our praise!

From 4/20... (Tami)
The surgeon just came out and said that he took a good 2 inches on the left side and about a H1/2 inch on the right side of the wound. The ankle bone is clear of the infection so far. He said he would see him on Monday. Please pray that Chris's foot would clear of the infection yet in his foot and ankle area. Also pray for his state of mind. He has been pretty up but is concerned about his foot. Thank you for praying.

From 4/12... (Tami)
(This is from the first surgery...I'm including the part of the e-mail Tam talks about how God has answered some prayers....what an encouraging reminder that God does hear and answer prayer...)

Then this is where I believe that the Lord spoke to him. The Dr. was perplexed as to where the source of all this infection was coming from. He remembered that we had said that it started in the foot and he saw that Chris' foot was considerably worse than the evening before. He went into the foot and found a very large absess that spread from the top of his foot to the side and ankle. The doctor removed the dead tissue on the top of his foot and will leave it open for a while and then do a skin graft later. He is feeling great.

I know without a doubt that God intervened and prompted the doctor to look at the foot. Bob Smith stopped in today and said that that absess would have blocked the antibiotics from getting to the infection. So we are very hopeful that we are making some head way. We can't thank you enough for your prayers. Even going through each day has been in a way that God's hand has been on Chris.

Please continue to pray for recovery. Chris is getting a little anxious about getting back on his feet and getting back to work. But without a doubt God's is in control no matter what the outcome and He is to be praised because His Hand reaches to realms far beyond this earth. He is our refuge and strength in time of trouble and all the time!!

****************************
That's all the farther I'll go back for now....thank you for praying for my sister and her husband and family! Being so far away is only easier knowing God is a breath away. Thanks and love to you all....


PS Chris' email is "husband_21dad_24@hotmail.com" if you would like to send him note.