Psalm 121 (NIV)

A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

I am claiming this scripture for this week. I'm claiming it not just for me, but for my family. Why this scripture? Why now? Let me share some of what's going on in our family/extended family right now:

* Many who read this blog are aware of my husband's continuing physical/health problems. I wrote about it here. He has good days and days that could be better. Recently he has struggled with heavy lung congestion, fatigue, and pain. Lee, being Lee, doesn't complain and continues to work on writing projects when he can. However, the last week has been particularly difficult for him.

• Greg and Audre' left yesterday to go to Louisiana to be with her mother. Rita has battled pancreatic cancer for over a year. She is very ill now. She was in the hospital last week, but has come home now with hospice care.

Greg and Audre' are supposed to close on a new (to them) house this week and move next weekend. Those plans are moving ahead, but they are really having to juggle a lot of responsibilities during this very stressful time. The current plan is for Greg to travel back home to take care of the house closing and move. As a matter of fact, he just called and is already on his way back after taking time to sleep.

They already had almost everything packed and ready to go, so that should help during the actual move. Audre' has done a remarkable job organizing them to get their house ready to sell and prepare for the move. Greg will follow through on the plans and get them from one house to the other.

My heart breaks for them.

• My nephew's daughter is going through cancer treatments for the second time in two years. During that time she had surgeries , chemo, and radiation treatments. Her extremely rare form of cancer had been in remission for months until April. She has now started chemo treatments in Houston, where they live. Carolyn is not quite twelve years old. She is going on with her life; playing softball, swimming, and being her exuberant, cheerful self. She is an inspiration to the adults around her who wait, prayerfully and hopefully, for remission to return.

* My brother continues to recover from heart and lung surgeries he has had during the last year. He has had a remarkable journey through cancer and heart disease with steady improvement.

• Lee's mother is at home continuing to recover and rehabilitate from hip surgery. She is 92 years old and still insists on living in her own home. Lee's brother lives nearby and spends much of his time taking care of her needs. We are grateful he is there.