Yes, we're still here!

Thanks for checking-in. I promise to try and write more. Lord knows I've needed the outlet. I just don't have the words (nice words anyway!) to describe all that's been happening in our lives the past few weeks. We are having a rough time in having to make a change of plans from the reason we first came to Florida. We try and maintain things as normal as possible for the kids' sake. I honestly can't let myself think about the whole situation. I only allow myself some moments of that, but mostly have to keep my mind set on the day's activities in order to be able to function as a mother and keep things rolling.

Yesterday, there occurred a huge and heavy distraction from my own piddly (in comparison) problems. Another police officer was shot and killed (the third in as many months) here in South Florida. In fact, it happened very close to where we live (from our home we heard the endless sirens screaming right after it happened. We turned on the television to see what it was all about. We found it happened right on a street where we were to be driving down the next hour. We made plans to take an alternate route).

It was a morning of police and news helicopters, police cars, all hovering and scanning looking for the cop killer. He had nothing to lose with living under two life sentences already. He was armed and very dangerous. Soon, all the schools in our county were on lock down. That meant Liam's school too.

I got together with Isabella to pray for them to find and capture this person they were looking for. In fact, we prayed specifically for him to be caught within the half hour. Much to Isabella's delight (she was giving God hugs!), we found our prayers were answered within 10 minutes. He was caught.

When I picked him up from school, Liam described lock down as fun and as scary. He told me that someone had killed a policeman. The kids had to sit together in one corner of their classroom on the floor.

Soon after all of this happened, the Space Shuttle landed safely. Isabella and I went outside to see if we could see it returning or hear the sonic boom like we could last time. We didn't see or hear anything even though it was a beautiful clear day outside. At least the bad guy was caught, and the Shuttle returned without exploding. But sadly, one family is in mourning for yet another murdered police officer.

This evening, there was an ambulance outside at our next door neighbor's house. Their oldest son (7 yrs. old) has a cancerous brain tumor. We love this family dearly. Their boy is one of the sweetest little guys I've ever known. We immediately thought it might be him having some sort of crises. One of my good friends and neighbor phoned to tell me there was something happening next door. I went out front to see. Their other next door neighbor came outside very concerned as well. It turned out to be their younger son. He had had a bad asthma attack, but he was fine. They were taking him in as a precaution. His young mother went with him. She's been through a lot with her older son's illness. I felt for her with all that they've gone through. I wasn't able to talk with her before the ambulance left, but I gave the dad a hug, and a hug to our other neighbor who has become a very concerned "grandma" to this dear family.

Our problems sure are small in light of all of these things.