Light the Night with Faith, Hope & Love

“So faith, hope and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:13
My Hubby and I were talking the other night about faith, hope and love. Everyone has hopes, its like a sprinkle of water. Just as water bubbles over from a mountain spring, so our thoughts and plans bubble over from the spring of hope. Usually hope is colored by the things that happen in our lives, good and not so good.


Faith helps us realize our hopes - without faith, our hopes are mere thoughts and dreams. To trust God and to see through the eye of faith gives us realization that our hopes are the elixer that will guide us through the storm. Faith will keep the fires of victory burning in our hearts - without faith, we are lost.


Darwin Gass wrote years ago that “both our hopes and faith are bonded with love. Without love, we become tired, unhappy; with love we become stronger, happier people. Love of those things for which we hope, love for God, love for justice, love for our cause, will carry us through.” If we are to see the beautiful dawn tomorrow, we must be loyal to the tasks and obligations of today. Faith, Hope and Love are our guideposts on our roads through life. It is with our continued Faith, Hope and bonding Love, that you will assist us with the following:

• Did you know that there are over 1 million Americans living with blood cancer right now?

• Someone is diagnosed every four minutes and every ten minutes someone dies from blood cancer;

• Leukemia is the number one cause of cancer deaths in children under the age of 21;

My family is committed to helping raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). It is through the great works and research of the LLS that many people are being successfully treated. We can pray that one day it will result in a 100% cure rate!

Ernie, our girls and I are going to participate in the Leukemia & Lymphoma “Light the Night Walk” in September. We are asking one simple request: If you are able to make a donation, it would be so deeply appreciated. No amount that you donate is too small. Its very easy - You can click on the following link to make a donation. The minimum we need to raise is $100 for each team member, we hope to that we will surpass that! It is with your help that we will accomplish this goal.

After arriving onto the site, click on which team member you wish to assist (bottom-right of page). You will be able to make a donation from there.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/rm/DenverL12/TeamGG

A Summer Day & Update

“Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character , and proven character hope, and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out into out hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Romans 5: 3-5

This past week we went to my family’s 4th of July celebration in Pueblo. I hadn’t been there in over six months, and it was very emotional for me. Independence Day is one of the biggest holidays that our family celebrates. So many of our family members have served in the military and we have a great love for our country.

The 4th of July is an all day event, with water fights for the kids, tons of food, and lots of love. My brother Ruben and his beautiful wife Connie, the keepers of the family, always graciously host the big family get together’s. This year my brother asked us to write a story that we could share.
In the midst of the summer heat I started thinking about what my summer days were like as a kid. I’d like to share my little story with you. I hope that this helps you to recall some of your favorites childhood summer memories.

Glo Remembers A Summer Day

“Can you remember that perfect carefree summer day in childhood? I remember waking up on any summer day when still moist from sweat from the hot summer night. There was no air conditioning in the house, and I don’t even recall a fan. Now coming from such a large family we sometimes shared a bed which made it that much warmer at night. If you had the luxury of being able to sleep on a bunk bed you would cling to the metal on the bed to try to keep cool. Of course that only lasted briefly.
Back to the summer day… Mama always made sure we ate three meals a day. In between those meals was when the joys of summer took place. There was never a lack of things to do, we would never have said to our parents “I’m bored!” We manufactured our own fun, and there was never a lack of imagination.

I remember playing with my sisters. We played everything from jumprope, hopscotch and jacks, house, and paperdolls. We made mudpies in bottle caps and later on when my sister Anna got an Easy Bake Oven we saved our money and bought Jiffy cake mixes and made real cakes. That was one of the coolest things ever. We would sell them and then walk back to the store to buy more cake mixes. We rode our bikes in 100 heat and never complained about it. When we could escape the heat for the Bessemer Park Swimming Pool that was a treat!

Everyday the snow cone man would come by and we would wish that we had enough money to buy one. You can’t imagine how thrilling it was when my brother Dan became a snow cone man! Now the ice cream man, he was pretty much out of reach. Rarely would we get to have something from the ice cream man but when we did it was the highlight of the day.

I remember when Daddy would take us to Runyan Lake, in the early morning. If we were lucky he would take us to Liz’s café for pancakes. Mmmmmmmmmm! Daddy had us collect rocks, the rocks that you can find in the front of their house along the curb.

There was so much to do all summer long. To most kids today with their video games and electronic devices, I only wish they could experience one summer day like the ones we had in our family.”
Update: I am doing well, but for the past few weeks have been tired and it’s been more difficult to exercise. My platelet counts have improved a lot but my hematocrit count has consistently been on the borderline of needing a transfusion. The low count means I don’t have as much oxygen in my blood cells circulating therefore, the fatigue. I was given the choice to have a transfusion, which would help me to feel better. Since I have been functioning with the low hematocrit cell levels it was recommended to me that I let my own marrow continue to work to improve its own cell production. I continue to let Our Lord lead me and pray that those red cells come marching in!

Yours in Christ, gg

Freedom and Faith

“Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you and help you and uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10
O. James Sowell wrote some time ago that, “Personal courage is the positive result of an inward reflection of God. The fullness of our lives depends on the level of faith in the power of God to see us through. In life’s darkest moments, in the darkest moments in our history, God has always spoken to those who were in tune with his infinite will.”

This is as true today, as it was over 200 years ago. The wicked ways of some humans may claim the battle today, but tomorrow belongs to those who believe. With God on your side, His spirit is anxious to dwell within you. A courageous life is one that knows and accepts God’s presence, and gives Him absolute right of way everyday. This was the courage that our great country’s Founding Fathers relied upon; this is the courage that my Bride exudes everyday.
We have so much to be thankful for on our anniversary marking 236 years of freedom from tyranny. In keeping with strong faith and belief in God, marking our celebration of independence - we remember that we remain a nation that can freely choose, and has freely chose the kinds of leaders embodied on Mount Rushmore. As William Bennett wrote: “Mount Rushmore…is not a tribute to the leaders etched into the Black Hills…it is a tribute to the people who chose them time and time again, just when they are most needed.”
The following is an eloquent writing by one of our most outstanding American Heroes to ever defend our freedom; Vice-Admiral James Stockdale, from June 29, 1980:

“Our Declaration of Independence of 204 years ago this week remains one of the most stirring documents in history, signaling a commitment to bear the responsibilities of protecting a way of life. After our bitter struggle for independence, brave and earnest men stepped forward to write our Constitution and formally frame the reasons for which we had fought that unpopular war against the British. No one had to remind our Founding Fathers of the cost. Fifty-six of them knowingly laid their lives, liberty and honor on the line when they signed that Declaration of Independence. And they paid their dues. In the ensuing war, nine were killed in action, five died as prisoners of war, 12 had their homes burned, several lost sons, one man’s wife died in prison, and 17 (including Thomas Jefferson) went broke. The legacy of these men was summed up very simply by Tom Paine: “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
 This nation has come a long way since the drafting of the Constitution, and the milestones are littered with human sacrifice. We’ve fought wars around the globe in freedom’s name and have paid a terrible price for our most fundamental national belief. Today, there are men and women who may lay down their lives for this country and the freedom for which it stands.
 We all bear the painful cost of freedom. As we formally celebrate the commitment to break from England and to protect our natural rights, let’s hug to our breast our freedom-our most precious national treasure-knowing that it, like a child, is imperfect and demanding but undeniably good. Let’s keep our centuries-old habit of protecting that child of America, that freedom. She’s getting more rare and precious every day.”

My Bride has had strong faith in God and utmost courage through the past 6 months. She continues to model a faithful, loving, and courageous life. She is now seeing the Doctor once every two weeks (from 3 times a week), and he is allowing her little more freedom - even recently allowing a surprise visit with our son and daughter-in-law. Her chemistry is where it is expected to be, as her body continues to accept her new stem-cells and produce more red cells, white cells and platelets. As a family, our faith drives our courage, in all aspects of our lives, thanks to God!

AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM