ann kiemel

"hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah!

He is higher than we ever

could imagine...and closer

than our eyes could ever see...

He is magnificent....He alone

is holy...no one else as glorious

as He...."  10,000 reasons

jan is off the ventilator.

no brain damage.

they were able to suck

out all the food in her lungs.

one of you wrote:  warriors

enlisted.  praying.  oh, fellow

warriors, because of you, i

have seen a miracle.

it's 5am.

i'm still crying.

i sat on the edge of Jan's bed

in icu.  i read her every one of

your comments.  speaking your

names as i went. tears rolling

down my cheeks.

tom and i headed to the

hospital.  sobered with every

terror possible bubbling in our

thoughts.  jan. our jan.  a complete

vegetable?  i refused to cry.

reserving all emotion; gathering

strength to hold me upright in

prospect of the worst.

so many of you have heard

the worst.  lived through the

darkest.  please never believe

my struggles are more significant than

yours.   my black shadows

only draw me closer to you.

you must all know 

that jan and i have had our

petty struggles. our insecurities. with each other.

but everything in my life

was forever changed july 20-21.

whatever jan wants,

i want.  whatever she thinks,

i want to listen.  the hurtful

moments will always carry a

different hue of meaning.  to

see her on the ventilator,  her

face swollen and bruised.  i

am forever transformed by

the wonderful grace of Jesus.

her first words off the

ventilator were:

"lordy. lordy...i have to go

home today."  smile.

thank you.

every one.

beyond words.

"...may you have strength

to comprehend with all the

saints...what is the

breadth and length and height

and depth..

and to know the love of Christ

that surpasses knowledge..

that you may be filled with

all the fullness of God..."ephesians 3

we are not empty.

not alone.

ever.

thanks, warriors.

enlisted and ready.

thank you so!!!!