Lady Traveler's Journey with brother John Part 1

(LAST UPDATE on John at bottom of page)

There will always be the unknown.

There will always be the unpredictable.

But faith confronts those frontiers with a thrilling leap.

Then life becomes vibrant with each new adventure!

It all began with these two ... Mom & Dad's wedding at
Shaw Air Force base Sumter, SC  1944

So far the new year 2020 had been good to me.

Just to be alive is pure thrilling.

Even before my first cup of coffee.

But two weeks ago things changed when my sister-in-law Ger called
to tell me that my sweet brother John (72) was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
(several weeks earlier he thought it was just an irritating pain).

A week later, more news.
John calls me with all the test results:
 Stage4 cancer.  Stomach.  Liver.  Lymph nodes ...
6 to 9 months to live.
Now my stomach is hurting ... and my heart is aching.
I pull myself together, and reply, 

"that's the doctor's report.
We believe in miracles, so there!"

Mr. Doctor tells John if he feels up to it,

go ahead and take the 8-day Mexican Riviera cruise on January 25th
that he and Ger had planned months ago.
"And here, take these pain pills with you," he adds.
With a nod from Rob, I immediately ask John,
"Would you mind if we join you on the cruise?"
John started laughing and crying at the same time.
"Could you? That would be so great if you could!"

I hung up and Rob called their Carnival travel agent,
telling her our circumstances and how important it is that we are on that ship.
"Hold on ... let me see ... well, we just happen to have one cabin left."
"We'll take it!" we said in unison through the speaker phone.
She added, "This must be God that we have this cabin."
We replied, "It is definitely God working on our behalf!"

Brother John & Ger in their garden
 Zion Utah Summer 2016

Long story short:
Rob and I are sailing on an 8-day cruise with my brother John and his wife Geri,
his daughter Christy and husband Todd.

I know many of you have been through this when you receive what we call
Bad News.
You've felt the shock, the pain, the hurt, the fear ... every emotion there is.
And then Jesus ...
He reaches out and holds you tight and whispers,
Everything will be all right.

Let me take this opportunity to tell you about my sweet brother.
I'm probably writing to myself but that's okay.
I need to get this part of my journey down in writing.

My brother John is fifteen months younger than me.
We shared the same bedroom until I was in seventh grade.
We had an invisible line in the middle of the room that spoke,
"You keep your trucks and teddy bear on your side,
and I'll keep my dolls and panda bear on my side."
Then one Christmas Santa left him a Roy Rogers and Dale Evans ranch.
That's when I agreed to meet him in the middle so I could pretend to be Dale Evans
riding the range on Buttermilk!

I was elated when Daddy converted our garage into John's bedroom.
My very own bedroom! I never took my bedroom for granted.
I loved my privacy, and my pink walls!
There was only one problem ...
brother John had to walk through my room to get to his room. Yuk!
He still reminds me about the night I made him
walk through the back yard in the rain just because
I was talking on the phone to one of my many boyfriends.
I know, selfish sister.

Years passed, and we were married with kids when Mommy was diagnosed with
Multiple Sclerosis and needed full-time nursing care.
 John and I worked together to help Daddy cope with this situation
until she went to heaven at the young age of 66.
A few years later when Daddy was diagnosed with Parkinson's Decease
we pulled together again until he went to be with Jesus at the young age of 91.

Yes, we are a brother and sister who loved our parents,
and showed it by giving a little something back to them ...
our time and our love.

You and I have been told over and over that we know not what tomorrow holds.
So again I remind you and encourage you (and me)
to hold close to those you love, both near and far.
And no matter what the circumstances look like,

never lose your faith in miracles.

Bro and Sis at his home in Zion 2016


I am blessed to have a brother that laughs and has a sense of humor
(we inherited these traits from our funny parents).
John is loving and kind and loves Jesus, his family, and his friends.
He is a simple man, like our Daddy.
I have the best brother in the world and I'm honored to be his sassy sister!
I've learned through my 74 years
that a simple, loving, and kind man is the best kind.
And I also happen to be married to one!

I thank all of you for your friendship, both near and far.
And most of all, thank you for praying for John as the Holy Spirit leads you to do.


By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed by God's command,
that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
Hebrews 11:8-10 NLT

UPDATE EARLY MARCH 2022:

Two years now, and the Keytruda therapy is no longer helping.

The cancer has spread.

John's doctor gave him two options:

Chemo or hospice.

At this writing he is choosing chemo.

He is weak, yet strong in spirit, never complaining,

only speaking the reality of his journey.

Rob and I are on standby but at this writing we'll be driving to

Utah the end of April to spend precious time with him.

UPDATE LATE MARCH 2022:

No time for chemo. Less than a week of at-home hospice.

Rob and I are on the road to Utah mid March

and arrive just in time to give hugs, kisses, and our

last "good-bye, see you in heaven."

Heaven-bound on March 25th, 2022

May 24, 2022

Today is John's first birthday in heaven

and I'm down here missing him like crazy.

I miss his nightly/daily phone calls that we shared over the last two years.

He spoke slowly, softly, and in the end couldn't speak so

our phone calls ended.

That's when Rob and I hit the road to Utah.

Tonight I'll light a candle on a cupcake and try to sing 

"Happy Birthday, sweet brother,

happy birthday to you ...."