Happy Birthday, Ben!

Today is Ben's 10th birthday. Happy Birthday, Ben! I guess we can call him "Ben Ten" or is it "Ben 10?" Who knows. He'll always be my Benna-Boo. He'll kill me for posting these pictures from this past week, but it shows his true personality. (Although I did post one picture of him riding his scooter in his underwear in the snow, I swore to him I wouldn't post the one of him playing Guitar Hero in his new spandex boxer briefs and wife beater...too bad. It's cute.)

Merry Christmas

The gifts are all wrapped and under the tree. It's 1 AM, and I just took the last gulp of Santa's wine (yes, here at the Cunningham household he gets wine if we have it...Santa doesn't like milk...ugh...especially a cup of it that's been sitting out since bedtime...) It's time to go to bed...the boys will be up by 6, I am sure. Last year it was 5:30 I think! Tonight we had wedding soup, went to Niederman's Farm for their Christmas Walk (even Alan went!), and after Ben went to bed at 9:30 (his idea is that the earlier you go to sleep the earlier you can get up!) Colin and I watched The Flintstone's Christmas Carol. Well he watched it. I am not very good at sitting down and watching something. I was asleep on the couch before he met Marley's ghost! I woke up just in time to see Scrooge see the error of his ways and repent. Great story.

I hope everyone has a joyous and blessed Christmas with family and friends. I know it's a time of gift giving and receiving (why must it be so stressful to get just the right presents, the right amount of gifts under the tree for each boy, etc) when the true meaning is that God sent his Son to earth. He asked a poor girl and her fiance to take on the responsibility of caring for the One who will open the gates of Heaven for us. Let us not forget the real meaning of Christmas, and continue the celebration through the season of Christmas that lasts through the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6.

In the words of Charles Dickens and Tiny Tim, "God bless us, every one!"

Sad news

Now that my emails are back in order (I think I ended up getting over 600 emails from my mom and the CF foundation) I was able to get some important emails. One being very sad news that Karen Visely (see blog entry a few weeks ago) died on Wednesday. Here are my sister's words:

I'm so sorry to pass the news that Karen did not recover from the injuries sustained in the horrific fire that destroyed her home. She passed away late this morning. That's all the information I have at this time. Thanks for all your prayers. Please keep her family, her students and her fellow teachers in your prayers. She's now at peace. God bless, Madonna How sad, but I, too, am so glad that God took her to be at peace in Heaven. I cannot even fathom the torture she would go through during the healing process. It really puts things into perspective. I can write about stuff that drives me crazy, but what she and her family went and will go through is just unimaginable. Please keep her children (2 adult children) and her family and friends in your prayers. I just keep thinking about her 4th grade class and those children who loved her so much. Merry Christmas, everyone. Please be safe. Have happy times with loved ones.

Karen update

Here are two emails I received from my sister today, written by two people close to Karen. Please keep praying...her address is at the bottom if you feel inclined to send her your well wishes.

We would like to share what we know about Karen’s condition. She is in a medically induced coma due to the severity of her injuries. This is common with burn victims. Her condition has been and will remain very critical for weeks, months……..no one knows how long. Karen will be kept in this comatose state “ a long time”, because 60% of her body has 3^rd degree burns. She is on dialysis, due to renal failure, as well as having blood pressure problems. These seem to be the two major concerns—besides the burns.

Karen’s son, John, is now living with his dad in Hecla. He is coping much better, but he’s lost everything, too.

We know this sounds very dire, but we have been told that it is all unpredictable and Pam and I see that it isn’t like any other injury or disease. There is no timeline, prognosis or diagnosis given. Hour to hour, day to day………..

Please continue to keep Karen in your prayers. Pray for her comfort and strength. Each day that she is with us is a miracle.

and...

Karen is currently in surgery to remove the burned tissue in anticipation of eventually being able to graft healthy skin. This is standard protocol for burn victims. Her family is at the hospital with her.

I would not encourage anyone from work to go visit with her until a later time. Now is a time needed for rest and recovery. Visiting also brings outside germs and infection, which she is very susceptible to at this time. So, give her time and visit when she is stronger.

Cards and emails are the best choice right now. Her sister is staying at the family house provided by the hospital for a small fee. She sits faithfully with her sister, and reads her all of the cards and email’s, which is wonderful stimulation for Karen. I do believe she may hear her sister. However, she will be kept comfortable for the time being with medical interventions.

Karen also remains on dialysis to cleanse the toxins from her body until her kidneys can do this for her. This is not uncommon at this time. This will be a slow recovery, so I ask you all to sit tight. We will keep you posted as time goes on. This is Karen’s 5^th day out, and that is a good sign. Karen is a fighter, and she is getting the very best care there is to help her on the road to recovery. I know your thoughts and prayers are with Karen and her loved ones.

Karen Visley
West Penn Hospital
T2 Burn Unit
4800 Friendship Ave.
Pittsburgh,Pa 15224

The Power of Prayer

We all know how strong the power of prayer is. Please, please, please keep Karen Visely in your constant prayers. She is is friend of my sisters as well as a co-worker (teacher.) Here's the article:

Norvelt teacher critical after escaping Bullskin fire By Rachel R. Basinger TRIBUNE-REVIEW NEWS SERVICE Wednesday, December 5, 2007 Norvelt Elementary School teacher Karen Visley is in the burn unit at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh after escaping an early morning fire at her Fayette County home Monday. The blaze at 108 E. Lake Road in the Bear Rocks section of Bullskin was reported at 1:53 a.m. and required firefighters from five departments to stay at the scene for four hours. Her ex-husband, John Visley Sr., said Karen's injuries include burns over 50 percent of her body and some internal injuries. She remains in critical condition. Karen Visley has a 24-year-old son, John, and a 29-year-old daughter, Melissa. State police fire marshals did not return calls seeking comment. Visley Sr. said he was informed an extensive investigation into the cause of the fire could not be done until the remains of the structure are torn down, but it may have started in the living room. Visley Sr. said he and the couple's children owe a debt of gratitude to the Jones family, who live just down the road. "God bless those people," he said. "He's a fireman and she delivers Karen's mail, so when the call came over the scanner, the wife knew exactly where the home was. "They went outside and looked up the street and saw the flames, so they ran to the house and found Karen lying in the driveway and got her away from the structure," Visley Sr. said. Karen Visley crawled out of her bedroom window and jumped from a porch roof. Darcie Gatti, principal at Norvelt Elementary School, said the students are concerned about their teacher. "We're all kind of in limbo because we're not being updated on her condition," she said. "She is a very loved teacher." Firefighters from Chestnut Ridge, Saltlick, Connellsville Township, Mt. Pleasant and Everson assisted Bullskin at the scene.

I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES

You gotta check this out. The song is so catchy I swear you'll fall asleep and wake up singing it. The group Popple is a Catholic music duo. They are great! I wish we could get them to come to our area.

The video is of the Rosary Army people's son who loves the song.

I am off to Christmas decorating hell. No tree and no receipt for the broken tree we bought last night...

Praying for snow........