Mom's Journal - Entry #1

Friends, my Dad stumbled upon this little journal of Mom's sometime last week. None of us knew it existed or that she has written in it. It appears she cracked it open the summer of 2004, following a surgery that brought some dscouraging news. While she went into the surgery with doctors assuming this could be the end of all cancer for her, they ended up sewing her back up removing nothing at all: the cancer had spread all through out her abdomen. Except for a miracle, it was only a matter of time befor the cancer would take her life.

These five little journal entries are Mom's response to some seemingly horrific news. It's incredible. I guess will never know why she wrote this or who she intended to read it. I'm thanking the Soveriegn Lord for providing such rich words from my momma...you can hear her speaking as you read it. This gives you a glimpse of what a godly woman she was. I will post all five entries eventually (they are even more amazing all together), but for now here is the first. I only wish I could post it in her own handwriting. Be encouraged...


"5/29/04...I wanted to share some of the things God has taught me in the past 5 years of having cancer.
1. The most important thing I've learned: Salvation & the gift of spending eternity in Heaven is the most important gift I will ever recieve. When you face death the only important thing is where you will spend eternity. Thank you Lord for dying for me and taking my wrath & punishment on the cross. Therefore, because I have confessed my sins and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior, forever I can look forward to Heaven. Tis effects my daily life because I want to live my life today and throughout eternity to glorify God. When you focus on the cross the cares of life don't seem so overwhelming. An eternal perspective puts everything in the right perspective. I don't ever want to take my salvation for granted- no matter how great I feel and wonderful all my circumstances are. My salvation is of first and greatest importance."

"Aunt Julie"

She's pretty much the most amazing girl you'll ever meet. I mean that seriously. I've told her before that she is one of my Heroes. My sister Julie loves the Lord with an amazing passion. She has trusted the Lord through these past eight years of Mom's battle with cancer, and even in her death. She has never once complained, never shaken her fist at God and has only continued to REJOICE in the midst of her own pain. She displays the most genuine Joy I have ever seen in a person (genuine because it is rooted in the Lord, not circumstances). She also is completly others focused.

With all this said, she is not only one amazing sister, but an absolutely incredible Aunt. I'll let this picture speak for itself.

I sure do love you, Goober!

Alathea...our bundle of Joy...she's really walking now!

Alathea is our little bundle of Joy. Even at my saddest times of missing my Mom its hard to stay that way long with her around. She is walking 100% of the time now! Her first steps were almost 2 months ago and it took her until this past two weeks to really get the hang of walking. She's just recently gone "cold turkey" on crawling...all while she still isn't a superb walker...which has led to multiple bumps and bruises! Today we were out on our "Family Fun Day" at the mall and she decided to "jump" out if the stroller head first! (Yes, we do normally strap her in!). This is a small example of how "on the go" our little girl is.

I am trying to post a short video of her walking...will do if I can figure it out! (Also, how do I flip these pictures :)

Ft. Myers Beach

As you can see we had an AMAZING trip with my family & extended family to Ft. Myers Beach, Florida the week after Christmas. It was a wonderful time to have fun with the family, especially after such a difficult year of Mom's illness and death. God blessed every aspect of it- even the weather was beautiful. We enjoyed many days on the beach (Alathea LOVES the beach!), jetskiing, bike riding, riding mopeds, eating seafood, watching fireworks on New Years Eve, lots of walks on the beach and enjoying quality time together as a family. Along with my Dad, Rocky & Julie, my Uncle Billy, Aunt Jeanie, Cousins Grace & Isaiah, Aunt Mary Beth, Cousin Ryan, Aunt Pat & Uncle Bill Ivins were all there as well. Fun times! A very special thanks to my wonderful Daddy who blessed us by paying for our complete trip! He is the most generous man I know!

Happy New Year!!

We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas & a blessed New Year already! It's hard to believe that it is 2007! Wow, time sure flies. Just one year ago Joe & I hadn't had Alathea yet and my mom was still living. A lot can change in a year. While reflecting on this past year I realize the Lord has taught me so much... the biggest lesson of all be that He is Soverign, Good & All-Wise. In short, I've learned to trust Him more than ever before. Like the song says, "He gives and He takes away, and I will say 'blessed be your name".

Sorry to take so long to post, we've been "on the road, AGAIN!". No surprise really. Alathea & I enjoyed a week in MD with family and friends in Mid December. We drove up with my great friend, Rebecca Swan, after her baby shower here in NC. We celebrated my amazing sister, Julie's, 17th birthday. It was a blast. I LOVE being with Julie! (actually, everyone LOVES being with her...she really is amazing). We enjoyed a fun dinner out at a fancy chinese retsaraunt with Julie's "inner circle" of friends (which was over 35!). We also celebrated Christmas with my family while we were up there. I had a wonderful time taking lots of walks and going shopping almost daily with my daddy. We had lots of special time together. I also was able to see my brother Rocky, who is at U MD and some extended family. I have to thank my amazingly wonderful husband for not only releasing me to go to MD, but encouraging me to go. He is so sensitive to how difficult the Christmas was with out my mom and wanted me to see my family as much as possible. I love you so much, baby!

Once back in Charlotte, there was less than one week until Christmas! We enjoyed wonderful family time just the three of us! We drove to see Christmas lights and started new family traditions. Joe's grandmother, Mere, and Aunt Mimi came in town the week of Christmas. We spent at least part of everyday visiting with them and the rest of the Lechners. There was lots of food and lots of roudy games of domino's. It was fun spending so much time together. Alathea especially enjoyed her cousin Andrew, who is only 3 months younger than her. We enjoyed all of the Christmas party's and festivities until Joe got the nasty somach flu the day before Christmas Eve and we had to miss both services that day :( Paise God is was only 24 hours of sickness and the Lord protected the baby and I!

Christmas day was a special day- Alathea's 1st Christmas. She LOVES opening presents and enjoying her new toys :)

December 27th we flew to Ft. Myers Beach, Florida to enjoy a special vacation with my family! (Dad, Rocky, Julie, Uncle Billy, Aunt Pat & Uncle Bill, Aunt Jeanie & Grace & Isaiah, and Aunt Mary Beth with baby Ryan). My Aunt Pat owns a house on the beach and 4 of my mom's siblings and children all met there for a little family vacation. My Dad, being as AMAZINGLY generous as he is, paid for Joe & I completely as a Christmas gift. What a blessing! We were in Florida for an entire week...from Dec 277-Jan 3rd. We just flew in last night! I'll post more on this wonderful trip soon. For now, Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving Pictures

Fun with Daddy! He can always make her laugh.






Alathea is a true "Bowers" with her soccer ability so young!






Joe, Jeanie, Alathea, Rocky & Julie













Stopped in traffic for 3 hours...we made it fun :)











Fun with Aunt Julie (yes, she's eating desitin :)

Happy Birthday, Mom

Today is a difficult day for those in the Bowers family. It would have been my Mom's 51st birthday. Sadly for us, we can't be with her today. But happily for her, she gets to celebrate face-to-face with her Savior. Days like this I am reminded of how much I miss Mom, who was also my best friend. The pain of her loss hurts so bad. But, I already see much good that has come out of it in my own life. It has definatly made me aware of how desperate I am for my Lord to bring comfort...which He does so faithfully. Today I read with a face full of tears and a longing heart in Revelation 21:4, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." What an unshakable hope we have in the Lord! Every time I think of Mom I am reminded of her unwavering faith she had in the promises of God...which is why she had exuberant joy in the midst of the most intense pain & suffering, and even at the thought of death. She left an incredible legacy of Faith for us to follow. I sure loved my Mom! Say a prayer for my family today if you remember. (Oh, and just a thought the Lord was laying on my heart...pray for ALL families you know who have lost loved ones, whether this year or many years ago. Holidays can be a painful time of rememberance like no other time. I never understood this until now and wish I had been more full of compassion to pray. Thanks!)

Alathea's trying to Walk

It's hard to believe that our little 9 month old baby girl just started to take her first few steps. Monday, during family day, we were at Northlake Mall's play area & sure enough she let go of the bench & took a wobbly three steps before falling to the floor. She had a huge smile, hands in the air & squealed as she did it! Joe & I were smiling even bigger (I guess it's a first time parent thing). I'll post Thanksgiving & Knoxville pict's soon!

On the Road Again

Early Thursday morning we load up baby girl and head to Knoxville, Tennessee. We take an anual trip there each year to visit dear friends Mike & Elizabeth Plewniak (they lead the college ministry at University of Tenn...so we have quite a bit in common). We also bring along the interns (Dave& Anne, Katherine & Stretch) so they can learn from the interns at the church there. There is an added bonus this year, because I get to see my little Meg who moved to Knoxville this summer. Joe will be speaking Thursday night in Knoxville & then at Crossway on Sunday when we get home...keep him in your prayers!

We then head up to Maryland for the entire week of Thanksgiving (Monday-Sunday)...Yippee! I've been counting down the days to see my family. It will be so nice to have such an extended visit. We have lots of fun things planned...like shopping, the zoo, and catching up with friends. We can't wait! Although I am sure we will have a blast together, there still is an undeniable looming sadness at the loss of Mom. She hasn't even been gone three months yet. Please keep the entire family in your prayers as we approach the holiday season. Everything about the holidays reminds us of Mom and this will be the first ever with out her. Praise the Lord for the hope of Heaven & for the comfort he provides on earth at present. He has met each of us in our mourning...Thank you for your prayers!!

Our Little Cowgirl

Alathea went to her very first birthday party a few weeks ago...that of her very favorite friends CJ & Avery Balckburn. They had a big "Cowboy/Cowgirl" theme. It was lots of fun...Alathea especially enjoyed herself as she seemed to think it was actually her birthday (she sat next to Eileen and played with each toy that was opened immediately as if it was hers :). I'll post other party pic's later, but for now enjoy our little Cowgirl with her Shariff, Cousin Andrew (5 Months old).

Happy Fall

Alathea Joy at 8 Months
"Little Goose" riding in a wagon of Pumpkins

Recent family photo in Davidson

Alathea in a bunch of pumpkins

It's been a while since I've updated this! The little princess is keeping me busier than ever now! My only hope of even thinking of getting on the computer is during her nap time. Alathea is now "Cruising" all around the house, holding onto furniture or people and walking from thing to thing. Today she started letting go of the coffee table and standing alone for a few seconds at a time. She's pretty brave! She is also a ton of fun. She absolutely loves people (adults and other kids) and is a delight to play with. Some of her favorite activities now are feeding the ducks, reading her books, crawling around like crazy outside (and sometimes eating dirt- yuck!), playing with cousin Andrew or friends CJ & Avery, "helping" mommy make dinner, talking to Pop-pop on the phone every day, visiting Grammy, sitting on Daddy's lap & "driving" his car in circles on out Cul-de-sac and waiting at the glass door every day for Da-Da to come home!

Weekend with Pop-Pop, Uncle Rocky & Aunt Julie

We were so blessed to get to spend 3 whole days with my dad ("Pop-Pop"), my brother Rocky (Uncle Rocky), and sister, Julie (Aunt Goober :). They flew into Charlotte from Maryland for Columbus Day weekend. It was SO GOOD to see them. I missed them so much. All summer I was blessed to see them about every other week while mom was sick. Since her death it had been 6 whole weeks, which felt like a very long time.

We had lots of fun hanging out together, going to the mall, getting candy apples, going to Starbucks, watching movies, going on walks and eating lots of yummy meals! My Uncle Perry (Dad's brother) and Aunt Janet drove up from Columbia, SC for a night...it was great seeing them as well!

I pretty much have the most amazing family I could ever ask for. All three of them are true Hereos of mine for the way they trust the Lord, focus on others and exibit so much Joy in a difficult time. I couldn't love and respect them more than I do right now! They are truly amazing.

Alathea also absolutely adores them (and really enjoys the attention :). A few days after they left I was listening to a message my dad left on the answering machine. When Alathea heard "Pop-Pops" voice she quickly turned her head, had a huge smile, wiggled her legs and let out a squeal. More proof of how much she loves them too!

Fun with "Dada" on the Lazy River

Everyday in Florida we'd float around the lazy river over and over again! This lazy river was sweet...complete with water falls and fountains! Joe, being the amazing servant he is, ALWAYS held Alathea either in his arms or in her float, while I floated leisurely alongside. She loved being held by her Daddy!

Meeting Mimi & Mere in Florida

We're back from beautiful, sunny Florida! Our trip was wonderful...even better than we expected. Joe & I had so much fun vacationing with a baby (despite so many people who've told us they feel otherwise!). We found so much joy watching Alathea squeal in delight each morning as we walked her down to the lazy river area! One of the highlights for us was spending two days with Joe's grandmother (Alathea's great-grandmother!), Mere, and his Aunt Mimi (who is like a 2nd mom to him). Mimi met Alathea for the first time! We love them so much and don't get to see them often enough!

The week was also a wonderful time of relaxing together and making some wonderful memories as a family! Alathea kept us laughing as she is quite the little "explorer" now. We'd turn our back for a second and find her in the closet, in our suitcase, buried under our clothes laughing in delight! (We laughed too :) She easily crawls from room to room and can pull up on anything within reach. This was a perfect vacation for a 7 month old baby! I'll post more pictures soon!

Heading to Florida...

As much fun as we have with Alathea's baby pool on the front porch, we are really excited about heading to Florida this friday morning! My dad was extremely generous and blessed Joe & I with a belated "anniversary" trip after this long & hard season of Mom's illness & death. We found this amazing resort outside Orlando, Florida and have it booked from Sept 29-Oct 6. We can't wait to have an entire week together as a family!! We are even more excited because Joe's grandmother, Mere, and his Aunt Mimi are driving up from Ft. Lauderdale to spend the weekend with us (Mimi has never seen the baby!).
It gets even better...once we get home, the next morning (Sat., Oct 7), we get to pick up "Pop-Pop", Uncle Rocky & Aunt Julie from the airport!! They are spending Columbus Day weekend with us! We can't wait! I miss my family SO MUCH (Alathea does too :). I'm sure LOT'S of pictures will soon come :).
God has been SO KIND to bless us with this special family time following a season of lots of time apart from each other. Thank you, Daddy, for your amazing generosity & Thank you Lord for blessing us so richly!

"All Day Family Fun Day"

Every Monday, which is Joe's "new" day off, we spend the entire day as a family. We like to call it our "all day family fun day". We usually eat a yummy breakfast and play together at home in the morning and then venture off for a day of fun once Alathea wakes up from her morning nap. The past few family fun day spots have been the pool, the park, feeding the ducks at the lake and our new all-time favorite...playing in the fountains at Birkdale! We look forward to this day ALL week! (Sorry for the sideways pictures...I can't figure out how to flip them :)

"Nana"

Yesterday marked the one month anniversary of my mom's death. I still miss her more with each passing day. She was the most remarkable woman! I am SO grateful for every day & every memory I had with her. The only thing that is harder than the thought of me missing her, is the thought of Alathea missing her beloved "Nana". Literally until her dying breath my mom LOVED & CHERISHED my little girl. She called Alathea her "Happy Pill"..."She's better than any pain medication", mom would say (and I was a witness, it was true!). Mom flew down to Charlotte to be here for the first two weeks of Alathea's life. She did that despite the fact that she had a kidney bag and had been in and out of the hospital at least once a month for the past five months. She served me so much that week! Alathea & I made nine trips to MD with in the six months of Alathea's birth to Mom's death (Thanks to Joe being so selfless!). Mom enjoyed every aspect of being a grandmother...she'd rock her to sleep when she was strong enough, gave Alathea her first bath, her first baby food, taught her to roll-over and even went to her first doctors appointment. Mom's favorite part of the day was "Alathea-Nana" time which was as soon as they both woke up in the morning. She'd read her books, and "talk" & play with her. Mom enjoyed this all the way until her last few days of life. Mom out-lived all life expectancies placed on her...there's not a doubt in my mind my little baby played a part in that. Even when mom was unresponsive the last three days of her life, when Alathea would giggle and play next to her in bed, mom would crack a smile. She was enjoying her precious grandbaby until her dying breath. Memories of Nana will live on through stories, video's, pictures, letters and the legacy of faith she's imparted into all who knew her. I pray daily for my baby girl's Salvation because I cannot wait until the day I get to see Nana & Alathea meeting again in Heaven.