Tribute to a wonderful life

Diane Coulter was an amazing woman. She was incredible example of what Jesus meant by "let your light so shine before men." In everything she did, she did it for God's glory. It didn't matter what kind of stress was in her life at the time, she always put others first, and extended her love to those in need. It goes as no surprise that a void now lies in many hearts as we grieve her loss. The one consolation we have is being reunited with her again in the Day of our Lord. May we all be there for the reunion that day.

Updates from the Sunny South

Hello everyone. I am writing from Florida on an ever changing Sabbath afternoon. On the way back from church it poured rain, and then by the time we were getting back, the blue skies were out. It has since changed from sun to thunder and back to sun again. Gotta love Florida in the summer! 

The update about my Aunt is that she has both good days and bad days, but seems to be having a good one today. She was put back on a medicine that agrees with her better and her nausea is more manageable now. One of the downsides to the medicine is that it knocks her out at times, and others it just make her say some really funny things. But we love her lots anyway! We really just want her to be as comfortable as she can be. She ate some yesterday, which was the first time in a few weeks. She gets a nutrition pack at night though, so no worries, she does get some nutrition. 

I have been able to spend some really good quality time with my cousin Justin. We have had some good talks about what each of us is going through and spiritual things in general. It is amazing to see what God has done and is still doing. God is so amazing! 

My other cousin Andy, and his girlfriend Sarah are up today as well. Andy is an RN so he will be able to take the place of the nurse for the night. It is nice to see Aunt Diane interact with the family. 

Other than that, not much is going on. I will update more when there is more to tell. : ) 

Hope everything is going well with you all. 

Beauty and God's Beneficence

I took these pictures yesterday morning...

and thought it might be nice...

to spread the cheer! : )

Isn't God amazing?!

So, just as I promised, this is the update for what is happening right now. Due to the continued decline in my Aunt Diane's health, my family and I are heading back down to Florida tomorrow morning to spend some time, in what may be her last days. Gallbladder cancer is terrible. She has stopped taking chemo and Hospice is now at her home 24/7. Her pain level has decreased some since they are giving her pain medication, but I would still ask all of you for your prayers. What has given me hope through all of this is the fulfillment of God's promise that "All things work together for good..." Through the grief and thinking this illness brought upon the family members, my cousin Justin has come to the Lord! It has been one of the most wonderful experiences to become closer to him as he was struggling, and support him in his decision to give his life to Jesus. God is so amazing! I knew that God had plans to bring good out of this bad situation right from the very beginning, but I surely wasn't expecting this. Praise God! So, going down to Florida entails spending time with Justin and continuing to walk with him on this new road of faith, as well as spending time with the rest of the family. I am just so thankful for what God has done and what He is still doing. :) 

I would ask all of you to keep us in your prayers as we travel tomorrow (our plane leaves at 6:30am which means we probably have to leave the house at 4:30am!). More importantly, I ask that you would pray for God's wisdom for me that I may be the best support and witness for Him in the situation down there. May God's will be done! 

I thank you all for your prayers and support. All is greatly appreciated! :) Oh, and I will keep everyone posted as to what is happening down there. 

Thanks,

Ashley

School and a Surprise

So, amazingly enough, mostly to me, I am done with my classes for this term, or at least the part that I was worried about. I completed my Academic Strategies with the best grades I have ever gotten....100%! Course it was the easiest class I have ever taken, but thats besides the point. ; ) My other class went well also, but it was harder for sure. I studied hard all morning yesterday to add to the studying I had already been doing, and decided to take my final for Med. Law & Ethics early so that I could get a lot of things done working with Dad. I was pretty happy with the result. It was not as good as I had wished, but hey, it was a 200pt test! I felt good when it was over! 

After all that was said and done, I headed down to Adam's to set up for something I had been thinking about for quite a while...my parents 25th Anniversary party! I actually had thought about it months in advance, but lacked the motivation to plan it on my own. I was spurred on by my Uncle a few weeks ago and then my Aunt helped me plan it. God really worked out the details so well. He always does. :) Every single person I invited offered to bring food. The result was an amazing spread! My gift to them was to send them for a night up to the Von Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. Yes, this is where the real people the Sound of Music movie lived after they came here from Austria. It is a really beautiful place, and very well done up. My parents loved it, and while they were gone I got to bake cakes and make LOTS of phone calls. 

The whole things worked out because Adam's birthday was on Sabbath, and Gail decided to have a bon fire get-together on Sunday evening, so with her permission I used that as the guise to get my parents to their party. :) My Mom was surprised. My Dad is a Coulter. Nothing gets by him. Anways, it went really well, and I am so glad it happened. The weather didn't quite cooperate, so we got smushed inside the house like a bunch of sardines, but it was so much fun! Adam's Dad even made home-made ice cream. :) 

Well I guess that about wraps it up. I will post again tomorrow concerning what is happening this week. Hope everyone is doing well. 

Adios.