This is the beginning of the story.

I want to tell you all a story. So sit back and relax because this is EPIC!

Once upon a time...no seriously, Once upon a time...there was a little girl who was born in Camden, New Jersey. She grew up in various places as a baby. She lived in Georgia when she was 6 months old. She lived in Valley Forge, PA where her sister was born and when she was almost three her daddy died. After her daddy died her mom left to raise two small children moved to Pennsauken, NJ. We lived in a small house on Lexington Avenue. I loved it there. There were lots of kids to play with and I made some of the best friends there.

One of those friends was a boy named John. John and I were like peas and carrots. (One of my favorite movies BTW) I chipped my front tooth on his head one time, I laughed at him as he got his head cracked by our "favorite nun" we spent countless hours playing in the neighborhood. He was special to me and I was special to him.

All of that is VERY important...it is all part of this miraculous story...

When I was almost 5 my mom remarried. I will not bore you with all the details but it was a bad thing and they are now divorced. I grew up in a very abusive home and I never told anyone...not even John. But he knew something was not quite right. I find it amazing that he knew, we were ten!


After my parents got married my step dad decided he wanted to go to culinary school so we uprooted our lives and moved away to Rhode Island. I never got to say good bye to John. That made me very sad. the day I went to say goodbye to all my friends he was at home sick.

I liked Rhode Island alright but it was not home and I missed my friends.

After he graduated my step dad got a job in Atlanta and we moved here. We made my parents promise that we would not move again until after we graduated and they kept that promise.

All of this time I thought of John over the years and wondered how he was. When Harvey and I met and married I told stories of growing up on Lexington Avenue and John was always part of those stories. He has been here all along but not been here too.

So FLASH FORWARD about 30 years and thank you GOD for the invention of the internet and Facebook. I was looking for my best friend from NJ, Carmelita. I found her sister. Checked Gina's friends list no one really stuck out as someone who remember me. Got in touch with Carm. Checked her list lo andbehold there was JOHN! Now before you get any idea that I am leaving Harvey and running away with my childhood sweetheart...that is not the news I have to share! Because I am not! So, I put myself out there and sent him a message and indeed he did remember me. (honestly I did not know if he would or not). So we started emailing catching up on our lives. He is married and has a cute little boy named Jack who looks like his daddy did as a boy and he has a new baby on the way. He told me about his job, I told him about Harvey and the girls and what I do. You know all the stuff that has happened in the course of 30 years.

This is where the story gets a little nutty so bear with me. Most of you know I have been sick for a little over two years. I have been seeking treatment and none has worked. The doctors know what will treat it but it is costly and most insurance will not cover it. So we have been at a stand still and I have not been getting any better. As a matter of fact for about the past two months it has gotten a little worse. Anyway John asked me about it and asked me to send him the info on the disease and the treatment. Like okay you are not a doctor so what good would that do...anyway I sent him the info at about 3am on Saturday. He emailed me back at 10:30 with a plan. Wait til you hear all of this because as my beloved choir sang tonight My God is a God of mighty miracles.

He offered Harvey a job. A good job working for his company. Here in GA.

He has offered me an opportunity to get healthy. There in Philly.

He has offered more than I can I possibly tell you in the few minutes I have here.
He has done things for me in the last 6 days that in my wildest dreams I could not orchestrate. It is indeed what we have been praying for for the last couple of years.

So what does all of this mean to me?

*It means that I am stepping out of my life for awhile. It means that I have to "lose control" and let people help me.

*It means I am going to totally change my lifestyle-I am doing a diet that will be a way of life but it will not be easy.

*It means that I have to learn how to be. I am not so good at the being.

*It means that I may be healthy...I WILL be healthy...

*It means that I will be away from my family and my church. That will be VERY difficult but thankfully I can listen to sermons online.

*It means...well it means a lot .

*It means that I have to be obedient to do what God wants me to do.

What does this mean to my family?

*It means that they will be with out me for an unknown period of time. That is going to be hard on all of us.

*It means that they will have to adjust. I do not like change and they do not either.

*It means that they are going to have to pull together to pick up my slack.

*It means that they have to trust that God is in all of this and learn that He is there even when I am not.

What does this mean to you?

*It means I covet your prayers. Now more than ever. For those of you who have been on this journey with me from the beginning I LOVE you all so much for praying for me and I beg you to keep it up. I know that many days I have made it through because of your precious prayers. I know that you all will get me through the days ahead.

*It means that you have to be "the mom" while I am gone.

*It means that I will NEED your help. It is hard for me to ask and I am not sure how it will look and what we will need just yet. That will probably be a seperate post.

I leave on December 1st to go to NJ and begin a wonderful journey. I am looking forward to going. To seeing John, meeting Jack & Alycia. And just getting well.

So there ya go. I hope it was worth the wait.

Love, Jenn