A note from Mr. Jim...

...was sitting in my email box mid-morning today. I knew that this email was coming, but i wasn't sure when. As i looked at the title of the update email, which simply was titled "Jolynn", i couldn't decide if i wanted to open it or not, read this email now, or read it much, much later. Mr. Jim sends updates weekly on Ms. Jo to friends and family to let everyone know how she's doing.

She's not doing well.

I don't think that any of us are surprised that she's almost at the end of her journey. I do think that what has surprised everyone is how Ms. Jo seems to be taking care of everyone around here, even as sick as she has gotten. She has shown amazing grace, almost as if she is giving us lessons in not only how to live to the end, but how to die with grace at the end, too. One last gift from her to all of us around her.

Below is Mr. Jim's email. It's hard to read it without tears coming. Yesterday, Ms. Jo asked Mr. Jim to make her final arrangements, telling him what her final wishes were to be. She is tired, i think, and ready to make sure that everything is ready to how she wants it....

Hello All,

Jolynn finally made her decision to go ahead with having the hospital bed and the Foley catheter put in today. She has almost no strength at this point and last night it took Mike and I both to help her up. She is starting to have pain from being helped up and back to her chair or bed, and we would never do anything on purpose to make her pain worse. She has been strong beyond our wildest dreams, but the "Tuff Guy Act" is fast coming to a close. She is still fighting, but she knows she will not win this battle, even with her valiant effort over these past 13 months and for sure these past 6 weeks. We can only admire her willingness to do whatever needed to have just one more day, then another, and so on. She is not giving up, but is slowing down, resting and getting ready for the next hurdle in her journey to peace and restfulness.

We are doing our best to tolerate all the things that are happening to our beloved, Wife, Mother, Nana, and friend. We don't question God's decision to choose one person over another to stand at his side, but we wish it would much later for our Jolynn. There are so many things in our children and grand children's lives that she won't get to be a physical part of. Her presence will be forever in our hearts and hopefully we will try and remember as much of the good things that have been in our lives.

Please continue to pray for Jo. Her mental and spiritual peace is needed now more than ever. God bless all.

Jim (for our family)

As for me, my heart is once again, sad to the point that it aches. I'm sad for us that Jolynn won't be a part of our physical lives anymore. Mr. Jim will loose his much beloved wife. Missy will loose her Mama. Michael will loose his Mama. The grandchildren will loose an amazing Nana.

And i, and many of Jolynn's friends, will loose an amazing friend.

I'll be able to spend time with the Farley bunch this weekend....and i'm so looking forward to seeing them and hanging out with Mr. and Ms. Jo. For single moment counts, you know....every single moment.