Doing OK

I am so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful family and friends here at home, and further afield.

I am cared for with love and concern.

Thank you all for supporting me in so many different ways.

If I may be so bold, please continue to pray for me, write to me and call me. I may not get back to you, but I am so grateful for your contact at this time.

I am asked by people how I am doing and my reply is that I am doing OK.

Now, there are two ways of saying this:

The first is: "Actually, in spite of immense sadness and loss, I am doing OK!"

This is a positive statement that I hope will display my very real inner peace.

Nothing can fill the hole of Wayman's death, but I am coping OK.

The second is: "I'm doing..................ok."

At these times it is a case of holding on, as I try to just get through the day.

I know these days are to be expected.

This morning I went to church, and stayed for coffee after the service. This is the first time I have been able to do this, and I was greatly encouraged by my church family. So many of you came and spoke to me, I loved it!

You changed my day from

"I'm doing...........ok."

to

"I'm doing OK!"

I am so glad that God has shared you with me!

God's precision timing

Cassie and Nathan have given me their permission to blog on the amazing timing of events that they experienced in May.

We were all very aware that Wayman's condition was worsening and while the Taskers had said goodbye in February, they were preparing to cancel events to be here for the funeral when necessary.

They had a booking to play in the Royal Albert Hall in the middle of May and Nathan's team had arranged for the launch of his CD in America to take place about a week later.

Both of these were very important, so we prayed that God would allow them to go ahead.

Nathan played the convention in London while Wayman was still at home.

I imagine it must be most artists dream to play this venue!

Cassie commented that the experience of hearing this wonderful building filled with men singing with great enthusiasm was awe inspiring!

They then had the opportunity to have some time with godly friends in Sheffield.

Wayman went into hospital while they were there, and I rang them as they were driving to Heathrow to catch a flight home to Nashville to tell them that he had gone Home.

The CD launch was also very important, and Nathan's team had put together a wonderful group of people to join him, including Bebo Norman, Plumb, Keith Getty and Charlie Peacock. Nathan's good friends Gabe Scott and Todd Bragg played as well.

This happened the day after they arrived back in Nashville.

It was held at Charlie Peacocks home/studio.

It was streamed live, and Angus and I watched it in my lounge room.

They caught a flight to Australia the next day, arriving on Friday morning to spend the weekend with us before Wayman's funeral.

Are you keeping up with me????

We loved being together at last, and around the dinner table that evening we told stories and marvelled at God's precision timing.

Nathan then told us the news that Cassie is pregnant!!!

There was a lot of hugging and exclaiming and excitement!

Angus was the one who first mentioned God's hand in the timing of this news.

Wayman would have been so very sad if he had known this, as the thought of not seeing the addition to our family would have been heartbreaking for him.

God spared him that.

God really does bless us.....and in this case the blessings are bountiful......

because they are expecting twins!!!!!!!

Turn.....turn.....turn.

Cassie turned 30 this week.

I have heard others say that it only seems like yesterday that their children were babies.

It is half a life time ago for me now and it really does seem that long.

I am not spending too long contemplating the passing of time, as it isn't a constructive thing for me to do right now.

But she was a really happy little girl..........

........who had a twinkle in her eyes!

We had a lovely day, starting her birthday with breakfast for 3 at Red Door coffee shop in Balhannah.

I then babysat Jont and Miss P so their mothers could have a leisurely coffee with Aunty Cass.

We walked to the play ground, picked flowers from the neighbourhood gardens and chatted the whole way.

Jont decided that we should become super heroes so we could visit Grandpa in heaven.

He looked up at me, and I think the reality of Granny in a super hero suit was a bit much, as he decided in the end that perhaps it wouldn't work!

Dinner at Assargios in Hyde Park with the Marauns and Rainbows was a fitting end to the day.

We all agreed that Wayman would have been pleased with the celebration.

Cass has grown into a delightful woman, her Dad was very proud of her.

She and Nathan have been wonderful company, and I will miss them when they return home to Nashville next week.

I am happiest here in our home, enjoying the opportunity to work in the garden, and read in front of the fire. Life continues, and I am allowing myself time to reflect on a wonderful husband and Father.

And I am learning to trust God with the future.

A time to mourn.

WAYMAN DOUGLAS CHAPMAN

30/1/1951 - 16/5/2011

predestined, called, justified, now glorified

Yesterday we held Waymans funeral.

It was surreal standing in the church with a casket before me and a one dimensional picture of him in my hand.

We sang beautiful old hymns, and we read from Gods word, the Bible, and we prayed.

The family wrote the eulogy with me, and I hope we captured a little bit of him in our reminiscence.

So many of you were there!

Rod Denton and Paul Turner, the men who stood with Wayman the day we were married.

Geof and Peter Motley, who Wayman travelled with throughout South East Asia.

Doug and Val Twelftree whose daughters boarded with us when our family were just babies.

Cousins from my family and Waymans.

My family.

Old friends from EBC and new ones from our church family here at Trinity Mount Barker.

Friends from Sydney.

Friends of the girls.

Geoff and Ros Morgan

I wanted to talk to you all morning Geoff, it felt as if a little bit of Wayman was with me.

John, Geoff, Peter, Heather, Kirsten, Jim, Bob and so many more from M and B days.

Jane Kevin and Sharad.

How he loved working with you!

I knew most of you, but there where some of you from the business world that I didn't know.

I kept thinking, if Wayman were here he would know you!

He would take me over to you, and introduce me to you.

I wanted to speak to everyone of you.

But in the end, the only one I wanted there, wasn't there, cause he has gone Home.

Saying goodbye

We have spent the past two days together, just being in each others company.

It is a strange time as any one who has been here would agree, everything is normal, but of course nothing is.

The girls have been filling their days with the little people who have a way of distracting you.

Angus has been home from work and has been wonderful here with multiple things.

We decided that an arrangement we had to upgrade the driveway would proceed as we had machinery booked.

Shane has been busy overseeing that. He has been working with little sleep, the final job is worth the effort.

Cassie and Nathan are now packing to fly home.

We have arranged Waymans funeral for

Monday 23rd at 10.30 in

Holy Trinity 87 North Terrace

This church is just by the Morphett street bridge

There will be tea and coffee in the church hall following the service.

We have chosen to have a private committal for the immediate family.

Please join us at Holy Trinity if you can. We are mourning our loss, and rejoicing in Waymans place in glory.

Home

It is with immense sadness for our family but great joy for Wayman that I write to tell you he went home to glory on the afternoon of Monday the 16th.

Belinda, Stephanie and I were with him and can testify to his peaceful passing.

Cassie and Nathan are flying home to Nashville from London and will turn around to join us at the end of the week.

We are anticipating that we will hold a funeral service on Monday.

I will post details when they are finalised.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:16

A rest for Ruth

Much has happened in the last week.

I have been prevented from blogging by a fault in the site.

Last weekend we decided to have no further treatment. The last one seemed to be of no benefit and our oncologist felt there was nothing more he could offer us. Wayman and I agreed that to pursue further options would not be wise.

On Tuesday Wayman was admitted to a private hospital here in the hills. He could see that I was becoming very tired and when a stay in hospital was offered to him, he accepted it.

I am extremely grateful for his concern for me. I was prepared to continue to care for him at home with support, but I was becoming a bit sleep deprived. Now there are others doing the nursing and I can be his wife.

He is comfortable, spending his time in bed wanting to sleep most of the time, eating a little, able to interact with us for short bursts.

The staff are wonderful, most of them are mature women and we have our 5th GP, a lovely woman who specialises in palliative care.

We are coming to the end of our journey.

Heaven is near.