Many times I have cried through the writing of a post but with this one my tears literally drip off my chin. My best friend lays in a bed obviously ill designed for the family room. The oxygen machine’s humming provides a quiet drone. A dextrose drip through an IV line provides Mark the day’s nourishment as new khaki shorts and a striped polo hang opposite the fluids. Tomorrow Mark will fulfill the last of his promises; he will attend my graduation from the master’s program at Georgetown College. The Lord will provide the strength he needs to make it through the afternoon. With his poor state of health anything could happen. Please pray for him tomorrow as he endures the stress upon his body.
Today, two friends and I spent the day culling through photographs for the purpose of adding to a power point already produced by Mark’s brother, Tim. Mark has spent the past two days planning his funeral and making arrangements with friends who will participate in the celebration. He has found a peace and assurance from the Lord.
I am too tired to write more tonight but you must know that I read every post. Your encouragement makes the difference in my day.
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44 users responded in this post
I have missed hearing from you Julie, but have still been remembering your family in prayer. The strongest help there is.Thanks for the in,congratulations.
I pray for the whole undertaking. Love, Forest Rose
Julie,
I would do anything to be able to hug you right now. Words escape me. Oh, to be able to take away the tears. I love you. I pray and will continue to pray for Mark, you and the family throughout the night and all during your graduation. Mark’s will to keep his promises and his love for you are so great!
Much love and prayers,
Lorie
I pray that God will raise Mark up in a miraculous way for your gradutation – He has been so faithful to grant such requests. Your faith and courage, and the ability to talk and share about what is going on, is a witness to all and a memory you will cherish forever.
I will be holding you in my heart, calling for God’s grace and peace. Love to all, Gayle
Julie,
Thank you for the update. Every night I read your post, weep with you and pray for your family. So often during the day I think of Mark and your family and pray for you. God will carry you through and I pray your Graduation will be a special day for your entire family.
God has provided Mark with a will and determination that defies anything we can comprehend. It goes beyond human understanding. I pray for strength for you both. Rest well tonight dear friends.
I am so sorry Linda and I won’t be there to celebrate with you at your graduation. You will be in our prayers tomorrow and through the week. Remember HIS “Everlasting Arms” as you receive your diploma and honors. We love you all very much.
Julie……. Congratulations on your Graduation… Wow Girl.. you are something else.. Mark is so proud of you!! Praying for rest tonight for you and Mark and all goes well tomorrow!! You will be in our thoughts……Thanks for taking the time to post a note tonight……May you feel God’s mercy, peace and love.
We love you and your family so much. We are so proud of your educational accomplishment. It’s one thing to do it and finish like you did but to add the extra burdens on top of that. Wow! Just wanted to let you know I was thinking of you and Mark.
Julie and Mark:
Congratulations on a huge accomplishment! This is posted to you both, because you have previously shared how much responsibility Mark shouldered at home to make it possible for you to earn this degree. We are praying for another victorious day for you and your family, believing that God can give you another miracle. May you have a restful night and a wonderful day of celebration.
Love,
Frank and Idella
Julie and Mark: We love you both so much and wish we could be there to help. It meant the world to see you and your family last week. We certainly enjoyed the trip. It was such a blessing to hear that you have completed your masters program at Georgetown. We are so proud of you. With all of the things going on in your lives, working on a Master’s degree has been a real accomplishment. We will definitely pray for strength for Mark to make it to the graduation. We know he wants to be there for you. We truly appreciate your postings to keep everyone up on how Mark is doing. We pray for your strength to as you graduate. I think your decision to stay at the school you were at was a decision that will prove to be a Godsend. Take care, have a good night’s sleep and we will pray that God’s Son will shine on your family tomorrow. We love you all. Clark and Phyllis
PS Anita and Jake came in for the day. They left about 9:00 headed back to KY. They fixed us a delicious meal and we were able to see Jake before he head off to Vanderbilt University.
We love you both and pray that the Good Lord continues to carry each of you through every minute. Congratulations on graduating! God has blessed you with the ability to move forward with your education for a reason. I can’t imagine the number of lives Mark and your trial has been a witness to…day in …day out. Your posts on this website is a living testimony to how living and being sick can be endured through the guidance of our living God. Our minds reel at the thought of the number of hearts Mark, yours, the kids, the extended family, the friends, the church family, etc…heart felt talks, prayers have touched those who never would have felt His mighty prescence other wise. I thank Our Father for all He is doing for you and your loved ones. Thank you Julie for being the awesome Godly woman you are to share all this with all of us. Love in Christ…Kathy
Julie and Mark, We love you and your family so much and you are on our hearts constantly. I heard a new song today by Gordon Mote, written by his producer after he lost his son in an automobile accident. The song asked the Lord to put His arms around him and hold him up because he could not stand alone. I know that God will be with you and your family and that He will hold you up and I pray that you will feel the love and prayers of all of your friends. Also I hope you will feel our pride in you both for the difficult battle you have fought. God bless you with the peace of His presence an know that you are held in the hollow of His hand. Pat
Hi Mark and Julie,
I too am sending Mark love from NC class of ‘71. I have many memories of fun times with the Manchester gang. Mark is at the center of countless good times!
Julie, congratulations upon earning your master’s degree. I’m sure Mark has given you strength and determination to finish your degree in the midst of his illness. I am about 6 months away from finishing my master’s degree. My husband has given me the much needed support to go back to school while working full time. In February, our grandson died. I didn’t know how I would keep up with the coursework, but somehow, it was also a blessing and made me keep putting one foot in front of the other. I truly hope that Mark is able to celebrate your graduation day. Mark, I love you and am holding you in my heart.
Hello, Julie and Mark.
I’m glad to read the updates as i do everynight, i sometimes want to cry with you. Your family is the strongest i know of, and you will all make it through this. Mark, is always going to be a beautiful man, and you his beautiful wife.
I will be praying that he is strong enough to attend your graduation tomorrow, and Congratulations from me, i know he and your children are very proud. Sleep well tonight and know that the lord is watching over you =) Msy God Bless, We love you all, Whitney and Family.
Congratulations on your Master’s Degree. It is a remarkable accomplishment; a personal triumph in the face of all you have been going though. As I read your post, my own oxygen concentrator hummes in the back-ground. It has become comforting over the years: It’s rises and falls blending in with the hiss of my cannula to give certain continuity and security. I pray that tomorrow may be a time of celebration for Mark and for you, and that you may have time to enjoy this great accomplishment you have made. Your graduation is a personal triumph in the face of all you have been going though. As I read your post, my own oxygen concentrator hummes in the back-ground. It has become comforting over the years: It’s rises and falls blending in with the hiss of my cannula to give certain continuity and security. I pray that tomorrow may be a time of celebration for Mark and for you, and that you may have time to enjoy this great accomplishment you have made. fdd
Congratulations! I pray all goes great for you and Mark and your family tomorrow. In Christ’s Love, Lanny Garner
“He will wipe 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.”
-Revelation 21:4
Hey Walz family.
I, Julie, am writing for all the pescosolidos. Our hearts ache as well. I update my father on Mark all the time. And so every time I would we’d either pray together as a family or prayed for him individually. I’ve always looked up to Mark. A great influence is he. My dad always thought of Mark as a man of faith. My mom thought he was a great cook. She loved the food Mark would make at the district Christmas dinners. As a sweet lover, I remember Mark watching me as i sneakily tried snatch another piece of cheesecake. Yes, I did succeed in grabbing another slice of cheesecake. Scrumptious. My sisters Kristina and rachel seemed to love talking to Mark. We all enjoyed to fellowship with him. We have a lot of memories. All good ones. We will miss him, but look forward to see him in Heaven.
We continue praying for you, Mark, and all the kids. We love you.
As I close in this comment, I leave you with a song. Maybe you and Mark could listen to it together, but i don’t want to ask to much. It’s a great song. The link is right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu2E2FUcIiE
With love,
the pescosolidos
P.S- From what I’ve read, I find that you write very well. Thank you for putting time in updating the status of Mark.
Julie,
Brenda and I send our love to you. You know Mark is a favorite friend and my hero. God has used him in powerful ways. Please give him my love. Hug yourself for us.
Bob
Congrats on such an awesome accomplishment Julie! I know from you Facebook status that you couldn’t sleep and were up at 4:30…kept awake by a zillion conflicting emotions no doubt. I’ll definitely be praying for you all today…that today would be a “good” day for Mark, that he would be filled with enough strength to enjoy your day, that it would be a day of making new and good memories, a day of happy tears – not sad ones. May it be another day for “I love you’s”.
Love, hugs, prayers and tears,
Tasha
Dear Julie,
Congratulations on your graduation. Such a wonderful accomplishment! And you were able to do it despite all you, Mark, and the family have been going through. I hope today is a good one for all, that Mark will be strong enough to enjoy the day. While having never met face-to-face, I can only imagine how he will be beaming (internally or externally) with joy and pride for you.
love and hugs,
Tori
This Lord we worship…how amazing!
This God overlooking…how caring and gentle.
This Friend and Comforter…he’s always there.
We love you,
sandy and sheree
Julie
Congradulations! I will be praying that Mark will have the stremgth to fulfill this last promise. But I know he will because the joy of the Lord, which I know he has, the Bible says is my stremgth! As you and Mark possibly prepare for the homegoing soon, I am reminded of Jesus’ words to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me though he die yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” I know it brings so much comfort to you knowing you are releasing Mark into the arms of One who loves him for more than any of us could. Our prayers are with you today and the days ahead. God will be with you all!
Julie,
I am so proud of you and your accomplishments. While I was completing my masters, my mother became ill and I remember how hard it was to keep going. Plus, I did not have any children! Your strength, devotion and preserverance amaze me. Jerry and I will be praying for your family today, as always.
Congratulations! We love you.
Traci
I continue to be in awe of both of you! My thoughts and prayers are with you on this special day.
Oh, Julie, my heart breaks this morning, more so than other mornings that I read your posts. Not only will I pray for Mark’s strength to multiply for this trip, I will pray for you to have the strength to walk across the stage, focused on this moment of accomplishment. You have accomplished so much during such hardships and trials. I will be with you today–know that in your heart.
Julie, I pray for Mark’s strength as well as yours as you attend your graduation. Congratulations on this accomplishment. I know how hard that you have worked to put forth your very best work, even under stressful circumstances. I pray this day will bring some joy to your family.
Love,
Sarah
Julie, I continue to pray that God will supply you all with the strength and endurance that you need. After reading your posts, I usually find myself in tears and silent prayer for your family. However, I am also left in awe. Could it be any more evident that our Lord and Savior is at work in this situation? Can there be any doubt that the Lord can use the toughest of situations to reveal his love, mercy, and faithfulness. Your family is a testament to how faithful the Lord is to all of his promises. Despite how dark it may look from the inside, His light is blinding as it shines through you all. I just felt that you needed to hear this. If there is anything that Andrea and I can do ask and it is done.
Jason
I know you are much too modest to mention this in your post, and a lot of people won’t know if you don’t tell them so I will and I hope you mention it in your next post….but Julie not only dealt with Mark’s illness, completed her Master’s degree but she ALSO received the highest Education Honor granted by the Master’s degree program at Georgetown and will receive that award today. This is a HUGE deal for anyone….let alone someone going through everything she has while working on her degree. BUT reading Julie’s posts shows everyone how incredibly intelligent she is and working with her has shown her coworkers what an amazing work ethic she possesses. Everyone who knows her knows how SUPER WONDERFUL she is!!!!!! Congratulations Julie!!!! I wish I could be there today! I love you and I miss you!!!!
Congrats! Knew you could do it. We will pray for safe travels and a wonderful day. Hang on. We love you.
Dear Julie,
Our hearts are with you today. We in the Shepherd family have been thanking God for Mark’s life for decades. Today, I am so thankful for the life that God and Mark’s love has birthed for your extraordinary gifts. Your posts show the profound love you share for each other, the exemplary faith that grounds your life — but also the remarkably gifted woman that you are. We celebrate your graduation…and oh my, you have done so much more than just graduate! Under these grueling circumstances, you have EXCELLED. We love you. We are proud of you and we are praying that this day is a day of precious memories. Love, Mary John
God be with you today and always. Through your trials you have shown many of us that hope is not lost but God is always with us. Your strenght, faith and love of God has been something that I can only hope for in my life. You have been an inspirition for all. God has blessed us all by knowing you. Thank you! Give my love to all your children but give my Matt a big hug from me and Thomas. We love you and be safe on your journey today.
lots of love and hugs to everyone!!!
Congratulations on your graduation. I cannot even imagine how difficult finishing your classes has been. Graduate school was hard for me and I was single, not working, and focusing only on school! All of you are in my prayers as you face the coming days. Love you all.
Congratulations Julie on your huge accomplishment! Not only did you do it with “prefection” (like there was a doubt..A+!!!)…your summer was filled with more stress and heartache, than most of us feel in a lifetime…I’m so sorry that you cannot celebrate as you deserve on this graduation….but I also know, that the love you have for Mark, and God will carry you through….please give me a call if I can do ANYTHING…still praying for strength, peace, and comfort for you and your family.
Love to all of you,
Cyndee
Way to go Julie!! Congratulation on this marvelous accomplishment!! Enjoy your day and all the accolades. We pray Mark is strong enough to attend. We know how proud he is of you. We continue to keep each of you in our prayers! Betty & Wayne
Congradulations Julie on your accomplishments! I know Mark and the kids are so proud of you. I pray for Mark to have strength. I love you all.
We haven’t written sooner because we really didn’t know what to say – still don’t. Just know our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with you, Mark and your entire family. We know Mark loves you so much and is so proud of you today. If you had a hundred years with him, it wouldn’t be enough, so rest in HIS love and in Mark’s love and the memories you have. We pray daily for strength and peace for you. You and Mark (especially) have touched so many lives and he will live on through those lives. Every time I look at our granddaughter, Shayla, I think of how he was with us through some of the darkest days we had and gave us some of his strength and wish we could, in turn, give you some of ours. So just know, we’re praying for you and asking God to send strength your way. HE will walk
that ‘dark, lonesome valley with you all the way, dearest Julie.’ Love, Charlie & Corliss
Julie–I am so very proud of you and your many accomplishments. God is so good–all the time. He is with you and carrying you and Mark and your children. I pray His belssings on all of you as you travel to and from. He alone will dry your tears and give you His strength. Much love to you. Sabra
Julie~ my heart hurts for you. On one hand I’m so proud of you and all that you have accomplished. On the other, I grieve for your struggles. We pray for you and please let me know if there is anything I can do. I have a wonderful pic of you, Matt, and Mark that I took @ academic match. I’m sure Mark would love it. How do I e-mail it to you? Just give me a call. Thanks!
First read, to Mark & his sweet wife.
Then,Delete — if you feel this is the thing to do.
Dear Mark, our paths have crossed briefly hundreds of times; but never really long enough to share on a deep personal level.
I am one of the disability leave brethren. I have
Post Tramatic Stress Disorder thanks to the foster care system in Tennessee. (You know you’ve done a good job parenting when two of your wards find themseves in PTSD when they each reach
60-years of age. I must tell you that when I faced death at OLB Hospital ER I had lost 7 units of blood. Having my head turned down toward the floor was to help make sure that the brain would be the last thing to go.
During the time that the stretcher came into ER until I awakened in ICU, I faced death.
While some spit and sputter this as a time of trembling and tears of fear, I found it to be one of gentle and loving concern.
Like having two television sets side by side, while this world and everything dimmed out — the other set (I call Heaven) gently increased in light and realty … more beautiful than a thousand rainbows! I was aware of being wrapped
in God’s angelic wings. What does a preacher do when that time comes but talk with God. It was like two reople in the hall waiting for the next hospital procedure BUT ONE OF THEM GOD ALMIGHTY.
I talked and God listened; God talked and I listened. I did not think then anything strange
about God giving me some things to do just a little later. Well, I have seen the glory of heaven (There is nothing to compare to the beams
of heaven shining down on all the souls there and on earth.
The only glory that even comes faintly close to this was the trip to one of those cable channel Don Maxwell Preachers CEUs.This was the day that thousands of lives were lost by the surprise attack against America. Of course being crippled
a little bit, I left early. Coming across the Overhead Bridge near the mall, I looked into the sky and saw glorious gold to yellowish bright rainbows framing the sky. My soul exclaimed “God,
your angels surely are working in a mighty way today.” Then, arriving at the Church we heard bits and pieces — one man on an upper floor jumped into the sky away from the fire and smoke that was suddenly on him; I know in my heart and soul that one of GOD’S angels was at work straining harder than even the firemen below to bring that soul home to God.
I cry with St. Paul many, many times, WHEN WILL I BE RELEASED FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH!
Mark, I wish you an easy and inspiring crossing from earth into God’s hands in heaven.
—
For two nights in a row I have had the same dream about Mark and your youngest. I dream about an angel showing you a model of your mansion in heaven. All I can remember from the dream is that pink clouds figure-in somewhere.
I give you all my love, prayers, and respect!
-Bob
Dearest Mark and Julie and family,
Many times I have begun a post only to erase it as my comments seemed so inadequate for the suffering you are enduring. But tonight, Our God has laid upon my heart some words to share. Having worked with Mark a little these past 5 years, especially on our “Hospital Visit” seminar, I got to see him at some of his best stuff: imparting a hard-earned wisdom from real life experience. He was gracious and kind in sharing that work, but most of all honest in giving us meaningful insight into the work of a person trying to physically, mentally and emotionally heal from the public world of a hospital bed. Mark continues to teach us through his witness to God’s faithfulness by allowing him to reach this important day in your lives. (Congrats to you, Julie!) Mark wanted to see you graduate, just as he wanted to participate in the wedding of Mark, Jr. God, as you both know so intimately, is so very good to us and gives us our heart’s desire, even in the face of overwhelming difficulties. Just as the Psalmist says! God reminded me today that crossing over is a simple matter of letting go. I remembered my own experience, which I do not often do ~ so vividly. It was full of comfort. When the time is right, I know God will give each of you all the grace you need for this family task. It will be easier for Mark than for the rest of us. As you and the children continue your journeys, know that I will be there as your prayer partner and in whatever way I can be of service to your precious family. Many Blessings, DEB
Julie: Anita told us about you receiving the Deans Honor Award today. Congratulations. We were also glad to hear that Mark was able to make it. God bless you and your family.
As a pastor’s wife and a member of a large family, I have attended many funerals in my life. The most memorable are those that are celebrations. Sounds like Mark is planning that kind for himself. Though there will be many tears, there will also be smiles and rejoicing for there will be no doubts of the celebration going on in heaven when Mark arives at his eternal home. I pray that all his family and friends will be able to make more memories with Mark in this time before his transition. There is still time for many an “I love you” to be said. There are still many ways to minister to the needs of this wonderful man and his beautiful family. We are all still praying for God’s grace and comfort and healing.
Julie,
As I read your posts, I am constantly in prayer for you and your family. I hope you know how many prayers have been said by my family as well as your family here at Pike Central. My God continue to be with you each step.
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