My Cousin Jacob

There are so many things I want to write about, but today there is something I need to share.

I have always loved my cousin Jacob. His sense of humor. His appetite. His handsomeness. His passion for firefighting. His spirit, his character, his drive. There's a picture from when we were little that I always remember. Jacob is about five or six...and he had taken his Christmas sweater off, thrown it over his shoulder, and did this little model pose. Adorable!

When we got back from our honeymoon, my parents sat me down and shared with me that Jacob had been rushed to the hospital. At only 19, he had B-Cell lymphoma. Cancer. And he was there - fighting.

The first week in the hospital he couldn't speak, due to his swollen throat. He just wrote notes to those he loved. And that thought broke my heart. He got his voice back though. He had his first round of treatments last week. They were tough. But he is so strong.

There are so many people loving him. Praying for him. Supporting him. I pray constantly - and am always in awe of Jacob's strength and God's faithfulness. He's only 19 - and he still has his whole life ahead of him. This is a test that God has sent his way - and Jacob is going to pass it.

Pray for Jacob. That he will have strength and comfort. That God will heal his body completely. And pray for my Aunt Teresa, Uncle Jay, and cousins Sara and Courtney - that God will give them rest and peace. God has a perfect plan - and there is beauty in His will. Even when its hard to see. God is faithful.

I love you, Jacob! And I am so proud of you! 

 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31