Thanks for following along with Rod Whitacre's journey home, and welcome to those who signed up in the past few weeks. You can catch up on past emails in the archive. We're up over 200 subscribers. Rod has received messages from over 150 of you. I usually share your messages with him within a day or two of receiving them, even if I'm not able to reply right away.

My dad said recently, "Certainly a lot of these are surprising to me. I'm very thankful. It's too easy just to see your own failures and sin and not acknowledge the way God has used you to help others." Then he pulled out an aphorism I hadn't heard before: "You can count the seeds in an apple, but you can't count the apples in a seed." I thought that was fitting.

Thank you for your continued love and prayers! 🙏

The cancer is progressing. After a couple weeks of relative comfort, he recently increased his pain medication, because he has noticed pain spreading from his abdomen into his legs. Even so, he remains clear-minded (when he's awake), and his spirits are strong. “I’m surprisingly at peace with spending the rest of my life in this bed. That’s God’s mercy and the prayers of his people somehow.” Here's a picture of the view from his bed.

A number of you have asked about my mother, Margaret. She and my brother Seth, who lives with them, are the main caretakers for my dad. We have hospice nurses coming in several times a week to help with medication and hygiene. This week we are adding an additional caregiver to the weekly schedule to be there for longer periods. We're also settling into regular days that my wife Jessica and I will be at their house. The goal is for Margaret and Seth to be able to count on more regular breaks. Please pray for strength and encouragement for them. Today is day 53 at home, after 42 days in the hospital.

That's the update from over here. I introduced some new friends to the Roots Jam songbook yesterday—more apple seeds sown. My kids visit their Papa once or twice a week to sing songs and raid the fridge. He loves it. I hope these emails encourage you to spend quality time with your own close friends and family.

Glory to God for all things!

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