Joe Clayton

Many who follow this blog are aware that my father-in-law, Joe Clayton, has been in Cox South NeuroTrauma ICU since last Sat., Aug 21.  He is having issues w/ bleeding between the brain & skull.  They did surgery on his brain on Sunday, all went well then things fell apart on Tues & they had to go in again.  The prognosis after the second surgery was about as gloom & doom as it could be, the dr didn't offer us much hope at all.  By the grace of God & the Power of Prayer, Joe is now breathing on his own & is still hanging on.  This week has been a tremendous, never-ending roller coaster of emotions for our entire family.....But through it all, we have been overwhelmed by the number of people praying, calling, visiting, helping w/ our kids, on & on.  We have had visitors every day and that helps lift our spirits so much, I think we counted 93 visitors as of last night!  Our congregation at Bolivar Church of Christ and my in-law's congregation at Arcola Christian Church have been so very good to us all week long and we feel so loved & supported.  My girlfriends have helped me keep my personal sanity through it all........taking care of my kids as needed, bringing snacks to the hospital, allowing me to call at all hours to cry when it's a rough day & praise when things go our way. 

The Clayton family has had a rough few months, we lost Mike's Uncle John at the very end of May, then Grandma Clayton two weeks later & now we are traveling this journey together.  While I can't pretend to understand why this is the hand we've been dealt, I do know without a doubt that God is in control and He knows why.

Please continue to pray for our entire family!  We love you!