ALS Walkathon 2013

Team Westerink 2012       Our family and friends are once again participating in the 2013 WALK for ALS and this is your invitation to join us  and make a difference for families in Ontario whose lives have been touched by ALS! Each year participants in more than 85 communities across the country raise funds and lace up their shoes to walk in events organized by local volunteers. In 2012, the Walks generated more than $3.2 million. All participants are encouraged to solicit donations. To make fundraising easy, each participant that registers online is able to set up a personal webpage with access to online fund-raising tools. Funds raised are used to "Make Moments Matter" for ALS Canada clients and their families in Ontario by providing equipment and support services and to fund research to find an effective treatment and a cure.     Go to    http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?langPref=en-CA&TSID=399755 and click on the "Join My Team" button to register and help us fundraise. If you can’t join my team, you can still help by making a donation to my secure webpage.    Here is the link if you would like to sponsor me  http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1728801&langPref=en-CA&Referrer=http%3a%2f%2fwww.walkforals.ca%2fontario   Looking forward to the beautiful walk along Bayfront Park with family and friends. Many thanks! Lena  Beautiful Bayfront Park Wildlife along the way                                                      Jack with Dr.Turnbull from the ALS clinic at McMaster Hospital.

Soon Ah Will Be Done

A friend that I sang together with in the 2010 One Day men's choir sent me this song to encourage me on my journey. It is a 'negro spiritual' that has so much emotion stored up in so few words, as is so typical of that genre of religious music. There is a wonderful rendition of it on You Tube.

Soon Ah Will Be Done:

I want to meet my Jesus
I'm goin to live with God

Chorus:
Soon Ah will be done - a with the troubles of the world
The troubles of the world
The troubles of the world
Soon all will be done - a with the troubles of the world
Goin' home to live with God

No more weepin' and a wailin'
No more weepin' and a wailin'
No more weepin' and a wailin'
I'm goin' to live with God

One of these days, I'm gonna live with God
Said I'm gonna go far away
Don't cha know, that I got to go
One of these good ol' days,
Said I'm gonna fly away
Said there'll be no more tears, gonna live with God
No more tears, and no more pain
Everlasting sun, and no more rain
I'm gonna sing and shout

Tears of Sorrow and Tears of Joy

Since the onset of ALS, I have been much more emotional than ever before. My doctor told me that this is quite normal, and it usually comes along with the disease. They prescribe anti-depressants to control feelings of despair and sadness. You can often read of people requesting doctor assisted suicide when entering the final stages of ALS. This request is understandable, especially when you take God out of the equation.

Sometimes I wish it was all over, and that I am tired of living like this. But God has His purposes for trials and afflictions, and His timetable is perfectly suited to our needs. Each cross is first weighed in His nail pierced hands before He gives it to us. He knows what we need, and He knows what we can handle. My prayer has not been for healing, (even though it is not wrong to ask for), but my prayer is that I would be faithful to my Saviour to the end of my journey.

I shed tears of sorrow as I lose more of my functions and abilities. I know that it doesn't change anything, and that I end up just feeling sorry for myself. But it does help me to get rid of a build up of frustration. The latest loss is that I am no longer able to bear weight on my legs, but my knees just buckle. I also cannot drink fluids by mouth without choking. I get all of my fluids now through the tube in my stomach (g tube).

I shed tears of joy when I consider all the love, care, and help that I receive from family, friends, from the church and school community. But above all, I shed tears of joy knowing that Jesus has forgiven my sins, and gives me peace in my heart. One day these knees will be able to bend before Him in gratitude and praise for what He has done for me. I can hardly wait.

Jack.

Bearing Fruit - Max Lucado

"Your job is not to bear fruit. Your job is to cling to Jesus. He is the vine, you are the branch. Hold on to Him and fruit will happen."

Max Lucado

Break for the Caregiver

It has been quite a while since Lena has had a break from the daily routine of looking after me. A wonderful opportunity has come up to allow for a few days reprieve. Our niece, Rachel Lena, is getting married this weekend. Rachel lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Lena flew out to B. C. together with two of her sisters, and a brother in-law, for a body guard, for a four day weekend whirlwind visit.

My daughter Joni, has moved in for the weekend to be the substitute caregiver. Together with support from my daughter Sarah, and my son Gerrit, things will work out well. What a blessing it is to us to have such loving and helpful children.

I saw a photo of a licence plate on a van the other day which read: QVERFUL. It comes from Psalm 127: 4,5: "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:"

Jack.