A good day

Marlin is feeling much better today though he is still quite congested. Mom & Dad & I had a nice visit with him and enjoyed a nice meal at Manuel's Tavern. Wayne is better too but please keep them both in your prayers.

Today's a better day

Marlin is better today and Wayne is not in the hospital but they both still need our prayers.

Thursday night report

Friends and family,

Marlin is really feeling the effects of the chemo last night and today so please keep him in your prayers.

Wayne - our dear friend and one of Marlin's caregivers is in the hospital now with pneumonia. Please offer up special prayers for him as well.

Your thoughts and prayers mean the world to us.

God's blessings to you.

News from the week

Friends and family, Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for Marlin. He had a rough, rough night Monday. We finally got his fever down sometime late Monday night. He had a restless night but was able to sleep some and woke up Tuesday with an appetite for Honey Bunches of Oats with Strawberries (he was very specific about that when I went to the grocery store for him). I headed back to Milledgeville Tuesday morning around 8:00 and Mom & Dad arrive at Marlin's around 9:00. He had a much better day Tuesday. Keep him in your prayers and say special prayers for Wayne too. Blessings to you all. Genie

IMPORTANT UPDATE

We found out this morning that Marlin has pneumonia (pneumocystis). He is not in the hospital at this time. Please offer up some prayers for him and I will keep you informed.

ghh

News and notes

Marlin had several good days right after his chemo on Tuesday. Friday he started to feel the beginnings of a cold - Saturday he had some mild nausea but after a trip to Sam's with Wayne he was worn out. Today, even though he is full of powerful antibiotics the cold has gotten worse and he is feeling pretty lousy.

Continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. It means so much to him and to us.

God bless you all!

To Marlin's caregivers in Atlanta - especially Wayne & Chris - thank you, thank you, thank you. You know I love you.

Just for fun!

God bless us, everyone.

Marlin's second round of chemo coincided with the inauguration. Marlin was so moved by all the events of the day - the history, the speeches, the sense of a unity behind not just the man who would be president but a unity of people for the heart of our country - he was so moved that his nurses had to bring him his own box of tissues. That is the heart of Marlin - deep, deep feelings for the important things of living that are sometimes missed amidst the fabulous, fun side of my brother. So in the dawning of a new day - God bless us, everyone!

Marlin is doing great three days out from his second round of chemo. He is having some frustrations with some of the medical team that is looking out after him but physically and emotionally he is in a pretty good place.

Thank you once again for your care and concern. We are blessed!

Marlin is having his second chemo treatment today - even as I am typing. Please offer up a simple prayer for Marlin and those others who are there with him in the Infusion Suite - and offer up prayers for all their caregivers.

Peace to you, Genie

Sunday Times

Mom, Dad, Ann, Jordie & I drove up to Atlanta today to spend some time with Marlin. What a wonderful visit we had with Marlin, Wayne and Chris. We had an excellent lunch at the Rich Bits Kitchen - prepared by Wayne and Marlin (Chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes, homemade yeast rolls and banana pudding - hmmm good).

The food was great but it was the fellowship we shared that was exquisite. We enjoyed lots of laughter, great stories and plenty of love as we broke bread together. (Mom & Dad have their backs to the picture, then Jordie, Ann, Wayne, Chris and Marlin).

Wayne, thank you for everything. I love you as a brother and I thank you for helping us take care of Marlin. I don't know what we would do without you.

And I am not forgetting you either Chris - thank you for all you do for Marlin as well.

It was a wonderful, wonderful day!

Keep those prayers coming!

Marlin is scheduled for his second round of chemo on Tuesday. Wayne will be with him and will keep us posted and we will be ready to head to Atlanta if we are needed.

We will keep you "posted".

Love and prayers to you all.
Marlins Family

The love of family

Saturday, some of The Hargrove family gathered in Milledgeville to celebrate Uncle Fermor's 90th birthday! WOW! and as we all got ready to go our separate ways all those wonderful souls in the picture here joined hands and hearts to offer up prayers for Marlin.

Marlin, you are loved and cherished and you are being prayed for by family and friends everywhere.

A shout out to all our friends and family!

We love you all....thanks for keeping up with Marlin and his journey. Home health care has been looking in on him and they "installed" the pump to keep the surgery incision clean and healing from the inside out. He has had a couple of rough days - it is hard getting used to the pump which he said is like "toting around a baby" day long. Of course by the time he gets used to it they will take it out and that will be great.

He is healing and beyond that we don't have much news - as I said before - no news is good news :-)

I have gotten some comments about "the owl" picture. Here is proof positive that everyone touched it - even sweet little Ann and I am holding the gun and how ludicrous is that? Marlin is really enjoying the trip down memory lane with the pictures - I hope you are too. We cherish all who travel this journey of life with us - through the good and the bad.
Peace and blessings to you all. Genie

No News is Good News

Marlin has had several really good days. He is sure glad to be home from the hospital. He has enjoyed these old pictures so here is one I know we will all love.....

You know Marlin was thinking, "why are they making me hold this dead owl?" It was another day and another time - you know Marlin would not touch that owl today.



Now sister Ann never could stand the sun in her eyes and Marlin always loved posing for his camera.

Thanks to you all - family and friends - for your love and care for Marlin. Feel free to leave comments on the blog. He loves hearing from you as do I.

God's blessing to you!

Excellent News - Marlin is Home

Sure do love that wonderful smile!

Saturday was relatively uneventful. Marlin and I spent most of the day watching a variety of shows on TLC - What Not to Wear, Flip this House and my favorite - Miss America, Countdown to the Crown. We napped and laughed and Marlin even gave me a title for my sermon - Can you Hear Me? Can You Hear Me Now? We also had a late lunch from The Varsity - compliments of Wayne.
(thanks Wayne!!!!!)

Of course the day got very interesting late in the afternoon when one of the doctor's told Marlin he could go home (that was Saturday). Marlin was so excited - but that excitement was short lived. Nurse Agnis (sp) had the unfortunate duty of telling Marlin the doctor had jumped the gun. Needless to say - Marlin was not happy, but he decided to let it go (at least I think he did).

The good news came today and Marlin is now happily at home. He is healing and home health care will be coming in to check on him and do what needs doing.

Thank you for your calls, your thoughts and your prayers - keep them coming his way.

God bless you all!

Marlin is doing great! I have spent the day with him today and he is in good spirits. He is charming the nurses, the dietitian, the doctors....they love him and are taking pretty good care of him. We have had a few visitors today.

Special kudos go out to Indira and Felicia for taking such good care of Marlin.

Many thanks to Pete & Brenda Garcia for their visit and thanks for all the good wishes from Marlin's friends and co-workers at Pete Garcia Company.

And I offer my personal, "little genie" thanks to Wayne & Chris and David for their visits and their friendship of Marlin and of me.

Also a great big thank you to Gene & Rick for taking great care of Jenny.

Have a great weekend! Much love, Genie & Marlin

Good News!

Marlin came through the surgery just fine. They came into his room around 5:00AM and got him ready for surgery and by around 10:00 AM he was back in his room. He is a survivor and is as feisty as ever. I have talked to him a couple of times today and by late this afternoon I could tell he was weary.

Mom & Dad spent the day with him and they are on their way home now. I am planning to go up tomorrow and spend some time with him. I'm not sure but I believe he will be in the hospital at least until the middle of next week.

Many, many thanks to David Van Tassell and Granada Suites for taking such good care of Mom & Dad last night. We surely appreciate it.

Keep Marlin in your prayers and pray for his caregivers too.

Thank you for caring about our Marlin!

Peace of God to you all.

Keep on Praying

Marlin is scheduled for surgery sometime Thursday - probably in the afternoon. Mom & Dad are in Atlanta & will be with him tomorrow. I will go up late Thursday or early Friday and will keep you all posted as I can. We cherish your thoughts and prayers.

Remember, that none of us ever have to walk alone.

Say your prayers

Dear Friends,

Marlin developed a staph infection over the weekend and it has progressively gotten worse. Wayne took him to the hospital and he was admitted tonight. He will probably be in the hospital for 4 or 5 days. Mom & Dad are going up tomorrow morning so I will give you all a status report as soon as I know something.

Marlin is OK but the staph always makes him pretty miserable - though hopefully by now he is resting.

Please offer up your prayers for Marlin - especially over the next few days.

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Words for Marlin - words for us all.

To love someone deeply gives you strength.
Being loved gives you courage... Lao-Tzu

know that you are loved as deeply as you love
and you are being prayed for.


Peace.

Thankful for Marlin and for the good days

Marlin has had a couple of good days and we thank God for those days. Marlin's next treatment will be around January 20th. We will try to keep you posted on how things progress.
The pictures are of Marlin, Ann, Genie & Tom and Sambo during the snow of 1966 (Greenville, SC) and Marlin with his Mam-ma & Nan (paternal grandparents) in 1967 - Milledgeville and that push button Dodge Dart that Mam-ma drove, and Genie drove and Marlin & Ann drove. You could see the road through the floorboard.



Don't hesitate to leave comments for Marlin - they will give him joy and strength and courage. Peace to you all.

Today's a good day!

Marlin had a really good day today (after a little bit of a rough day yesterday). We are working on the blog so he can make posts himself. I am sure his posts will be much more interesting than mine. This is the view from Marlin's chair at the clinic. Not much of a view but it could be worse.

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Words for Marlin from his sister, Little Genie

When evening falls so hard, I will comfort you,
I'm on your side. When darkness comes
and pain is all around,
like abridge over troubled water,
I will lay me down. (Paul Simon)

I love you Marlin....little genie