The previous post closed with the epitaph on Jasmine’s urn, “Her heart of surrender left an imprint on the hearts of others.” Her journey through COVID and death brought out the breadth of the imprint that she had on the hearts of others—from high school friends to neighbors, to friends from [...]
Throughout this journey, I shared things about Jasmine with those who prayed for her. I shared about her spiritual transformation as she grew in her faith . . . her outgrowth of love for God and for people. Even as her husband who knew her most intimately, my words are inadequate [...]
God did not choose to raise Jasmine up by the miracle for which we all prayed. He made it clear that His will was to call her home at the exact time of His choosing, and on September 8, 2021, at 12:09 p.m., Jasmine heard Jesus say, “Come,” and she ran [...]
Moving from the ICU to inpatient hospice care, the atmosphere in her room was peaceful. No more whirling sounds of the ventilator or beeps from monitors. The only sound was the cadence of Jasmine’s weak breaths as she transitioned to breathe on her own. God sustained her long enough to enable [...]
My visit with Jasmine the next night was the most difficult. For over two hours the medical team had difficulty stabilizing her and when I finally left, well beyond visiting hours, she still was not at a comfortable place. I witnessed her oxygen level drop from 92% (which is okay) down [...]
Everyone had been cautiously praying for baby steps forward because for someone in Jasmine’s condition, recovery is very slow. We were encouraged by the improvement of her lungs over the past few days. After overcoming the initial shock of hearing that her condition was terminal, I asked, "What now, God?" As [...]
The medical team took steps to wean Jasmine off the ventilator and after a few unsuccessful attempts, she began showing signs of improvement. Hallelujah, she was turning the corner! The procedures were progressing well except for one concern. They had discontinued all sedation, but Jasmine wasn’t “waking up” as they had [...]
As God humbled me, He gave me new lenses to see the purity of Jasmine’s heart that fueled her passionate love for God and love for people. God showed me what He saw in her—a heart like Christ. Jesus’ heart was to reach the lost; He spoke the truth knowing that [...]
One night after the nurses and technicians had difficulty stabilizing Jasmine, I left the hospital with angst in my gut. My spirit was troubled. I felt like I was driving the 48-mile journey home on autopilot. Then a clear thought emerged from the fogginess of my mind: There are three ways [...]
The blind turns on the Road to Hana compel the driver to remain vigilant, but there is more along the way. Remember the bridges? There are times when you just need to park, get out of the vehicle, and stand on a bridge to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation—the waterfalls, [...]
When God said, “Surrender Jasmine to Me,” I wrestled with that for several days. Could He take her home to Heaven? Yes, He could. Did He have the power to raise her up from the hospital bed and heal her completely? Yes, He did, and I still believed that He would. [...]
Jasmine and I lived surrendered to God, allowing Christ to live in and through us (Galatians 2:20). As I continually prayed for Jasmine’s healing, like the psalmist, I asked God to search my heart for anything that needed to change (Psalm 139:23-24). His response to me was, “Surrender Jasmine to Me.” [...]
The blog series will continue, but today I will pause to share some sacred moments. Yesterday, November 8, marked two months since Jasmine went to her home in Heaven. I went to her hometown of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii and poured some of her ashes into [...]
If you have ever driven the Road to Hana on the northeast coastline of Maui, Hawaii, then you can relate to what our journey was like. The Road to Hana has 617 hairpin turns and 59 one-lane bridges. Carefully navigating this narrow winding road for 64 miles creates constant tension for [...]
Amid the chaos, the ER doctor pulled me aside and said, “We gotta do this,” and he gave me a hug that said, “I know what you’re feeling. I’m with you.” It was the same doctor who examined me two days earlier (I was also diagnosed with COVID) and broke protocol [...]
The hospital room was in chaos! Jasmine was gasping for air! The EMT shouted, “Her oxygen level is showing 47%! I’m not transporting her at 47%! Six days earlier, on August 4, 2021, our daughter, Rhapsody, took Jasmine to a small ER hospital in Burleson, Texas, a town south of Fort [...]
As this chapter comes to a close, this will be my last post. I do not know what God has for me in the next chapter, but it will definitely be different without Jasmine's partnership. The past five days since Jasmine’s memorial service have given me time to unpack my thoughts [...]
A memorial site has been created to remember Jasmine's life and to share how she had personally impacted your own life and the lives of others. Information about her memorial gathering is also included. We would be so honored by your presence but if you are unable to attend, you may [...]
We are working on plans for a memorial service for Jasmine. I have received confirmation of the date, time, and place so please note it on your calendar. Here it is: Date: Monday, September 20 Time: 6:30 pm Place: Northplace Church 2800 Pleasant Valley Rd. Sachse, Texas 75048 For those who [...]
Throughout these updates, I have been sharing things about Jasmine, about her inner being that you may not have known. I have shared about her spiritual transformation as she grew in her faith and the outgrowth of love for people and for God. Even as her husband who has known her [...]
"When the life is over... And the race is run... I can hear you calling, "Come" I will come, while you sing over me." https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x8n7Ds7Mewhv5NGToRVVMj-S_9rDnhga/view?usp=sharing At 12:09 pm today, Jasmine heard Jesus say, “Come,” and she ran to Him as He sang over her a song of joy, welcoming her into [...]
While waiting on God to move, I reflect upon Jasmine's artistic talents. All of the decor in our home are expressions of her cultural identity and her family and spiritual values - the wall decor, flower arrangements, and the pictures of family. Jasmine also learned the cultural arts of Japanese dance [...]
Thank you to everyone who is following Jasmine’s journey. For those of you who have responded with comments, please know that my reason for not replying is to avoid resembling Facebook or a social media platform. I appreciate and am encouraged by your expressions of love, support, and testimonies of how [...]
It’s peaceful now at 4:20 am on the in-patient hospice floor of the hospital. No more whirling sounds of the ventilator or beeps from monitors. The only sound is the cadence of Jasmine’s weak breaths as she transitions to breathe on her own. After witnessing the struggle of the medical team [...]
My visit with Jasmine last night was the most difficult. I planned to leave at about 8:00 pm but left after the close of visiting hours of 9:00 pm. For 2 ½ hours, they had difficulty stabilizing her and when I left, she was not yet at a comfortable place. I [...]
(If you read the previous blog, then this title will make sense to you. You are receiving this on Wednesday, but these reflections are about the events on Monday and Tuesday.) Upon sticking with the road to Hana analogy, if our journey would have 617 turns like the road to Hana, [...]
If you have ever driven the road to Hana, Maui, then you can relate to what our journey is like. The road to Hana has 617 turns and 56 one-lane bridges. If you have driven it for the first time, chances are you felt a constant tension as you navigated the [...]
The transition from the ventilator to the trial CPAP mode (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is in process. This involved shutting off Jasmine’s sedation and switching the ventilator to CPAP mode for periods of time, causing her to initiate breathing with the ventilator providing support. In simple terms, it reduces the level [...]
I had not posted for a couple of days, and honestly, I have been struggling the past 2 days, Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, they attempted to do the CPAP trial and Jasmine's system reacted against it so strongly that they had to suspend the procedure. Furthermore, there was another situation [...]
The past 3 entries in my personal journal have been about surrender. Jasmine and I live surrendered to God, to allow Christ to live in and through us (Galatians 2:20). As I have continually prayed for Jasmine’s healing, like the psalmist, I have asked God to search my heart for whatever [...]
