My Dad is 60 today.
This has been a really weird week. It went completely different than I planned even as late as Monday evening. We started the week just like normal. A full day of cleaning house, taking care of babies and getting ready for a fresh week with my CK responsibilities. Lists. Bills paid. A few groceries picked up. Planning in motion. We planned to end the week in Newton, celebrating my niece's 12th birthday tonight and my Dad's 60th tomorrow at lunch. They share the same birthday- August 5th. Monday night around midnight the plans drastically changed. We received a series of calls informing us that my Dad had been taken to the hospital, where he flat-lined multiple times and was now being taken by ambulance to Beaumont. Around 3 a.m. we gathered our thoughts and got moving toward Beaumont. That day we almost lost him, several times. Today is his birthday. He's in a deep sleep in ICU in Beaumont. And it's his birthday. I know that God is good. I'm so glad that I have that established in my heart and that I know for a fact that He is good no matter what. Still, life just really bites you in the rear sometimes. We've been through this before, many times, but never to this extent. We're praying and trusting God for His help, His will, His mercy. I just couldn't go without writing about this. It's one of those weird times that I just feel like the words can bleed out and it somehow makes things feel a tiny bit better. We decided that we'd better catch up on rest tonight so that we can start fresh tomorrow. Tomorrow we're going to go and see him. All we can do right now is look at him. If we touch him or talk to him he begins to come out of this deep sleep that he needs for healing. We don't want that. We want him to heal. We want him to come home all well. For tonight, I'll just try not to think too deeply about how heavy this all is. I'll just rest and pray for Dad while he rests. I don't have any smart "just what I've always wanted" lines for this one. God remains good. We remain filled with hope.
As I read this I couldn't help but think of the Newton side of things. As we sat at your sister's on this eve in some hopes of pulling together a happy face for your wonderful 12yr old niece I couldn't help but look around at the almost surreal slow motion of it all. Inside I was screaming "PAUSE" we must wait for Don, it's his birthday too, but outside we were all so very proud of Blair and what a very beautiful 12yr old she has made, both inside and out. We as Christian's get to experience both the hope of eternity and the hope on earth. The evening was filled with such a mixture of what was to come and what was to come long term. I praise God for all that your dad has taught me concerning times like this, yes the world around us continues to turn, but praising God that we can live in that 4th dimension of the PEACE that surpasses all understanding, standing in faith for our loved ones, and understanding both love and compassion for all people! Happy Birthday Bro. Don, I am honored to have gotten to chose to be in your family!! Love you tons LMS!
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