This week started with end of summer and start of school stuff. It is hurricane season here and there was a storm brewing, Monday was the beginning of school for our 4th grade granddaughter, and Tuesday the first day for our first grader. Both my recently planted tomatoes and I were wilting in the heat and grateful for long cold drinks of water. Joe was busy with work and medical appointments. By the end of the day on Monday, my cool pillow was the only place I thought I was headed. Suddenly, everything changed. We were on the way to the hospital instead of to bed. Joe, who has had so many surgeries on his left knee, was literally brought to his knees by that joint collapsing and dislocating. We found ourselves in a swirl of pain and prayers. Calls to our doctor and our son, who came to help resulted in emergency hospital admission and on to the operating room where the out of place pieces were put in place and snugly encased in a thigh to toe cast. It is going to be a painful, challenging recovery but he is addressing it with his typical courage and good spirits
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All this to say, I am so grateful for God's provision for our peace in the middle of this storm, which felt like the pounding confusion of hurricane winds to us.
Isn't it good that we know we are not alone in dealing with this? We are grateful for access to medical care, and most of all so thankful for our family and the friends who help us and love us in so many ways. Our sons gave us their time and strong arms to lean on. Ben made our dinner when we came home from the hospital. He even remembered his Dad had said mac and cheese sounded good. Our son who does not live here was connected and encouraging by phone. All 3 daughters in law responded with loving attention. And I am overwhelmed with appreciation by the emails and Facebook messaging as well as phone calls from our friends. So it was natural that when I thought about a blog post for today that I wanted to give the spotlight to all of you who love us so well and help us so much. As the photo of a note I received many years ago declares "Hope your day starts and ends on a beautiful note!." I might add ...you certainly make the notes in my day a symphony!
Postscript: The note I mention was the last letter I received from Doris Nutt, a longtime friend and mentor on October 22, 2001 although I got a birthday card a few weeks later which she mailed before she died. She taught me at church when I was growing into and out of my teens, and was so important to me as a friend and mentor that I (along with other women who had the same blessing of knowing her) called her Mamma Nutt. Her faithfulness, loyalty, and unselfish giving of herself remain an example to me when I think of friends. When she passed away, friends found her with her Bible open in her lap. All those years ago, her encouragement and teaching helped to equip me for the storms of today. I am thankful for family and friends, then and now.
What awesome sons and daughter's-in-law you have. You & Joe have done a great job raising them.
ReplyDeleteI am so touched that your friend died with a Bible in her lap. She left while in His presence to be in His presence always...
~ Wendy
"left while in His presence to be in His presence always..." - such a lovely way to describe her. Indeed, I never grieved that she died while alone. She wasn't. This week I have been in touch with 2 other women who were that group of young girls and whose lives were impacted in powerful ways by the life of Doris Nutt. And yes, Wendy, our sons and their families are precious!
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