Blessed

I feel so blessed. It's literally embarrassing how blessed I feel. I know that life has not been easy; I'm not saying that. I am saying that through everything, God has richly blessed us by walking with us - holding hands kind of walking.

Early in our marriage, my husband developed a fever of undetermined origin. He spiked at 106.5 degrees for seven weeks. The doctors were helpless to heal him; they just treated it, doing all they could to bring it down. Meds didn't work but ice wraps and such helped. We went overseas as missionaries and twice in the six years that we lived in Martinique, the fever returned. Our doctor (yes, socialized medicine and all) was able to find a medication that worked, bringing the fever down to around 102 degrees. The first time it hung on for four and a half weeks, the second time about two weeks. It never returned.

While he was in college, our older son fell from a fence top on a construction site, broke some ribs, but missed the rebar sticking out of the concrete block where he fell... missed it by a couple inches. A few years later, our younger son was in a terrible car accident on icy roads. He was driving my cousin's BMW. Just before pulling onto the road, he noticed that his cousin didn't have her seatbelt on and he waited while she hooked it up. Seven minutes later they were up-side-down in a ditch. They walked away with a scratch on his hand where he had hit the window glass in order to make enough room to crawl out of the car. My cousin had planned to sell that car; insurance gave him $2000 more than what he was going to ask for it.

In December 2001, my dad had a stroke. He had been having TMIs over time but this one was bigger. He was in rehab, seemed to be doing well, and it was time for my husband and I to return to Haiti for the two week marathon of annual meetings. Eleven meetings in twelve days all over that country. My younger brother kept calling and asking me to come home instead. He was the only one of my four brothers who insisted that I come, the only one who didn't think my dad would go home again. I prayed and decided to listen to my brother. My husband went to Haiti and I flew into Seattle. For a week and a half, all was well with my father and it seemed that my trip was not really necessary. On January 15th, during rehab, the blood clot in my father's head cut loose and went to his heart. The therapists couldn't elevate my dad enough so I climbed onto the rehab table and held him in my arms. I talked to him, prayed with him, and let him go home to heaven. My brother was right... my dad died at the very moment I would have been landing in Seattle if I hadn't changed my plans.

Less than three years later my husband was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer. We went to various specialists in Miami for five months while each new physician repeated the tests already given by the others. Finally in frustration, we contacted MD Anderson Cancer Center, a part of the University of Texas hospital system, and self-referred. Within two weeks (August) T was accepted as a patient. Within a month (September) he was scheduled for surgery. By the end of the year he lost his right eye, endured six weeks of daily radiation, and began a five year journey of trips to Houston TX for follow-up testing. In 2009 he was set free from the process and told to live his life.

Today is Father's Day 2010. This morning my husband preached in a church whose pastor is on sabbatical. He spoke from John 13, the ministry of the towel - servant leadership. I sat in church and thanked God for walking with us, for giving us opportunities to experience His intimate presence. I thanked Him for giving us the strength to continue in ministries that are very fatiguing yet so important: equipping the next generation to be Christ-like leaders through Christian Education.

Recently, I have been following the blogs of several people who are in the depths of suffering. Nearly all have children who have been afflicted with cancer or a traumatic brain injury. I do not know any of these people personally but I pray for them, for their kids, for their minds to be renewed. I am so grateful to know God intimately. These people will also get to know Him better than they ever imagined possible. I am also grateful for this moment in time, a reflection on what has gone before and a time to give thanks.

It's Father's Day 2010. My father is in heaven. My husband is here with me. My two sons, both fathers, are with their children, loving, caring, providing for them. I am blessed. It's embarrassing how very blessed I am and I am so grateful for the blessing. Thank you God, my Father.