Prayers

Lydia here. My sister called me late last night to let me know that Mom and Dad were on the way back to the hospital in an ambulance after only just arriving home yesterday. My heart sank. "When, O Lord, will you give rest to the weary?" Dad had not been receiving the best of care at the rehab facility and Mom is quite sure (as I am) that between Home Health Care and herself, Dad will be well looked-after. So, Mom had Dad discharged yesterday and she and a sweet friend brought him home.

Last night, my Mom was checking/redoing my Dad's colostomy bag (which they would not have done at the rehab facility) and noticed blood and clots in it. She immediately called their wonderful Home Health supervisor. The supervisor recommended going to the ER. She also explained that she believes the problem is due to the fact that Dad is on a blood thinner. Long story and lot of facts, so I won't go into all of that, but Dad is on blood thinners to prevent strokes. Glioblastoma care is like a puzzle. One med to prevent something can cause something else and nothing ever seems to work out as planned. God knows though- He is even orchestrating the small stuff, though I have yet to see where his plan in all this is going. I must believe that the great I AM is in the details, for isn't that what the Christian walk is based on? Faith and Hope. Faith is believing that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. Hope is looking forward to eternity with Him and being excited about seeing that "big picture" all laid out someday. I can't wait (neither can Dad)!

Still, even with faith and hope, this journey is an exhausting one. Mom has now been up for 24 hours. Dad has not rested well since his initial hospitalization with this issue 15 (?) days ago. There is nothing Satan loves more than a weary person. When one is tired, it is easy to play up the fears, cause doubts to arise, so easy to focus on the here and now and lose sight of eternity. And that bring me to the last and greatest of "these three." Faith, hope, and...LOVE. If you love my parents, please continue to take them before the throne of grace. Ask for rest and peace for both my parents. Ask for wisdom for them and the medical teams that they deal with. Ask for chances to share the gospel with those they meet and for my parents to have boldness and seize those chances. Years ago, when I was going through something hard, a sweet friend once said to me, "I don't why I said all I could do right now was pray for you when in reality, it's the most I can do for you!" I've never forgotten that. If you are like me, you want to do something physical to help my parents, but taking them before the King of Kings is exactly what you should be doing! The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing! However, if you are able to express your love in other ways, cards in the mail are appreciated. Once they are home, meals would be nice since Mom will be working some and taking care of Dad. Send an email or Facebook message letting them know you are praying. Dad got a stereo for Christmas, so if you want to share your classical CDs with him, he'd love that. Picking up groceries for Mom (Lowes Foods to Go is AWESOME). Sitting with Dad so Mom can get out of the hospital or house. I am on day 8 of an illness that leaves me in bed, so I appreciate any care that others are giving my parents since I am unable to do so. Hannah is doing an awesome job taking care of Mom and Dad, but she does have a job and can't always be there. Love....the greatest of these is love. Thank you all for all the ways you have already shown such love to my family!

Dad received 2 units of blood and 4 units of plasma this morning. There are no available beds in the hospital, so he is still in the ER waiting to see the surgeon. No idea what is going to happen at this point but it looks like once a bed is available, he will move to a floor. Dad is alert and not in pain, that is a blessing! I need to look for even the small blessings, God is in the small stuff. I believe it!