Sunday Inspiration

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me,

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.

and Grace, my fear relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come;

'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far

and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease,

I shall possess within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

When we've been we've been there ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun.

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we've first begun.

                                                                                                          John Newton (1725-1807)

Rest In Peace

Today we said our final goodbyes to a great man.  He was not a famous writer, or won a Nobel Prize or a great sports figure.  But he was the epitome of what it is to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ here on this earth.

For the past couple of days, we were told time and time again that he was a kind, good man and was never judgmental and treated every one the same.  If he had a difference of opinion with someone, he always respected their viewpoint and never argued with anyone.  He was always quick to give someone a compliment and a helping hand.  He was tall and strong, yet meek.  And he was always considerate of everyones feelings.

He also had a corny sense of humor and we could always expect a joke whenever we saw him.  He loved to see people smile and would make people laugh even if they were having a bad day.

He loved his wife and children with every ounce of his being.  My mom and dad were married for over sixty years yet still acted like newlyweds at times.  Sometimes my mom would be walking by him and he would reach over and give her a little swat on the rear.;-) And something that will be with me for the rest of my life is how they always give each other a kiss and hug and said, "Love you!" if one of them was going out.  

Early Saturday morning was no exception.  As my dad was drawing his last breaths here on earth, my mom was saying her goodbyes and telling him how much she loved him and giving him hugs and kisses, he took what was the last ounce of his strength and reached up and hugged her.  That is something that will always be with me.  That and the look of peace that overcame him as he took his final breath.  It was truly a blessing.  

I will miss my dad so much.  But I have peace in knowing that he is reunited with his loved ones who passed before him and he is free from all of the pain and suffering.  And most of all he is with our Lord and Savior and basking in the glory of God.

I am closing this post with a couple of bible verses that my mom had written down that had given her comfort in challenging times.  I hope this will bring comfort to others as it gave us comfort:

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears off all faces.

Isaiah 25:8

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever."

Isaiah 32:17

Sunday Inspiration

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

and that He will stand upon the earth at last.

And I know that after this body has decayed

this body shall see God.

Job 19:25-26

Sunday Inspiration

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

                  Matthew 5:3-10

            

Surgery

I could have come up with a more clever sounding title to this blog post.  But with every thing going on and the fact that I got no sleep last night, my brain is mush.

Honey had surgery today to replace the spinal cord stimulator unit in his back because the battery went dead.  He was in an accident four years ago, and as a result of his injuries he developed chronic regional pain syndrome.  It is amazing what modern medicine has come up with to help people with pain issues.  We were so thankful that this was available, because my husband did not want to become dependent on drugs.  Besides, the pain medication that he was given was wreaking havoc on his stomach.  It was scary to have this machine implanted into his back at first.  But given the option of living with chronic pain or the possibility of becoming addicted to pain meds, well, there were no other options.  He tried everything known to man at first before going under the knife.  In fact I believe that this is more or less a last resort, because of the invasiveness and expense of this procedure.  If you would like more info, you may leave a comment or click on the links.

The surgery was relatively short compared to when it was first implanted.  He was so funny when he was first coming out of anesthesia.  I wish I had a video camera.  He was in another universe.;-)  Now he is crashed on the couch and sore.  Hopefully in a couple of days, he will be feeling better.

My dad is in the hospital.  He had fluid in his abdomen, and the doctors drew almost a gallon out!  One surgeon said the cancer had spread to his abdomen according to the CAT scans, but his lung specialist wasn't so sure.  So he testing the fluid for cancer cells.  Please pray that it is negative.

My dad did sleep better last night than he has in weeks and he ate a good breakfast this morning.  But he couldn't eat anything else the rest of the day.  But, if I ate as much as he did this morning, I probably would not be hungry either.  We have definitely lived a roller coaster life the past few weeks.

I'll be nursing Honey back to health and seeing my dad in the hospital and helping out with my handicapped brother tomorrow.  So it will be a busy time.

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.


                                                                                     Mahatma Gandhi

Life

We just got news today that we were hoping that we would not hear during the course of my dad's illness.  We learned that the cancer has spread from his lung to his abdomen.  The surgeon wants to put a port in his chest so that he can receive chemotherapy.  But we are fearful that the chemotherapy will make him sicker. His breathing has become more labored and he is having a harder time getting comfortable.  He told me today as we were sitting on the front porch that he wishes that he would just close his eyes and fall asleep and not wake up.  I just sat there and held his hand.  I wanted to tell him that was my wish too, that I did not want him to suffer.  But it is so hard to let someone go that you love with all your being.  But if I have the choice to have him live on with this illness, I am more that willing to let him go.  After all, he will be reunited with his loved ones that have passed on from this life and will be welcomed into the arms of Jesus.  I want him to know that it will be okay.  That we will be okay.

Sunday Inspiration

The Lord is my light and salvation-whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1