More Thankfulness for Another Miracle

“I don’t want to go back to the hospital.”

After having serious health problems for ten years, we could understand my mom’s reluctance to endure more medications and treatments that often made her worse. 

Though we understood she was tired of being sick, we weren’t ready to let her go. However, we didn’t think we should force treatment on an eighty-seven year old lady who was tired of the pain.

After calling my son Chris, Alan and I left for my parents’ home. I tried to prepare myself for the end but didn’t know what we would find when we arrived.

As we drove, Chris, Anne, Ashlyn, Emily and Molly prayed. Part of their prayer was that my mom would consent to go to the hospital for treatment.

My phone rang. “We are on the way to the hospital and will meet you there,” my dad said. “I didn’t mention going any more. She just said she wanted to go.”

We didn’t know what changed mother’s mind until I spoke with Anne. When she mentioned they had prayed for mother to go to the hospital, we knew we had another miracle.   

How thankful our family is for her being treated there. When the doctor said she had a nasty type of pneumonia, we knew if she had stayed at home, she would not have survived.

Though she is still in ICU, the doctor last night was more encouraging. Her lungs were clearer and her fever was gone. Hopefully, the sedation will soon be reduced and the ventilator taken out in the next couple of days.

Thank you for all of your prayers. They certainly do work. The quickly answered prayer reminded us that God listens and miracles do occur. 

He heals up the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 (NIV)

Dear Lord, thank you for watching over us and listening to our prayers. Amen

Thankfulness During Another Hospital Visit

A pale form sat in the wheelchair. Listless eyes opened and closed. Mother tried to smile when we walked into the hospital waiting room.

“I’d rather be home in bed,” she said.

We understood why she hadn’t wanted to go to the emergency room again. In six or seven weeks, she had been there three times. Another hospitalization wasn’t welcome news. 

After my dad’s phone call, Alan and I quickly prepared for the hour’s drive to their home.  With multiple issues, her health was precarious. We wondered how she would be when we got there. Thankfully, before we arrived, she had finally decided to go to the hospital.

After a rather prolonged time, they began the process of evaluating her. During the extended wait during the evening, I tried to find things to be thankful for. There were many. 

Cell phones to contact family members. A nearby hospital with caring doctors, nurses and other staff members. Blood tests and a lab to analyze them. Oxygen tanks to help her breathe. A mobile x-ray machine so she didn’t have to leave the room. An EKG machine to check her heart. A clean bed so she could stretch out and relax. Warm blankets to take off the chill. A dad who is devoted to his wife of sixty-eight years and patiently sat with her.

I remembered what our recent house guest from South Sudan said about his country’s hospitals. They have little equipment and medications. Many citizens die for lack of good medical care. What a blessing that we have well equipped medical facilities.

When my mom was stabilized and waiting for a room, Alan and I decided to leave for home. Even on the way, I thought of more to be thankful for. A husband willing to drop everything and drive me there. A new book for him to read while he waited. A reliable car with plenty of gas. A McDonald’s where we could get a late night snack. Light traffic and good weather for the late drive.

The first phone call caused anxiety and uncertainty. However, with prayer and the Holy Spirit’s guidance, peace and thankfulness returned. When I concentrated on the positive things, the rest receded. 

Please pray for continued healing, peace, and thankfulness. 

I Thessalonians 5: 16-18 Celebrate always, pray constantly, and give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. (This is God’s will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed.) The Voice

Thankful for the Visit

“Could we stop over for a visit today?” the email asked.

After talking with Alan, I answered the friend we had met while on a tour of Egypt and Jordan a few years ago. They had traveled from their home in California to see relatives who lived near us.

A little while later, two couples arrived. Our friends introduced us to their relatives. We settled onto the patio and talked like old friends. 

After a while, they asked about Alan’s lung disease. He explained the symptoms and advancing progression. He also told them that he might or might not be healed and knew it was all in God’s hands. 

“May we pray for you?” 

“Of course.”

Our friend said, “I felt God leading us to come and pray for you.”

As we all held hands and stood, they prayed. First for Alan and then for me. What a blessing.

They didn’t know if we would be receptive but came because God wanted them to do it. Their prayers were heartfelt and lifted us up.  Their obedience encouraged and blessed us. 

Each time I think of them, I hope that I will be as receptive when God leads me. How thankful I am to have friends who love God and display their faith.

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

Ephesians 1:15-16

Dear Father, thank you for your servants. Help me to willingly follow your plans. Amen

An Attitude of Thanksgiving

A small plane hummed and crossed the clear, blue sky. Ducks gathered on the glassy lake. A pair of great white egrets and a blue heron sauntered through the shallow water. Blackbirds bellowed. Sunrise illuminated my garden. 

Thankfulness filled me. God created every part of my retreat from the short peppermint to the towering bald cypress. Silent lizards to trumpeting blue herons. Billowing gray moss to waving pink azaleas. Soft grass to rough pine cones. Each had a unique place in His world.

While enjoying my favorite sanctuary, I thought of those in Israel and Afghanistan, who have no peace. Wrapped in my warm robe and draped with blankets against the chilly morning, I remembered the homeless in woods not far away and huddled refugees in camps and caves with no warmth. 

As I prepared for an abundant Thanksgiving dinner, images of hungry children in the hills of Peru and refugee families in Ethiopia eating UN rations came to mind.

My closet full of clothes seemed extravagant compared to Haitians with no change of clothes. 

My daily Bible reading from my newest version reminded me of Christians with no Bible at all. For Christians in Sudan, it is illegal to even own one.  

The list in my head went on and on. Why was I chosen to live in a country with so many opportunities and freedoms? Why weren’t they? What will I do with my blessings? 

In spite of trials and hardships, God has always provided for me and given me hope. No matter what is going on, there is someone who is worse off. 

As our culture becomes so obsessed with sales, shopping, and getting more and more stuff, take time to be thankful for what you have. The most important things are not bought with money. 

Come offer thanks to the Eternal; invoke His holy name. Tell other people about things He has done. Sing songs of praise to Him; tell stories of all His miracles. Psalm 105:1 (The Voice)

Heavenly Father, thank you for the many blessings you have given to me. Help me to bless others as you have blessed me. Amen

Remember and Be Thankful

Wind rippled small American flags all around our neighborhood. One patriotic couple quietly places flags along our streets as a tribute to those who have served and are serving our country.

Each time I pass by the brightly colored banners, I remember family members and friends who have sacrificed for our country. 

I also think of ill clad soldiers who followed George Washington and those encased in gear in Afghanistan. Sailors on wooden ships forming a blockade of American harbors and those sailing the world on gigantic aircraft carriers. Forces joined in Europe fighting Hitler and those with U.N. troops maintaining peace in Africa. A father in a submarine or mother in Iraq. Fliers in open cockpits or ones in Stealth bombers. Lonely outposts of the emerging West or offices at the Pentagon. All serving.

Veterans come in various sizes, shapes, colors, ages, and skills. For over two hundred years they have endured, sacrificed, and served. Lives have been altered. Many snuffed out. To every one. Thank you for serving and protecting us.