Feeling a bit emotional right now, so bear with me, please...
Years ago, my mom and dad divorced and after some time, my mother remarried.
She married a man who most of us would classify as 'salt of the earth'. A farming man, truck driver, cow and horse trader, he ran one of the local cotton gins too. A man who believed in the finality of his word and a handshake. A man who worked very hard, all his life, to give and provide for his family...both blood and adopted. A man whose opinion and counsel I gave great consideration to throughout my life. A man who tried his level best to live his life and treat others as our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, told him to. A man I love and respect very much.
Back this past summer, both my step dad's and my mothers health started to decline a bit. She was beginning to have more and more trouble caring for him. So, in August, a couple buddies and I closed in the garage, made a pretty comfortable living space, and moved my mother and step father in there while my wife, kids, and I took over the rest of the house.
Since about Thanksgiving, my step dads health has severely declined. He no longer drives to breakfast in the mornings, he can no longer walk to the mailbox. He needs help going to the bathroom, he needs help bathing. Some days, he feels good enough to sit up and get out of bed. Other days not so much. Some days he can walk with a walker, other days he needs a wheelchair. I cannot count the number of times he has fallen in the last two months. It has been a difficult time for everyone in this household.
I absolutely hate to say this out loud, but he is dying. It is a hard truth that we must face. And it is tearing me apart having to watch it happen. I have found some solace in the Scriptures, but my heart is still heavy and hurting. So, as I sit here with tears in my eyes, if you are the praying type, pray for my family to have the strength to do the things that will be required of us in a future that I am afraid is fast approaching.
Pray for my step dad to have a painless transition, to find peace and comfort in the presence of our Lord, God Almighty, whenever Our Father decides it is time to call him home.
But most importantly, pick up the phone and give a loved one a call. Stop by out of the blue to say hi and sit a spell. Let someone know, through your actions, that they are loved. Our time is limited, cherish every moment.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
My fathers house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?"
John 14:1-2
Years ago, my mom and dad divorced and after some time, my mother remarried.
She married a man who most of us would classify as 'salt of the earth'. A farming man, truck driver, cow and horse trader, he ran one of the local cotton gins too. A man who believed in the finality of his word and a handshake. A man who worked very hard, all his life, to give and provide for his family...both blood and adopted. A man whose opinion and counsel I gave great consideration to throughout my life. A man who tried his level best to live his life and treat others as our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, told him to. A man I love and respect very much.
Back this past summer, both my step dad's and my mothers health started to decline a bit. She was beginning to have more and more trouble caring for him. So, in August, a couple buddies and I closed in the garage, made a pretty comfortable living space, and moved my mother and step father in there while my wife, kids, and I took over the rest of the house.
Since about Thanksgiving, my step dads health has severely declined. He no longer drives to breakfast in the mornings, he can no longer walk to the mailbox. He needs help going to the bathroom, he needs help bathing. Some days, he feels good enough to sit up and get out of bed. Other days not so much. Some days he can walk with a walker, other days he needs a wheelchair. I cannot count the number of times he has fallen in the last two months. It has been a difficult time for everyone in this household.
I absolutely hate to say this out loud, but he is dying. It is a hard truth that we must face. And it is tearing me apart having to watch it happen. I have found some solace in the Scriptures, but my heart is still heavy and hurting. So, as I sit here with tears in my eyes, if you are the praying type, pray for my family to have the strength to do the things that will be required of us in a future that I am afraid is fast approaching.
Pray for my step dad to have a painless transition, to find peace and comfort in the presence of our Lord, God Almighty, whenever Our Father decides it is time to call him home.
But most importantly, pick up the phone and give a loved one a call. Stop by out of the blue to say hi and sit a spell. Let someone know, through your actions, that they are loved. Our time is limited, cherish every moment.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
My fathers house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?"
John 14:1-2