If I
didn’t, I would surely be “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the
wind”. (James 1:6)
The last
six months since my last blog entry have been nothing but a blur.
We had a
very fast summer filled with little else than swim practice. Every day it was 6:30 am practice, get home
around 9:15, eat, sleep, get up, eat, head back to practice at 6:00, then home
to eat, shower, and sleep. EVERY.
SINGLE.
DAY.
Except
Sunday, of course.
Sundays,
as always, were a respite for me. I was
able to rest my body and my mind, and nurture my soul. I love Sunday {happy sigh}.
Doug, as usual, traveled for work the
whole summer. We missed him – not only
is he a bright spot in our day when he comes home at
night, but he is such a huge help to ME on a daily basis!
Wednesday
nights were a crazy race getting Katherine to practice and myself to church to
teach my children’s discipleship class.
As exhausting as Wednesdays could be, I sure loved seeing “my” Kindergarten through
second grade kiddos on those nights!
Every single one of ‘em is a huge blessing to me.
Our
finances have become shaky and there has been some stress in trying to make
ends meet, but Doug and I are always amazed at how God
comes through for us. We are by no means out of the woods, but we
are definitely seeing the bright light of the clearing! It is a daily struggle for Doug to keep it
all in balance, but, with God’s help, he’s going to claim victory!
Before I knew it, it was time for school to start…
At the
end of August, we started our third year of homeschooling – hard for me to
believe Katherine is in 7th grade.
What a tremendous, wonderful opportunity for us! We are so thankful!
So, as
we eased back into our routine of school, swim, church, and Doug’s work travel, we
started to relax thinking things would be on an even keel for at least a little
bit…
Last
Friday, September 7, Doug’s Dad suffered his third and most severe stroke. After a week, he continues to be in ICU. Today he was moved to a long term acute care
center. The prognosis is disappointing –
the stoke was so severe it is a day-by-day, wait-and-see, touch-and-go
situation. My heart is hurting, Doug is
depressed, and Katherine is afraid.
How does one count it all joy when you haven’t had a summer, an insane schedule, a traveling husband, financial worries and a traumatic health event in the family?
For me,
it’s pretty easy.
1) Little sleep for me and intense training for
Katherine gave her the chance to make some amazing personal records in the pool
and allowed her to place well in her USA Swimming Elite meets. It also gave her the opportunity to witness
to her swimming peers and others she encountered at meets. It gave her the strength to do what the Lord
wants her to do with her gifts, and that fills me with JOY!
2) Though I have a husband who travels quite a
bit for work, he has a job! And that job
allows me to stay home to homeschool our daughter! You bet I will count it all JOY even when I’m tired, lonely and sick of hauling the
recycling to the curb, watering the yard and maintaining the above ground
pool! I am filled with thanksgiving that
my husband has a job!
3) Having financial worries stinks. But I know God will provide for us. It may not be in the way we want, but it will
– and always has – been in the way we need.
My family and I have a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs, gas in
our cars. Yes, we really want to
take a vacation, or even go out to dinner every once in awhile. But that’s okay. Doug informed me today that we hit a financial milestone in our “recovery” and he
was doing the happy dance. So what if we
have to put off vacation another year – it will mean we are financially solid
again and my husband isn’t stressing at warp speed anymore! Heck, yeah – I’m counting that all JOY!
4) And
my father-in-law suffering a stroke.
That one’s trickier for me, but I really have been able to gain a peace
about it that I don’t think the rest of the family has just yet. You see, he really is the only Dad I’ve ever
had; mine left our family when I was young, never to be heard from again. Doug’s Dad (and his sweet Mom) has been
loving, kind, and generous. He has been
teacher, administrator, and guidance counselor.
He has treated me like one of his own since pretty much the first day I
met him. It breaks my heart that he has
suffered this third stroke, but I know that if he never fully recovers, or if
God calls him home, I will always be grateful for all the years he let me call
him Dad. And THAT, my friends, goes
beyond pure JOY for this girl.
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I didn't know you had a blog too. I love what you wrote! I'll be praying for you and your family during this time.
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