giving thanks, part 3

Coming here and typing out my thoughts over the past few days has been good for my soul. It has helped put things in perspective… to see God’s hand more clearly… to give thanks for all He has done. The past two days I have reflected on the incredible gifts God has given our family… Joshua and Jaxson.

If you are a grandparent, I don’t need to explain it to you. It’s just THE BEST THING EVER! Thanks for letting me share my joy.

I want to talk a bit about my Dad today. I shared a few weeks ago in this post about Dad being discharged from Hospice and how we were disappointed that as a result he would lose his Broda chair. Mom encouraged us to trust God with this and to see how He would provide. That is the way Mom and Dad have always been. As missionaries they never asked for anything, even though they have lived on faith in God to provide their support through amazing friends and family who give so faithfully. Mom and I felt that since the Broda chair fit Dad’s needs and made him comfortable and the facility did not have one to offer him, we would go ahead and order him one to replace the hospice chair, trusting God to provide the $3000 to pay for it. After our previous not-so-good experience a couple of years ago with purchasing a wheelchair, we were thrilled with the Broda company representative who let us test a chair for a week and never once made us feel pressured to sign the dotted line. We knew it was the right chair for him and committed to purchasing the chair. That was three weeks ago. A week ago I received a letter from a dear friend of my parents with a $500 check enclosed to help with the expense of the chair! They said that this was a tangible way they could help my parents and encouraged me to share the need here on my blog. I told Mom about the check and asked if she felt comfortable with me sharing about the need. She quickly responded that with that check God had already supplied most of what was needed through the generosity of others!!!!! Later that day she called to tell me that someone else had given her a check that made the chair paid for!  So here’s a big “shout out” to our Provider, Jehovah Jireh, who doesn’t need social media to raise money, and to those of you who quietly gave. We are beyond thankful!

Over this past weekend Dad came down with a bad cold… congestion and fever. They did an x-ray and it came back negative for pneumonia, for which we are very thankful. He is on antibiotics (when he will take it) and his caregivers are taking good care of him, along with Mom. Yesterday morning his fever broke and he seemed to be feeling better, so Mom decided with the encouragement of the staff to let him participate in a Tidewell Hospice Honoring of Veterans ceremony down in the rotunda.

We were not really sure what it would be like. But I am so thankful that Dad felt better and that Mom and I were there. When I waked into the room (almost late) I was surprised by the wave of emotion that hit me as I saw this group of 40 or so men and women sitting in their wheel chairs, surrounded by family, friends and staff.

I was struck by the thought that this is a generation of people who sacrificed so much for our country and the freedom we have experienced, who defined the word patriotism… something that is quickly waning.

There were honoring words spoken, songs sung about amber waves of grain and God’s grace being shed on this country. One thing that was said stuck with me… someone isn’t honored for what they received but for what they gave.

Each veteran was presented with a framed document and a pin and then saluted. Dad slept through most of it, but toward the end I think he was aware of what was happening.

Of course with a name like Yohner he was last… Mom said that he would say that he was always the last to get paid in the army.

Thank you so much Tidewell Hospice for what you gave back to these deserving people yesterday.

I am very proud of my Dad. Not only was he a United States Army solider…

who served in Guam

but more importantly he was a solider for Christ…

fighting to bring the Light and Freedom to those living in darkness…

We need more like you, Dad.

Your prayers are appreciated for Dad, that he will recover fully from this cold and for Mom that she will remain healthy. Thank you!

Our hearts are full of thanksgiving for His unspeakable gifts!