Day 26: A Childhood Memory

I grew up in a very family-oriented home. Throughout my formative years we did everything as a family...I was even home schooled! I have so many memories of times spent around the table laughing, having friends over to the house and playing games for hours, going to visit family in other states, taking walks, playing pranks, working in and outside the house, raising rabbits, going on vacations, and many more. I had a happy childhood.

There is one memory that is more prominent in my mind than any other. It was a ritual every night for as long as I can remember. Every night right before bed Dad would

come into our rooms and pray with us. Sometimes it would be a short prayer, but other times we would have a long heart to heart chat and then pray about whatever it was we talked about. Sometimes Dad would be away on a business trip, but he would call us at night and still pray with us. I thank God for a father who took the time to pray with me.

Update 1/18/2011

Mom went to the doctor yesterday. He is very pleased with her progress so far and said that there is no sign of infection. Praise the Lord! Her wound is still about 1 centimeter deep, and he said that will be still be several weeks before it is completely closed. They checked her hemoglobin (red blood cell count) (which soon after her surgery was down around 5 (normal is around 15 to 18)) she is up to 10.1, yet another answer to prayer. She will be going back to the doctor in two weeks (personally, I am hoping that by that time her wound will have closed enough by then so that no more dressing changes will have to be done).

As to the rest of the family, dad hurt his knee at work soon before Mom's surgery. He is supposed to have a MRI this week, but the doctor thinks the meniscus (which is in the knee cap) is torn and surgery may have to be done to repair that!

Work is going well, I don't have many hours, but each week I seem to be picking up a few more which is a blessing. I am taking a total of 4 classes, 11 credits this semester. I'm working on them one at a time. Currently I am over half way through "The History of Israel" and the next class will be "Educational Psychology."

Sam is doing well, keeping up with school and music practice. He is also enjoying the snow that we've had. Sadly, it is starting to melt...oh well, by the end of the month we'll probably have more.

Day 15: A Person I Admire

This post involves not one, but two people I admire greatly. To have one without the other would be practically impossible. These two people are my parents.

Growing up my parents encouraged me as I grew both physically and spiritually. Were it not for them I would not be the person that I am today. Throughout the years they have shown me through their lives how to live in a godly way and how to demonstrate love to others -- even the unlovable. I could go on and on about them and their love for each other, their family, God, and the world. They are my heroes and I love them very much.

PROGRESS

This afternoon my parents and I went to mom's doctor for her one week check up. The doctor was very happy with how the wound has been healing -- in fact it is about two-thirds of the way healed! Praise the Lord! I have been the primary "wound packer" (for lack of a better term) and Dr. Simon jokingly told me that once all of this ordeal is over I should take my state boards (the test that nurses take after completing nursing school). I laughed, but uh, yeah, the answer is NO! God called me to work with teens, NOT to be a nurse! :) The point remains, Mom is doing much better!

The other exciting news of the day is that dad took his level two testing for his job. And once again he passed the first time! (He has now passed both levels the first time and was told before the first one that a very low percentage pass the first time on either one of them.) The Lord has blessed him for all the hard work and studying he has been doing.

God truly protects those He loves. Dad's test was in Ft. Wayne, which is about a 45 minute drive from home. He had to at the testing center at 7:30 this morning. About 7:50 I was reading my Bible when my cell phone beeped telling me I had a text message. I grabbed my phone and saw it was an alert from a radio station, it said that a part of US 30 (the road dad would have taken) was closed due to an accident! I jumped out of bed, and ran to ask Mom if dad was ok. It turns out that he had driven through there only a few minutes before the accident -- in fact he was less than 20 miles down the road when the radio station began to cover the accident. Wow. God is good!

In other news of the day, since mom's doctor was in Goshen, of course we had to stop at the Dunkin Donuts there! Mmm....I love that place! :) And even more exciting, DAD GOT A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT! Wow...shocking, huh? :)

She was Watching

I recently came across this song and I immediately thought of my parents, and Daddy in particular. I had thoughts of waiting to post this until Father's Day, but I couldn't wait THAT long!!

I love you Daddy!

She was Watching

He always called her daddy's little girl

She was four years old

Waiting by the door to run into his arms

Each time that he came home

And every night he tucked her in and read to her in bed

When she'd fall asleep he'd close his eyes and gently bow his head

But she was watching

Her daddy praying

And thought someday I wanna be like that

She was watching what he was saying

And the way he bowed his head

And though she can't recall the prayer

She was watching

Late one evening he was coming home from work

He called to say he'd lost his job

And after dinner they excused their baby girl

She knew they had to talk

But from inside her bedroom

She could hear them down the hall

They were dancing in the kitchen as momma

sang his favorite song.

She was watching

As they were dancing

And thought someday I wanna be like that

She was watching

Her momma singing

As they were dancing hand in hand

And though she can't recall the song

She was watching.

Faith can't be taught

It's just something that is caught along the way

No faith is never taught

It's just something that they catch from

watching you along the way.

He always called her daddy's little girl

But now she's twenty-three

He walks her down the aisle to give away his world

Oh but he can hardly speak

And when he kisses her goodbye he tries to hold it in

But as he turns away she pulls him close and whispers in his ear

I was watching

And I've been waiting

And finally found someone just like you

I was watching

My whole life praying

For God to see it through

And as he kissed her one last time

He said a prayer and closed his eyes

And she was watching.

~Mark Schultz~