Thank you.
Thank you so much.
To all of my friends, family, and precious people I have never even met who have sent sweet messages and prayers.....
Thank you.
I truly can't adequately express how very much all of this support has meant to me,
and how truly humbled I feel by all of the caring.
I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooo
beyond blessed.
Truth.
That being said....
HIP HIP HOORAY AND HALLELUJAH it's over!
Let's avoid THAT particular kind of episode in the future, if you don't mind.
Really, I had an amazing medical team and some seriously fabulous big and burly bodyguards (RH, my dad and my brother) watching over me.
In fact, the surgeon thanked US for asking them to pray with us before the surgery.....that was pretty cool.
And they let me stay awake enough to watch the screen that was showing pictures from this tiny little "camera" they had INSIDE of my heart.
(Which...looking back...seems kind of bizarre and freaky....but apparently I had enough drugs in me that it was just plain cool at that point.)
And now I'm the proud owner of a 29mm bow-tie shaped nickel alloy "plug" in my heart.
They say it won't set off metal detectors.
Bonus.
It is a little weird to think of it in there right now.
I'm glad it's there and all...but it's strange.
Oh well.
I'll get used to it.
Just hug me gently until it's firmly anchored in place, please.
Anyway....here's my random thought for the day.
During this experience quite a few people mentioned how crazy our last 8 months have been
(and yeah....that thought crossed my mind, too).
Some people have asked us
how our "strength" was holding up...
how we could "deal with so many crises"...
how we weren't "angry".
Well....
Here's the deal.
I feel that over the last 8 months and 2 weeks(ish),
I have been LITERALLY
the most blessed person in God's kingdom.
When you think of the things that my family has gone through...
direct hit by an EF-5 tornado
with kids out in a truck
and loosing a house
then having a stroke
while our hospitals aren't really functioning well
then having a heart
AND AT THE END OF IT ALL ALL ALL OF US ARE SAFE AND ALIVE AND WELL.
Seriously....there is no greater blessing.
I truly mean what I've just written.
Completely and truly and honestly.
But (and I know you were just waiting for the "but" in all of this)....
that doesn't mean there haven't been effects from these events.
Just flip back through my blogs.
Just check my purchase record at Shake's.
Indulge me for a moment while I share a little quote with you
(paraphrased by me from Matthew 7: 24-27):
"Therefore, whoever hears God and does what he says
will be like a man who built his house on the rock;
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat on that house;
and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
But whoever hears what God says and chooses NOT to abide in Him
will be like a fool who built his house on the sand;
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat on that house;
and it fell. And great was its fall."
Bottom line:
In order to still be standing.....you gotta have God for your foundation.
I'm pretty lucky.
I have an awesome foundation.
Now listen.
This scripture says that WITH God as your "rock"
your "house" will not fall no matter how strong the storm might be.
It doesn't say your house won't be damaged.
That your roof won't be torn off...
your memory scattered...
your chest hurt...
your contents be blown to smithereens...
your fears bubble over...
your control lost...
your legs bruised...
your underwear be full of insulation...
your heart aching....
It just says that in the end....
you will not fall.
When the foundation is firm and sturdy enough...
A new house can be built upon it.
But you know what else?
God isn't just there in the base of your "house".
He is standing guard around your broken walls.
He cares about your bad dreams.
He cares about your breathlessness when you see a piece of twisted metal still in a tree.
He cares about your sorrow over lost precious family heirlooms.
He cares about your anxiety when in thunders.
He cares about your fear of leaving your kids when they are so young.
And he will help you rebuild the parts of your life that have been damaged by the storms.
You know....
It doesn't always happen nicely.
But I know that if I can keep myself rooted where I should be....
I'll stay standing.
I may be leaning a little crookedly...
But I'll be standing.
1 comment:
Awesome words of wisdom. Would love to repost on my blog, with your permission. I have been through the fire...not so much with health related issues, but there nonetheless, and I too am truly thankful.
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