Really thankful?

I tucked in the sheets, and smoothed out my bed cover, eyeing the basket of freshly washed clothes that sat next to my bed.  Those would need to be put away.  Several chores crossed my mind that I'd like to get done today or the next,... begin the grout cleaning, scrub down the shower, finish making bedroom curtains... on and on the list goes.

I wasn't thinking of it as overwhelming, just going over it in my mind, and then a thought occured to me.

Every chore that I have on my list is a reminder of a specific blessing in my life.

I am so very blessed to have clothes to wash fold and put away...there are many who have very little.  There are many who have no shoes, no washer or dryer, no soap...no laundry basket to sit by the bed...no bed.

I am so very blessed to have grout to clean.  I have a home with tile floors, I have a roof over my head, walls to keep me safe and warm...or cool.  There are so many who have dirt floors, a sheet of aluminum for a roof, ...or no home at all.

I am so very blessed to have a shower that needs a scrubdown, a potty to clean, and sink to wash out.  I have not one, but two bathrooms in my home.  There are many who have no place for such a private luxury.  No plumbing or pipes to take away the refuse, no soft towels to dry off with, so soap or shampoo....no clean water to bathe in.

I am so very blessed to be making new curtains for my bedroom.  I have fabric, money, a sewing machine, and a home with glass windows that let in sunshine but keep out rain.  There are many who can't even imagine that kind of life.

Every day, do we take for granted the "normal" things in our lives?  Or can we take a moment to remember how blessed we are, and to thank the gracious God who has given us those gifts. 

If you have a home, you are blessed. 
If you are struggling with finances, you are still blessed.
If you think feeding your family is expensive, you are feeding them, you are blessed.
If your have a toothbrush, a plate, a cup, a mirror, a brush, a pair of socks, you are blessed.

Have you ever stared into the pantry and wondered what to make for dinner?  I have.  Have you ever noticed how much food is in there, and yet you still say "There's nothing to make for dinner"?  We are so incredibly blessed.  How do I know I can include YOU in this?  Becuase you are sitting at a computer reading it.  If you can do that, you are blessed.

We are rich beyond belief when we compare ourselves to those who go without what we would consider basic necessities each and every day.  Our homes are mansions, our cars are chariots, our food is lavish, our clothing like that of royalty.  When you look at your life that way, chores become a gift. 

We are blessed to be given the opportunity to care for these things we have been given.  Fold those clothes with honor and delight.  Make that shower sparkle, no matter it's size or the materials it is made from, it is an amazing gift that you have been blessed with.  Tuck in those sheets and make those beds with a song in your heart for you are blessed that at night you can lay on a mattress, pull those blankets up over your body and feel safe, warm and blessed.

Thank you Lord Jesus for all your precious gifts.  Help us to always remember to be thankful for those things that we have become the norm for us.  Help us to see that even our very basic items are such a huge gift, from You.

"He who is generous will be blessed..." ~ Proverbs 22:9a

Wordful Wednesday...

"O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,

Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God

And a great King above all gods,

In whose hand are the depths of the earth,

The peaks of the mountains are His also.

The sea is His, for it was He who made it,

And His hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us worship and bow down,

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God,

And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

Psalm 95:1-7a

Spiritual Sundays...

If you've ever felt the world crashing in around you, you can rest assured that we have a God who will stand and fight for us.  He IS our stronghold...we can have joy through struggles, because He IS our strength...

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.

Deliver me from those who do iniquity

And save me from men of bloodshed.

For behold, they have set an ambush for my life;

Fierce men launch an attack against me,

Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord,

For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.

Arouse yourself to help me, and see!

You, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,

Awake to punish all the nations;

Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity.  Selah.

They return at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go around the city.

Behold, they belch forth with their mouth;

Swords are in their lips,

For they say, "Who hears?"

But you, O Lord, laugh at them;

You scoff at all the nations.

Because of his strength I will watch for You,

For God is my stronghold.

My God in His lovingkindness will meet me;

God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.

Do not slay them, or my people will forget;

Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down,

O Lord, our shield.

On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,

Let them even be caught in their pride,

And on account of curses and lies which they utter.

Destroy them in wrath, destroy them that they may be no more;

That men may know that God rules in Jacob

To the ends of the earth.

They return at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go around the city.

They wander about for food

And growl if they are not satisfied.

But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;

Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindess in the morning,

For You have been my stronghold

And a refuge in the day of my distress.

O my strength, I will sing praises to You;

For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.

Psalm 59

Please visit Spiritual Sundays to link up or read other uplifting blogs!

Mary's Story Part 4 ~ Roller Coaster ~

I guess I have taken to the habit of writing "stories" about the events that happen in my life.  These events are usually "over" by the time I write them out here.  What's different about Mary's Story, is that we are in the middle of it, or maybe it's just beginning. 

Where I am in the story is where we are right now.  Mary is still at Rehab.  She is "scheduled" to come home with us one week from today.  How do I feel about this?....

...how much time do you have?

I have gone through a roller coaster of emotions over this whole thing.  I have so much going on inside my heart and my mind and my spirit and my flesh all at the same time that I feel at times like I want to cry,...and I can't pinpoint why.  I often think that if we hadn't felt such opposition from the rehab center, the emotions wouldn't have been so tumultous.  For some naive reason, I thought it would be easy.  There's a lot going on inside me right now and there is only one place to turn....and I'm SO thankful that I know where that one place is!

"As the deer pants for the water brooks,

So my soul pants for You, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;"

Psalm 42:1-2a

"Why are you in despair, O my soul?

And why have you become disturbed within me?

Hope in God, for I shall again praise him

For the help of His presence."

Psalm 42:5

The emotions I have been riding on have stemmed from many different avenues.  They well up and come together like enormous waves crashing together in a wild ocean storm.  Here is a taste of what's going on inside of me right now...

With my son in the middle of a war zone thousands of miles away, my "Mother's Heart" is tearing in two.  It aches all the time.  I still live life, of course, there is my husband who brings me so much joy and all of life around me that is to be lived.  However, when I'm alone at night, I sit on the couch and pray, ...and cry, big fat tears.  I am distraught over how distanced he has made himself from the Lord, and I am so deeply afraid that his heart is hardening.  I cry out to God to save him, to soften his heart, to convict him, to never leave him.... 
I read in the paper just two days ago that a young Army man who was from nearby was killed in Afghanistan, my heart wrenched inside of my chest.  My son is over there.  My son.  I cannot imagine losing him.  But IF I had to lose him, I NEED to know that he is walking with Jesus, I don't have that peace right now, and all I can say is...it hurts...bad.

Add to that my husband.  Who had a brush with death only a month ago.  To look at him now, you'd never know it, unless he removed the bandage on his leg.  The thought goes through my mind at how quickly he could have been gone.  The emotions of that ordeal pulled me in so many directions.  However, they subsided and he's healing well and back to work....but then there's work. 
I look at my husband every day and am reminded of David.  He is truly a man after God's own heart and I can see clearly the struggles that brings in the workplace.  Godliness is not thought of as a leadership quality, no matter how great of a leader you are.  Apparently this world desires a harshness, an ugliness, rudeness, brashness, short tempers and unkind words....these are qualities he does not possess.  Oh how my heart aches for what he must endure each day.

Enter Mary.  What a blessing.  Truly, we have prayed over her, and this whole situation, both together and separately.  We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has placed her in our lives.  Because she is not closeby at this time, and hubby is back to work, we haven't been able to visit her as often as we had been,...and I miss her.  I think of her sitting there and wondering why we haven't been by as often, and my heart breaks.  I am so certain that caring for her is meant to be a blessing to us, and a way to serve our Lord.  However, I am only half spirit, and as much as I am ashamed to admit it, I am often ruled by my flesh.

I have struggled over these few months with selfishness.  Having her here will change our lives, I'm quite certain of that.  However, at times, I push the beauty of it aside and get mopey.  My husband and I live very 'spur of the moment' lives.  We like to go out on our boat, we like to go for motorcycle rides, we like to run errands together and go grab lunch.  That's all about to change, and I think in preparing myself for the reality of that, I have worked myself up.

I have become anxious of the unknown. 

Will we never go out alone again?  Will we be completely exhausted all the time?    Will she become angry?  Will our boat sit idle for years?  Will I stand in the driveway and watch my husband ride off on his motorcycle because I can't leave?  Will we never be able to act silly in our home for fear of waking her?  What about Christmas parties and dinner with friends?  Will I be able to care for her properly?  Do I have the right skills to see to her needs?  Will we have all the proper things in place to make sure she doesn't slip or fall?  What about bathing, and dressing, am I capable?  Will she be happy here?  Will she want to go back to rehab???

The list goes on and on and on....then I sit and pray and ask God what's wrong with me.  One moment I have such a peace, and then next I'm all in an uproar.  He has put Mary in our lives, and I am convinced He has done it for us, not only for her.  I believe He wants to stretch us, to grow us, mold us and change us.  To teach us things we do not know.  I am willing, but I struggle with these desires of the flesh, even though I don't want to.

Please don't get me wrong.  I am joyful about this decision, and I am ready for this 'adventure' to begin.  I have put much time into preparing a pretty room for her and planning out meals, outings, routines, etc...  However, I am swayed by these ridiculous fears, and I don't want them to take hold.  I am blessed that I see none of this in my husband.  He is a rock, you know.  He sees this only as a beautiful opportunity to do something for our Lord.  His peace over this decision is evident.  Oh to have his resolve...

The goal here is to make her life good.  Whatever is left of it.  To make it beautiful, peaceful, happy, fulfilling.  I have a whole lifetime ahead of me to do the things I want, so what if we can't run out for lunch on a whim!  We'll plan ahead, get a sitter to care for her for a few hours.  It's not really about me right now, and I know that's part of the stretching.  It's about Mary and what we prayed about for her.  It's about seeing her smile again, having her sleep in a soft bed, sitting with her by the window to watch the flowers sway in the breeze, pushing her wheelchair through the neighborhood to see sparkling Christmas lights, reading to her from God's Word, giving her a piece of chocolate for goodness sakes!  And allowing her to have some control over these last few years of her life...her golden years.

I know I have a sweet handful of praying sisters (and brothers!) in blogland, and I am so thankful for you all.  Please pray for my son, please pray for Mary, and please pray for us...for me...that I would not be overcome with these unfounded fears, that my heart would be filled with peace.  I covet your prayers.

The adventure begins in one week, and you can bet there will be to this story...

IF I have time to write it down! :)

"Man's steps are ordained by the Lord,

How then can man understand his way?"

Proverbs 20:24

Mary's Story Part 3 ~ Trying to Bring Her Home ~

I guess it's just the world we live in...what seems perfectly normal to us as Christians, appears odd and questionable to those who don't understand the love of Jesus...


As Mike began to handle Mary's affairs, he was put in touch with her lawyer.  We found that this man had Power of Attorney over her...he had visited her once in rehab.  In talking to him about Mary's condition and her needs, he began to sound irritated.  He stated that "the situation would be taken care of within a few days".  He said that since Mary was no longer able to care for herself, he was going to have the courts appoint a guardian, an unknown person, to handle her affairs. 

This would mean that a total stranger would handle her healthcare, her home, her living situation...her life.  When we told Mary about this she became very upset.  She didn't even know he was her Power of Attorney.  I don't believe the documents she signed had been fully explained to her.  She expressed that she did not trust him (her neice had given the same feeling in a phone conversation).  We knew that something needed to be done, and it needed to be done soon.

Around this time, Mary's neice decided she would come and visit.  She flew in from Alabama along with her daughter.  We picked them up at the airport and had lunch, sharing information as best we could about what was going on with Mary and her living situation.  They stay for a few days, and over dinner one night, Mike posed the question. He explained to the neice what the Attorney intended to do.  He asked if she had plans to take Mary back to Alabama, explaining that it was the State, her, or us; someone would care for Mary.  She expressed that she was unable to do so, and we told her we planned to do whatever was necessary to help Mary, if that meant moving her into our home, we would do that.

We met with Mary again and talked to her about her living situation, asking her what her wishes were.  She asked us to take over the responsibility of POA and care for her.  We contacted a trusted lawyer who became Mary's new laywer, he explained to her that he worked for her...not the other way around.  Then the steps were taken to replace her POA with us, acting alongside her, not instead.  Now we felt secure that we could easily act on Mary's wishes.

During the neices visit, Mary had a medical issue arise and was taken to the hospital, most likely due to the excitement of the visit and such.  After a couple of days, she was to be released.  We were told that she should return to rehab for a few days to get her strength back and that we would be able to take her home from there.  This is where the confusion sets in...

After returning her to rehab, it was found that she had contracted a mild infection at the hospital.  We learned something new. 

When someone that age contracts an infection, they shut down.  Everything shuts down so that their body can work at fighting the infection.  It was at this point that Mary's bright happy smile began to fade.  Her personality began to weaken, as well as her body.  The happy, laughing conversations ended.  She just sat and stared, hardly speaking at all.

She was in the middle of recovering from this infection when we had a meeting with the rehab staff to express our desire to bring her home.  We had no idea that we would be faced with questions that seemed off the wall to us. 

*Why are we against medical care? ...We aren't and never said we were???? 

*Why would we want to take her home when she is ill?  ...We don't, we are asking what her status is, and expressing our desire to take her home when she's ready.???

*Why do you want to take a stranger home?  Because we have become attached to her and love her like our own family. 

*You have no right to take her out of here until she can express her wishes to us clearly.  We took care of the legalities of that so that we wouldn't have this struggle.  Now she's not able to express thoughts very clearly and we are being told she HAS to???

I have to add that the head of nursing was VERY helpful.  She didn't seem to question our desire to bring Mary home.  She had met my husband at the beginning of this ordeal and seen both of us in there quite often, she had already mentioned to me that I had the nicest husband on earth (I agree!).  I believe she was trying to work with us.  However the other woman in the meeting, didn't have a very friendly look on her face.  She was asking the pointed questions.  She was looking at us with suspicion.  Making accusations of us not wanting to get Mary the proper medical care.  It was uncomfortable to say the least.  We left there wondering what to do.  We could only wait and pray that the anitbiotics she was taking would clear the infection and that her mind would be restored to it's former state.

At home, we prayed and we discussed what to do.  We had every legal right to bring her home once the infection was gone.  Not only did we have POA, but we were also her healthcare advocates.  I was struggling to understand why it seemed so wrong to someone that we should desire for her to live out the rest of her life in a loving home.  Why is it wrong for us to want to take her for walks, tend to plants, decorate cookies, enjoy homecooked meals, have her own room, with her own "things", go to church, enjoying hobbies that she wants to do..instead of spending the last few years of her long life in an environment that was unpleasant.  I just didn't understand and I was beginning to get frustrated, and worn down.

Why should this be so hard?  What started out to be a feeling of wanting to care for someone felt like it was becoming a battle...

"...thus says the Lord to you,

'Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude,

for the battle is not yours but God's."

2 Chronicles 20:15b

To be continued...

Mary's Story Part 2 ~Who is Mary? ~

If you're just jumping into this story, you might want to read Part 1 first. :)

Before I go into details of the difficulties of bringing Mary home, perhaps I should let you get to know her a little more.  All I can do is share with you what we have learned so far...

 Mary Etta Tommie was born on November 4, 1915. She was the eighth of eleven siblings, born to a farmer and his wife in Alabama.

She grew up on the farm, working alongside her brothers and sisters in the fields.  According to Mary, the whole family shared fun, laughter filled evenings around the dinner table.  She remembers her siblings with a smile and says she misses her 7 sisters very much.

Mary and her Mom

 Although I'm sure she had many passions, we've learned that Mary loved to sew.  She told us that she made most of her and her Mother's clothing.  Though we don't have all the details put together yet, I suspect she was the child that "stayed home" for a while to care for her parents, as she remained unmarried until her mid-30's ~ quite uncommon for that time.

Mary's favorite pastime was dancing, she has told us many times how much she loved to dance.  Young handsome soldiers were plentiful in that time and Mary had fun going to dances and making friends.  It was likely that at one of those dances she met Henry Aune, a handsome Navy Officer.  Even though "Hank" was nearly 20 years older than Mary, he was able to sweep her off her feet.  They were married in 1950, and moved from her hometown in Alabama to Cocoa Beach, Florida where they settled into a cozy little home near the beach.

Mary began working for the phone company in 1944, and did so for 36 years, probably starting out as an operator.  I can almost hear her voice now..."connecting you to EF 359" ...

She was popular, she entertained, she had friends and family come from Alabama each year to visit the beach and sunny Florida.  She loved to travel and did so quite often.  Her life was full and busy, and she hardly ever slowed down.

But time keeps moving and people age, bodies decline.  Hank passed away.  Her siblings began to pass away, some at a remarkably young age.  Neices and Nephews began to pass away too.  Visits from family became less frequent, as people became busy with their own lives, tending to their own ailing parents, and growing children. 

Even so, Mary continued to be an independent woman, she had many local friends and often got together for lunch outings, even taking group cruises with lady friends...but that was when she was in her 70's and her 80's...that was a quite a long time ago.

We've had a chance to meet one of her neices from Alabama.  The impression she gave us of Mary was that she was independent, and liked to have things "her way".  Independance has it's place, but if it begins to alienate you from your family, it can become an enemy.

During the course of 50+ years, the quaint little beach town of Cocoa Beach has become a booming party place.  You don't have to live in Florida to know that THE place to be during spring break for college students is Cocoa Beach, Fl.  It's busy, all the time.  Shops, bars, and restaurants line the streets.  It's a tourist town that is bustling all night long, every day of the week. 

We suspect that, over time, her pretty little pink house became more of a prison.  All the surrounding homes had been sold and turned into bars and party places for the young, hip Cocoa Beach crowd.  Condo's and hotels blocked her view of the beach, gas stations, dog groomers, night clubs and restaurants now surrounded her little house.  She installed hurricane shutters and kept them closed.  She installed a camera to monitor her front door from the inside.  She had street lamps installed on all 4 sides of her house, timed to turn on at sundown and stay on all night.  She had heavier locks installed on her doors.  For a woman in her 90's, independence can easily turn to lonliness and fear.

She still had friends, but they were aging too.  Who could she turn to for help?  Even the man who had done her lawn for 30 years was in his 70's.  She began to need help from a caretaker to cook, clean, run errands, etc...

Several months ago she drove herself to a Dr. appointment because she wasn't feeling right.  She ended up in the hospital for a few days and then was sent to rehab to "get stronger".  There she stayed because though she could go home, she couldn't be alone.  She went from independent to completely dependant in just a matter of days.  Two months later my husband met her.

Though we have thoroughly enjoyed our conversations about the past with Mary, the most important thing to us is her salvation.  We have no way of knowing if she has lived her life for Christ, we have asked her about her relationship with Him, and she says yes, when asked if He is her Savior.  She enjoyes watching Charles Stanley and is very excited about the prospect of going to church with us.  She likes hyms and "religious songs" as she puts it.  I would love to know beyond a shadow that Mary will be with Jesus when she dies, and I am going to pray that God will give us that knowledge and that peace. 

As you read in yesterday's post, we have decided to "adopt" Mary.  This decision does not come without it's concerns, worries, fears, and anxieties...I admit them freely, but that'll be another day. 

Come back tomorrow for...."Trying to bring her home"...

"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him."

1 Thessalonians 5:9,10

Not What We Had Planned ~ Home At Last

"...Mike followed me to the Sheriff's office, where Deputy Pete met us. He stood out in the overbearing heat and hooked the boat up to the blazer; off we went.


I bet you think this is the end of the story, don't you? Well, I'll finish this up tomorrow with the adventures of our drive home..."


We got on the Interstate, I followed behind Mike.  We had about a 2-3 hour drive ahead of us and we would be home.  Oh, to be home.  There is nothing like being home during a time when you are injured, having car troubles, needing to rest and recover...we were looking forward to that more than you can imagine!

After stopping for a quick lunch (I ran in and brought it out to Mike in the blazer and we ate in there), we were back on the road.  As I was driving along, I began to hear a little tapping noise.  I remembered, we had a piece of trim that was slighly loose, so I figured it must be slapping the side of the RV.  Then the road became very bumpy.  I looked in my passenger side mirror and noticed that the back of the RV was bopping up and down QUITE a bit.  Hmmmmm, was it REALLY a bumpy road?

I called Mike on the cell (he had to put me on speaker phone, as he only had one hand available!). 

"Honey, is this road bumpy to you?"
"Bumpy?  No."
"Hmmm, it seems REALLY bumpy to me"
"Maybe you have a flat ti..."

POW!

Just as he was saying that I heard a loud noise.  Mike explained that my tire must have been loosing air slowly and the seal finally broke.  I was so thankful that it was one of the back tires (where there are two side by side), so I was still able to drive on the one tire.

We exited.  There was a truck stop at the exit, so we pulled in there, where Mike pulled up alongside me and eyeballed our flat. 

This is when I got this picture in my head.  Have you ever seen the movie "Princess Bride"?  Years ago it was my favorite movie.  It was a comedy love story of sorts.
The dashing young star was brave and strong and always knew what to do in any given situation.  However, he was 'almost' killed.  He was "half dead" they said.  To revive him, he was given a magic pill.  The pill, however, took a while to reach full effectiveness, and he lay there unable to move his body, while his mind was fully capable of giving all the commands needed to get the necessary things done in order to save the princess.  Yes, if you are reading this correctly, I am the princess... :)  And my hubby is the dashing young hero! :)  Over the next few days I couldn't get this out of my head, lol.

So, we sat there and Mike eyeballed the flat.  He pondered if I would have the strength to get those bolts off, not likely.  He suggested I go inside and ask an employee about tire service in the area.  After being directed to a "bulletin board" with various numbers on it, another employee, and older gentleman, who was on break asked me what I was looking for.  When I explained, he gave me a number he had in his cell phone.  It was not on the board, but he knew these people and trusted them.  They were 1/2 mile down the road.  Thank you Lord for bringing people into our difficulties that are looking out for our best interests.

I brought the number to Mike and he called.  They said, come on down.  They put our spare on there for only $13!  Excellent.

We hobbled down the road to a large tire service company where EVERY single person that we talked to was SO friendly.  It was almost unreal.  You just don't meet people in that line of work who are that friendly all the time.  The had a worker replace our flat with our spare tire.  When I went inside to pay, I was only chargred $5.00!!!!  Just one more blessing!

So, with all our tires intact, we hit the road.  As we got onto the Interstate, I got a call from Deputy Pete, he was checking on us and wanting to know if we'd made it home safely yet.  I informed him of our flat, and he was as astonished as we were, good gravy!  What else could go wrong, right??? 
I called my friend Kim to give her a status update and we laughed about the flat tire.  What else could go wrong?  LOL

Moments later the spare tire blew.

Yup, you read that correctly.  Do you want to laugh?  You can.  I won't be offended, it's funny NOW. 

Well, obviously we didn't have another spare, and we were SO close to home we could almost taste it.  Mike suggested we take the next exit and weave through the back roads to home.  That way we could drive slower and at least be right there in town, close to home, should anything else go wrong.

But really, what else could go wrong?   Right?

SOOOOOOooooooo, we are making our way through the streets in town.  We are almost home taking a road that curves around the backside of the Airport when I get a red light.  The brakes seem as though they are NOT working right.  I pressed HARD but the RV didn't want to stop, I'm so glad the light turned green.  As I make the curve, I notice the steering is tough to handle, and the temperature gauge needle is rising, it's in the RED!

I fumbled around for my cell phone and called Mike.  As I'm telling him what's going on, I am attempting to make a right turn, when the RV just dies.  I pull off to the side of the road.  We are literally about 2 miles from home.

After discussing what it could be, I get in the blazer with Mike.  We decided to go home, let it cool down while I unhook the boat and unload the blazer.  We do that, and we sat for a little bit contemplating what to do next.  I know by now that my husband is in a lot of pain, but he wants to get that RV to the house.  Only then can he rest easy.

We drive back down there and he pulls up, getting the drivers side window as close to the hood of the RV as possible.  I opened the hood and did as instructed, carefully squeeze that tube, touch that lid, look at that belt...  "That belt?  There's something kinda hanging off it."  Mike lift himself up with his one good arm and peers into the engine area.  The serpantine belt is broken.  He says we can still get it home, and after trying to explain to me how to do it (he must have seen the glazed look in my eyes), he said he was going to have to do it.

I insisted he couldn't (that didn't seem to have much effect).  Using his one good arm (with nice strong muscles, hee hee), he heaved himself up into the RV and slid across to the drivers seat.  He started it up and said, "Let's just see how close we can get to home".  I followed in the blazer as he drove a little, shut it off, coasted a little.  Drove a little, shut it off, coasted a little.  He did this all the way into our driveway...we were HOME!

(The "unpacking" disaster area: bags of clothes and camping stuff, dishes from feeding my hubby and putting him to bed, pain meds, bandage boxes...)

Blessings:  Too many to count, but I'll list a few.

Food.  Our RV has a pretty good size fridge, and it runs on LP gas unless it's plugged in.  I always prepare our camping meals ahead, and freeze them.  So that fridge/freezer was packed full with a weeks worth of meals, which saved me having time and cooking during that first week home.

(bags of food I removed from the RV!  What a blessing!!!)

Friends.  We are so blessed, and despite that fact that Mike wanted to handle things himself, I KNEW that at the drop of a hat, Kim and Brad would be there and do whatever needed to be done to get us and our belongings home safely.

Strangers.  I am in awe at the kindess of strangers through this entire ordeal.  That is not something you see much of these days, and especially not in such abundance.  We are so thankful.

Medical care.  Really, despite that fact that we can all find something to complain about when it comes to hospitals and medical care.  I am so thankful for the kind nurses who let me stay in the room past visiting hours, during shift change (when she basically hid me!), and showed me how to care for his wounds and keep them clean.

Family:  I'm thankful for my brother-in-law who mowed our lawn that first week we were home, it was a blessing to not have to think about doing that just yet.  (In Florida your lawn becomes a jungle in less than a week!)

Praying friends whom I've never even met:  I am so thankful for those of you in blogland who have been praying for my husband.  There is such a peace in knowing that prayers are being sent up to our gracious God.  You guys are a blessing to us!

My precious husband.  I am SO thankful for the man that he is, and so thankful that I still have him here with me.  He's quick thinking, strong, healthy and funny.  His sense of humor and ability to laugh at things that most people wouldn't laugh at is amazing to me, and I think it makes him heal faster!

(Stormie is keeping an eye on the "patient"...or sleeping on the job!)

So there ya' have it.  We are home.  He is taking sick leave for the FIRST time in 25 years!!!!!  Wow.  He's healing very nicely and pushing himself to get back on his feet.

We'll catch Lobster next year. :)

Now then, IF you are feeling curious, and IF you aren't eating breakfast, and IF you don't pass out at the sight of icky things, and IF you want to know what his burns look/looked like...you may go HERE.  DO NOT go there if you DO NOT want to see the burns, they are kinda gross lookin'....but I have already had requests from several who are curious.  So, go ahead, have a look.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

Speak of all His wonders."

Psalm 105:1,2

Not What We Had Planned ~ Part 5

"...Once it was towed away, I headed back to the hospital to check on our "release" status. It was possible we could be out of there today, if only the Doctor would make her rounds. The RV would be ready soon, and we could get the boat hooked up, stay in a hotel, and hit the road in the morning.


Maybe we wanted things to move quicker than God had planned. Getting home wasn't going to be quite as easy as we thought..."


That evening, we got the call.  The RV was ready.  Now we were faced with a dilemma.  We had no news from the Dr. on a release, she had not made her rounds yet.  Even though the Plastic Surgeon that had treated Mike's wounds in ER had come by, and been shocked to see him up and sitting in a chair, we had to wait for the Queen Bee to give her OK.

Visiting hours for ICU were coming to an end, and with the strict security, I wasn't sure I would be able to get back in on my own.  I had gone out to the car once to get Mike's contact lens case and had to beg quite a bit to get re-entry.  If I was going to leave this hospital tonight, it was going to be WITH my husband. 

Our ICU night nurse, Michelle, was VERY nice.  She said it is always the nurses choice to change visiting hours and if he didn't get released that night, she would open out the weird stretcher/chair/bed thing and make it up with sheets for me.  She kept an eye out for the Dr., but told us she didn't think she would release us without sending us to a "regular" floor for one night.

We prayed.  Then I called Luis.  He was very nice, and said it wouldn't be a problem to come by in the morning to pick up the RV.  I told him we'd be there at 9:30 a.m.

At 10:15 pm, Dr. "J" made her rounds.  She saw Mike sitting in a chair and was impressed with his condition, agreeing to let him go.  I got a lesson in bandage changing and wound cleaning, and Michelle packed up a large amount of supplies for us to take home.

Deputy Beach had suggested a hotel to stay in just down the Interstate, in a better location, just in case we got released that day.  I called and made sure there was a room available and helped my hubby get dressed.  Note:  He had been sitting in a chair, he had walked to the bathroom, it hurt, but he was able.  So, of course, we figured he would be fine, right???

Michelle wheeled him downstairs and I pulled up the blazer, we loaded him in and off we went.  The plan:  Spend the night in the hotel, get a good nights sleep.  We would pick up the RV and boat, hit the Interstate and be home in just over 2 hours.  Mike was fine sitting, so driving the blazer home should be ok. 
After hitting the drug store for pain meds, we checked in at the hotel.  I carried up several bags to the room (which included our bandage changing goods), then came back down and helped Mike up to the room.  He slowly made his way, walking through the lobby, through to the outdoor elevator, then up to the 4th floor where our room was.

The room was great, especially for the price.  It was just what we needed, something comfortable and quiet.  After I settled Mike into bed, I showered, set an alarm and settled in myself.

It seemed as soon as I fell asleep, the alarm went off.  I threw on some clothes and popped downstairs to the "free breakfast", smuggling raisin bran, milk and coffee upstairs.  As I turned to get Mike up and moving, we realized something wasn't quite working.  His left leg was in so much pain that he could NOT get it off the bed.  Literally.  He could NOT get it past the point of the edge of the bed.

We thought moving it a little at a time would help, so I sat on the floor next to the bed with my knees bent (sit-up fashion). He placed his heel on my knee and I lowered them about 1/2 an inch.  We waited a few minutes, then lowered 1/2 inch again, and so on, until we had lowered his leg about 2 inches below the edge of the bed.  That was it.  No more.

The only thing I can figure out was that when we left the hospital, he may have still had a little "pain killer" in his system.  Well, by morning there was none, and this man was hurting bad.  We had some pain meds, HOWEVER, his plan was to drive home, so he couldn't take any.

Plan B.  We hadn't quite thought of a plan B yet, but we needed to begin formatting one....and soon.  I called Luis and let him know we would be running a little late, he kindly said he'd be there all day, no hurry.  Thank you again!

Mike tried several more times to get the leg off the bed, and he just couldn't do it.  Mind you, I have seen my husband endure things that SHOULD make a grown man cry, but didn't make him budge.  I KNEW if this was hurting him, it was hurting bad. 

We weren't exactly sure what we were going to do.  We tossed a few things around; should we stay another night?  Should we work on some other way to get the RV and boat home?  Was there a wheelchair I could borrow to get him in the car?

I inquired at the front desk about a courtesty wheelchair, they didn't have one.  Checkout time was coming up, so I extended it until 1 pm, which wasn't far off.

I headed to the store to get some Tylenol, in the hopes that it would help out with his pain enough to get that leg out of bed.  While I was gone, I couldn't help but work on my own plan.  I called Brad, my best friends hubby.  After talking for sometime, he decided that he could get a friend to drive with him to where we were.  I could drive Mike home, and he and his friend would take care of getting the RV and boat to our house.  I LIKED this plan.  I took the Tylenol and my newly formed plan to my husband.  He didn't think it was necessary for them to drive all that way.  He took the Tylenol and layed down to let it sink in.

After 30-40 minutes, I still wasn't sure what we were going to do.  I was waiting to hear back from Brad, and I began to take our bags to the blazer.  I was definitely leaning toward somehow getting my husband in there, and driving him home.  Glad to leave the boat and RV in other hands.  I had just loaded a few things in our blazer and pulled it around to the front.  I pushed the elevator button to go upstairs, and when it opened I was quite surprized at what I saw.

My husband.  Sitting in the rolling office chair from our room (makeshift wheelchair).  Sunglasses on, leg held in the air.  This man was going to drive home, and that is ALL there is to it.  I wheeled the office chair through the lobby, promising the gal at the front desk that I'd return it to the room.  I loaded my husand into the DRIVER'S seat of the blazer, bandages on both his lower legs, right bicep and right hand - that must have been a sight to see.  After returning the chair, we headed to the Mechanics shop.

Mike seemed ok, I am sure he was in pain, but as long as he sat still and didn't move around, he was going to make it home.  At Luis', I paid the bill and hopped into the drivers seat of the RV.  Mike followed me to the Sheriff's office, where Deputy Pete met us.  He stood out in the overbearing heat and hooked the boat up to the blazer; off we went.

I bet you think this is the end of the story, don't you?  Well, I'll finish this up tomorrow with the adventures of our drive home...

"Hear my prayer, O Lord!

And let my cry for help come to You.

Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress;

Incline Your ear to me;

In the day when I call answer me quickly."

Psalm 102: 1,2

Not What We Had Planned ~ Part 4

"...I layed down in the bed, and as I prayed I heard myself say "Thank you God, for saving my husband". I didn't ask why this had happened, I just knew that God had been gracious in keeping him alive...it could have been so much worse. I sang a few praise songs silently to myself and drifted off to sleep."


I woke up early Monday morning, having only gotten a few hours sleep.  I washed up, and followed Deputy Jamie into town.  He "handed me off" to Deputies Beach and Pete at a little diner, where they bought me coffee and eggs.  They were kind and funny, asking me how I slept and how I was doing, if I had heard much about Mike's situation, etc.


After a quick bite, they again escorted me into the hospital (I've never seen such strict hospital security!).  They came into Mike's room in ICU to see him.  They asked him what the RV needed fixed in order to get it running, etc...  Then once again, went to work, and worked on helping us out in-between calls.


I sat with Mike through the morning, and finally got to find out what exactly had happened the day before:

If you recall from Part 1, we had been on the phone with eachother while I was driving in front of him.  He had his cell on speaker phone, and had it sitting on the passenger seat.  That way his hands were free to handle manuevering the engine and the steering to get the RV down the road.  I heard muffled sounds, and I heard him say something that sounded like "it died", what I now found out he had really said was something like "I'm on fire" or "there's a fire".  I'm glad I was unable to make that out correctly, or I may have panicked myself.

As I turned around and saw the RV moving across the 3 lanes of traffic, I thought he was pulling over.  In reality, there was NO ONE driving the RV.  While he was driving, the engine backfired, and a flame caught the carpet on fire.  He immediately jumped up and stomped on it, which caused it to spark and spit and grow.  There was a divider curtain that had been hanging down from behind the passenger seat, and it also caught on fire.  A combination of these two things ended up with his legs actually CATCHING on fire.  When any part of your body is on fire, you think of nothing else but making it stop, and he left the driving of the RV to our great and gracious God. 

He ran to the back of the RV and turned on the sink (the water pump was on, which is not usual, God's plan again).  He stuck his legs in the sink and 'put them out', ran back to the now spreading fire and tried to stomp it out again.  However his legs caught another time. 

He remembers trying to wipe the fire off his leg with his right hand, which resulted in it burning as well.  He quickly ran to the sink again, putting out the fire on his legs a second time.  Suddenly his brain shot out "Fire Extinguisher!", he grabbed it from the wall and sprayed the fire, stopping it immediately.  You must understand this all happened VERY quickly, probably 30 seconds.  All the while, I had no idea what was happening inside that RV, as I was calmly turning around.  About this time is when I approached the median and he had picked up the phone and was talking to me...

Lunchtime came and went.  Mike was in plenty of pain, but wanted to leave the hospital.  He wanted to go home.  However, there was one problem.  We were in ICU.  They don't release people from ICU straight onto the street.  It is policy to downgrade them to another "regular" room before they leave.  However, Mike assured them he did NOT need to be in ICU, and he was ok to leave.  We had to wait for the Doc to make her rounds, it was up to her, and no one knew when she would be in. 

(I wanna go home!)

It seemed ridiculous to us, but looking back, God was giving us a place to rest while He took care of other loose ends.  While we sat there feeling like we were twiddling our thumbs trying to get out of the hospital, Deputy Pete was making some connections.  He had a friend named Luis....


Don't you love it when someone says "I have a friend...".  His friend is a mechanic, and wanted to look at the RV so he could determine what it would take to get the thing running.  I met him there along with my two deputy friends.  After confirming it was the fuel pump (as Mike had known), he said he'd call another "friend" who has a tow-truck.  I don't know if you've ever dealt with RV's before, but towing and fixing one can be COSTLY.  

He spoke in spanish on the phone for a few minutes and then turned to Pete.  Pete relayed the info to me:  His friend would come from 30 miles away, tow the RV to Luis' shop (only a couple miles from the hospital), and he would do this for $50!  Incredible!  It would normally costs over $100 to have a CAR towed.


I was floored, how awesome our God is, he works through many to bring blessings.  After a few more words in spanish were exchanged, I was told that the part would be $50 (we had already known that was the cost of the part, as we were on our way to pick one up when the fire broke out)...and his labor would be $150.  I don't know how often you deal with mechanics, but $150 to drop a fuel tank that is 1/2 full, ON an RV nonetheless, replace a fuel pump, as well as blowing out the soot from the engine fire, putting the cover back on and buckling it all up for us, is an INCREDIBLE deal!  $250 bucks and an hour's work, and we'd be back in business.  Wow ~ my heart was thankful.

I sat with Deputy Beach, and waited for the Tow Truck.  When he arrived, we were unable to start the RV, so Beach and I had to push it backward until he was able to squeeze his truck into the small space in front of it.  He did some manuevering and managed to get the weight of the RV to pull his truck in-line!  That's a lot of work in the hot sun for $50!  I was once again, SO thankful!

Once it was towed away, I headed back to the hospital to check on our "release" status.  It was possible we could be out of there today, if only the Doctor would make her rounds.  The RV would be ready soon, and we could get the boat hooked up, stay in a hotel, and hit the road in the morning.

Maybe we wanted things to move quicker than God had planned.  Getting home wasn't going to be quite as easy as we thought...

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."

Mathew 11:28

Not What We Had Planned ~ Part 3

The rescue unit placed my husband on a stretcher and began to prepare him for a trip to the E.R. I stood in the median with a handful of officers who were talking about what we'd do next, how to have the vehicle towed, etc... when somehow I thought to open my mouth and say the one thing that would prove to be the RIGHT thing at that time.


"My husband is a Deputy Sheriff"...


(NOTE:  Please don't mistake what I am saying here.  I am well aware that the general public has "mixed" views about Law Enforcement.  I have met my share of "cops" that aren't caring people, but I have also met my share of Doctors, Nurses, and Retail Clerks and Mechanics who aren't caring people, so I don't like to categorize.  I am writing about THIS particular group of Officers.)
 Before I ever mentioned this bit of information out loud, this team of Deputies were kind and helpful.  I knew they would have helped me to get things in order and get me to my husband.  I knew they would do their job professionally and with kindness, I could tell.  However, I really felt God was leading me to open my mouth and say those words, because He knew.  He knew that Cops have a feeling of brotherhood when one of their own has been hurt.  He knew that my safety and the road to getting us home would be paved more smoothly if I opened my mouth.  It proved to be true.


Instantly the one that seemed to be in charge turned and looked at me.  "What?" he said.  Still in a bit of shock myself, I said "My husband is a Deputy Sheriff in another county north of here".  I could see him stand a bit straighter, and I instantly knew that I was not alone.  His voice got louder and took on an air of authority as he called out,  "Guys!  He's one of us.  He's an officer!  We aren't going to have this RV towed.  Come on, let's team up and push it into that parking lot."


Not everyone on scene heard him, so he went around and explained to the Firefighters what was going on.  Every single one of those men banded together, they blocked the traffic, they pushed and steered our RV to a road cut-off next to the Burger King.  The Deputy who had taken control, "Beach", turned to me and assured me that I would be ok, they were going to take care of us.  He instructed me to stick with him.


It seemed we had broken down in the "Worst" place, and the "Best" place.  The "Worst", because (as I learned) 80% of the crime in that particular county happens RIGHT there in the area where I found myself stranded; let's just say shootings are common occurances.  The "Best", because these guys were truly a family.  They instantly became like protective big brothers, practically holding my hand through each little step.


Now don't get me wrong.  It's not that I am an incapable woman.  However, I will admit, I do rely on my husband.  I like that he takes such wonderful care of me, he is my protector, my hero.  However, as he was being taken away with sirens blaring, I found myself feeling a bit afraid.  I knew that God would protect me and guide me, and I now knew that He was going to use these men to do just that.


My head was still spinning, almost like this was not a reality, I was so dumbfounded.  I was glad they were in control.  They made sure that the RV was secured.  They removed our bikes from the bike rack and put them inside (noting that they would be stolen in 5 minutes if we didn't), they checked any outside bins for valuable items, put them inside, and locked all the doors.  I then followed (in the blazer, pulling the boat), Deputy Beach to the hospital. He showed me where to park, gave me a moment to secure anything of value, and then drove me to the E.R. entrance.


Did he drop me off?  No.  He escorted me inside, bypassing the high security at this hospital (due to the high crime rate).  He came with me into the Trauma room where Mike was being treated, and inquired about his condition.  How severe was it?  Would he be kept overnight?  They were unsure of those answers at this time.  He then gave me his number and told me that when I found out what would be happening to call him.  He would arrange for a place for us (or me) to stay, as the nearby hotels were not safe.  He said call, no matter what, he would be there.  I was so thankful.


Deputy Beach left, and I stood there against the wall in the Trauma room, watching as they drizzled some sort of creamy solution over wet cloths that were draped across his legs and arm.  He was alert, answering all their questions, as they poked and pierced, inserting IV's and taking blood.

(If you can click to enlarge this photo, you can see that despite the fact that there were NO burns to his face at all (praise God!), his eyelash tips and eyebrow tips were singed!)

During the course of the next several hours, Deputy Beach and another Deputy "Pete" continued to check on Mike and I.  The county where they work is a busy one, and they were continually getting called out, however this didn't stop them from calling to check on us.  In addition, while they were enroute to their calls, they were busy trying to figure out ways they could help us out of our situation, discussing it with other officers on their shift.


As it turned out, the hospital wanted to keep him overnight for observation.  They noted that had his burns been only a few inches more (making a complete circle around his lower legs), he would have been flown to a burn center in Miami.  I asked the nurse (Annie) if there was any way I could stay with him in the room.  She said that they don't really allow that for overnight, but that she would make some calls and see what she could do since we were from out of town.  She was so kind and caring.

(The Trauma nurse, Annie was super-sweet and friendly.  Mike was pretty "high" at this moment, just so you know she wasn't posing with him during a critical time)

She was pretty funny too, this is her "caring nurse" look... :)  I needed that touch of comic relief right then. :)

After some time, it was determined that he would stay in the Trauma room until a bed opened in ICU, then he would be moved.  I was not going to be allowed to stay overnight.  So, I called Deputy Beach.  He was on it.  Soon, he called me back with a plan.  Another Deputy's little girl would give up her room for the night, as they didn't want us to incur any unneccessary expenses.  They had called around to some of the area's better hotels and tried to get us a free room to no avail, so someone had decided to open their home.


I kissed my Mikey, and told him I hoped to come back that night, but wasn't sure if I'd be back until morning.  I really had no idea where I was going.  I followed Beach to the Sherrif's Office, he unhooked our boat and locked it safely in their compound.  This allowed me to do all my driving without that extra burden. 


We then went by the RV where I retrieved some clothes and a toothbrush.  He assured me that the night shift officers had been notified to keep an eye on the RV during the night.  Afterward, we met up with the officer who was sheltering me for the night.  They were having some extra family for dinner, so he was picking up last minute groceries.  I was introduced to him inside the grocery store, then said I'd wait in my car in the parking lot (we were in a bit safer area now). 

I sat in my car and for the first time since "it" happened, I was alone.  Finally the floodgates broke open.  At first just a little tear of frustration and exhaustion, then I burst.  I sat in my car in the parking lot bawling, and I heard myself saying out loud "I just want my husband".  I felt like a baby, I was sobbing.  I didn't want to spend the night away from his side.  Maybe if I was in my own home, maybe if he was in the hospital in OUR town, maybe then, not likely, but MAYBE.  But CERTAINLY not in a strange place.  I wanted to be with him, and the events of the day began to fall from my eyes in big fat tears.


I got myself together, and following in my car, we drove out of that area into a safe gated neighborhood.  The family was very friendly, and the little girl was so sweet about giving up her room.  I felt dazed and a bit out of place.  I shut the bedroom door and made some phone calls, finally able to plug in my phone which had died some time ago.  I sat there for a long time, not wanting to have conversation, not wanting to talk, not wanting to do anything.  I decided to shower and then made my way downstairs where dinner was waiting.  It was a huge spread, but I only nibbled on a tiny bit of salad despite my hunger, I just couldn't eat.


After dinner was cleaned up and I had been thoroughly entertained by the little girl's cheerleading moves, the family decided to go out for icees.  I went back to "my" room and stared at the wall.  I was tired, but I wanted to talk to my husband.  I wanted to know if they moved him, how he was doing, I wanted to know anything.  After going through some red tape, I was able to find out they had moved him to a room in ICU, and they had even put a phone in there.  I was able to talk to him.  That settled my heart. 

I layed down in the bed, and as I prayed I heard myself say "Thank you God, for saving my husband".  I didn't ask why this had happened, I just knew that God had been gracious in keeping him alive...it could have been so much worse.  I sang a few praise songs silently to myself and drifted off to sleep.

"Then I will go to the altar of God,

To God my exceeding joy;

And upon the lyre I shall praise You,

O God, my God."

Psalm 43:4