Roller Coaster day indeed!

Ok, so my day yesterday wasn't too fun! Besides cleaning the house, all day I could only think of my poor dad and my good friend, Michelle and her family dealing with baby Gracie. My dad has had multiple things wrong, making it so that he has been in the hospital since some time in January. Last Sunday we thought he was going to be able to go home finally. However, again, he had a bad day with high white blood count. They did a scan, and found that he needed his gall bladder out. That was done yesterday. He isn't a good candidate for surgery---so I was really worried. But, he made it! The surgeon said that he could understand why my dad couldn't eat too much. When he went in, he found that it was very infected and had gone gain-green some, and had attached itself to his small intestines. So, hopefully with it out, he can again gain enough strength to get home. He has been very, very sick! He has a pacemaker, artificial heart valve, Parkinson's, gout, ulcers in his bowel and stomach, prostate problem, ruptured bowel, and I'm sure I'm missing something. It seems that his system has just been zapped! It has been hard to see him loose so much weight, (he only weighs about 125 now!), and to be just laying in his bed. He has always been super active and athletic. Through the last couple of months, it seems that he may not make it--then all of a sudden there is hope--then he comes up sick with something else, over and over. My mom has been so good to be by his side the whole time---not getting sleep herself. She gets there early in the morning so that she can feed him-or make sure he eats something; and then waits until he falls asleep at night (which is late most nights because his Parkinson's acts up with his cramping legs). It is really wearing her out. The family has been able to spare some time away, but she has a hard time letting go. But, we have hope now that he can eat better now and gain some more strength. I luckily was able to go see him in January and March. But, it is terribly hard to live so far away, and not be able to help--and when I don't know if I will see him again.





Now, on to baby Gracie. I just seem to sit at the computer and tears roll down my face. To read Michele's blog, (the Gledhill Family) I just can't imagine having to go through what they are going through. I have been very touched and can feel the strong faith and spirit through reading about their journey. It seems that their last two weeks have been a roller coaster also. However, baby Gracie has touched so many lives already. It has been amazing to read and hear bits and pieces of all those who have helped this family. There have been so many acts of service rendered to them--whether notes, food, gifts, encouragement, etc. So many people have reached out to help it is amazing. Also, it has made me think of a lot of things I take for granted and that I need to work harder to change. One of the things is to be grateful for our bodies and to take care of them so that we can take care of our families and others. So, I have been trying this week to be better about what we are eating as a family and work on getting more exercise! Also, how important it is to enjoy the time we have together as a family! Another thing I have thought about is that we need to really be able to look past ourselves and see how we can help lighten the load of others. My mom and dad have been great examples to me of this. I am so glad that they have instilled in our family the love of service!!! I will be forever grateful to them for this gift they have given me. It makes me feel good and makes me happy!

So, my hope today is that these two wonderful people can feel my love for them. And, whatever the Lord's will is---I can accept, (though it may be hard), because I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us. He knows us and knows what is best for us. And, we can have that if we try to do what is right and seek our Heavenly Father's help. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. That is why he gave us his son, Jesus Christ. How blessed we are!