More life lessons

As Kenny and I talked yesterday, more life lessons emerged in our conversation.  Here are a few:

Lesson 5:  Seek God and expect to hear His voice.  Each advent season Kenny, Alan, and I shared special devotional times around the table, celebrating the Christmas season.  One particular year, the book we were using suggested that everyone ask God to give us a special scripture or thought concerning His power in our lives.  We all bowed our heads and were silent for a few minutes.  I honestly can't remember what Kenny and I shared, since it paled in comparison to what Alan spoke.  Looking up with a big smile he said, "God told me I have a crippled heart.  But He will heal it."  We were humbled, realizing that that was the true meaning behind the Christmas season - God healing a crippled world.

Lesson 6:  When you worship, sing with all your might, and don't worry about your voice or if you can carry a tune.  Alan has memorized hundreds of worship songs, and frequently sings them at the top of his lungs - he really cannot carry a tune - with complete joy.  Unless you knew the song, you'd never be able to pick out the tune or the beat; but listening to Alan sing, you can feel that he is  truly worshipping with every thing he has in him.

Lesson 7:  Recognize death for what it really is - a transition to a new and better life.  Many years ago, a friend of ours was killed tragically in an automobile accident.  We agonized over how to tell Alan, but we asked him to walk with us down our long driveway to the mailbox and begin to explain.  We told him our friend had been driving to work, and had been killed when his car left the road.  Alan stopped and simply said, "Oh, you mean God changed his address?"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suddenly...It's Spring

Spring comes without warning, it seems.  Suddenly everything is green, flowers are blooming, and the world is waking up.  New life is everywhere.  Robins are hopping around our backyard, some are building nests in nearby trees and shrubs.  There is an expectancy in the air. The cycle of grief is a recursive one.  Back and forth it seems to go for months on end.  Great sadness, numbness, depression, exhaustion; until one day a memory comes and it is not painful but poignant.  Rather than a tear falling, a smile comes and with it a hint of joy and a lightness of spirit. Ten months have passed since we lost our Lacy.  We made it through some big firsts; birthday, Father's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas.  The anniversary date of his home-going is not far away. In these ten months, Kenny and I have begun to find our way into new patterns and traditions. Sunday afternoons have become a time for visiting friends, enjoying walks, or just relaxing...
Read more

Countdown

Four weeks from today will be two years since we lost Lacy. I keep getting reminders on my Facebook feed of the last few weeks of Lacy's life.  The last year, I took a picture of him every week.  I wanted to make sure I could remember him, and the good - and bad - times we had together. I feel a sense of dread about May 28.  I am thankful that it falls on Memorial Day, so we will not have to go to work.  I am also thankful that we took every opportunity to spend time with him.  The last time was 5pm on May 27, 2016.  Nine hours later, he was gone. As I drove away from the nursing home that evening, a scripture popped into my head:  ...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection... (Philippians 3:10) That power has sustained us for nearly two years.
Read more

Day by Day

Alan is doing better since his hospitalization.  His outbursts are fewer, and are less "pitched" than before his med changes.  The staff assigned to him at his group home are doing well with him.  They have to pick their battles, as we all do, and are trying to keep him to a schedule. We took Alan to his neurology appointment this week.  Usually when someone asks Alan how he is doing, he just says "fine," but on this day he answered, "My knees are weak, and I have to lean over and hold on to things." After examination, Alan's doctor recommended physical therapy, as Alan is perilously close to falling.  While we don't know if Alan will be able to follow a therapists directions, or will even want to cooperate, we will arrange for a consultation. I can deal with the nuts and bolts of being an advocate and sometimes caregiver for my son, but I find it hard to maintain the focus I need when I hear his say that he is having trouble walking.  It is ...
Read more