One Day at a Time – A Reflection

We have had a whirlwind these past three, going on four weeks. Dad ended up in the hospital and is now in rehab. We drove up the last Monday in July and helped him go from the hospital to rehab therapy. He is making progress but it is slow going. I went back to Georgia for ten days and Denise stayed behind to encourage Dad and be an Advocate for him.

You know you have been visiting a care center for a while when all of the staff know you (Denise) by name and she knows staff and residents by name and helps out in the chapel, the dining room, and elsewhere in the facility! Of course anyone who knows my beloved wouldn’t be the least bit surprised 😉

Yesterday Denise received a call that her Dad had to be hospitalized. She drove down today to be with him and help him. She will return to Minnesota next week as we prepare to transition Dad from rehab back to The Cedars where he has lived for the past four years. As we had dinner at our favorite restaurant (The Old Mill) in Austin for my birthday we had some laughs along with some reflective moments. Enjoying the dinner and wine (thanks to our good friends Mark & Cathy who made sure we had a nice bottle of wine for the celebratory dinner) we also had fun talking with and getting to know the staff. Hmmmm, Denise talking with and getting to know strangers who are now friends… is there a pattern here? 😉

As Denise drove to Alabama and I spent the day with Dad, I thought about how quickly life can change. I also thought about how we literally don’t know what may happen from day to day. The psalmist reminds us that This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

Life is a journey with all sorts of twists and turns in it. While we may not know what is going to happen next, I find comfort in God’s promise and presence in the midst of the unknown. Thomas Merton’s Prayer of Abandonment and Trust speaks to my heart, especially during these challenging times.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. — Thomas Merton (Thoughts in Solitude)

I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone… what a beautiful reminder as we walk this path together. We are thankful for family and friends who are walking with us and for our Carrollton Presbyterian Church family who continue to support us and pray with us. Yes, God will never leave us to face our perils alone.