A women of courage......

 Courage: quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty , danger  or pain with out fear.
 The word courage has been on my mind often over the past year 2016........we are coming up on the 1 year mark of my Moms stroke , Jan 30 2016. This has been a year of changes for all of us but also a year where God once again proves His faithfulness and goodness everyday. My Dad left my mom with the instructions to go out and continue to serve others and be there for us girls and our families. She was our cornerstone and faithfully lead us and others with her servant heart and her busy hands and feet. And then her life changed.

Our lives changed, and many others life changed but for mom every single thing she did became hard work. She has improved in many ways over the last year but everyday...everything she does takes courage. I marvel at her strength....her faith....her perseverance ....her spirit. But most of all I am so blessed by her courage. It humbles me.....I become overwhelmed by it.

Just this week Aspen Heights (the wonderful assisted living place she now lives) held a Holiday open house. All the residents have been faithfully practicing the bells to perform that night. I went there (seems like I am always in a hurry) and I stopped and marveled at the tables full of Christmas goodies, hot appetizers, hot  soups and sandwhiches that were made for all the residents and their families. It seemed to hit me right in the heart...... for many years it was my moms joy to create all these fun traditions of foods and her biggest joy is to serve us yummy things and bring goodies to others. Now I saw her come walking slowly down the hallway...with her cane...her left hand hanging tightly to her side. She very proudly took her chair among the other residents, she picked up her left hand with her right hand and laid  it in her lap. They handed her 1 little bell......the music began...and she played her bell. To me it was more clear and louder than all the rest......that little bell .....that was courage.

Yes mom lost physical things and the ability to care for herself but she is the strongest person I know...she still is my cornerstone...her faith still leads me....she teaches perseverance and she still teaches us to serve others....she teaches me to love the Lord and she teaches me that God leads us thru the valleys and He never leaves us.

Finding courage can be as simple as ringing one little bell.....
Yes .....God is faithful

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A Journey of "Hope"

 

A Journey of Hope...............Our life here on this earth is often called a "journey". Journey defined by the dictionary says "traveling from one place to another usually taking a long time or progress from one stage to another." HOPE is defined as "to look forward to...believe, desire or trust".
Well two weeks ago early on a Sunday morning my mom called....I think I need you to come ... I think I am having a stroke. Well a new journey began, a journey that yes will take a long time and yes progress from one stage to another. This journey started with not much HOPE as Mom lay in the hospital with no movement on her left side. The strong ever present person in all our lives lay quite helpless , unsure of what the future was or where this journey would take us. We transferred her to Sioux Falls where we received our first glimpse of hope thru the kindness and encouragement of the staff at Avera Rehabilitation Center. We are on day 8 of rehab...everyday we see small signs of recovery...everyday they tell us she will go back to her house. I am amazed at her hard work and attitude. I don't think I would do well in her position. Relying on others to help her with daily task that she did so easily just the day before. We all grieve in different ways for different things. I don't think I "grieved" for my Dad because he left me with such peace...I continue to be surrounded by him on this farm, in the way I work, and  how I do daily things (like fix a fence , help bring a new calf into the world or dig in the dirt to check if the corn is coming up)  Dan will sometimes call me "Willie" when I get a little pushy or when I want to work all the time. And then we have David who reminds me so much of my dad, sometime it makes me laugh and other times it makes me cry as he walks across the yard and goes and stands by the cattle fence with Dan. So for me a big part of dad is still here.
One of the first days I spent with mom up in rehab I was a great encourager and cheerleader who cheered her on in the slightest movements of her leg or foot. The staff gave me hope but on the way home I wept......I was overwhelmed with thankfulness that we did not lose mom and we were not planning a funeral but I got  a little selfish and began to think ahead about what mom did lose and thru that, what I lost. Mom is our rock....she holds us all together. She gives parenting advice and spiritual advice....she helps me plan food and finds recipes for me to try.... she gathers us as often as possible and encourages in our daily lives.....she somehow makes each one of us feel like we are the favorite child or grandchild......she is a great example for all of us to be  of service  to those around us. She is a great example of living with hope and courage and that it is worth it to live a life of faith.  As I drove home that snowy night God showed me that even if mom does not fully recover physically
she can still be the hands and feet of Jesus.....all the things I need her for aren't really physical, her heart wasn't affected and neither was her faith...the faith that gives HOPE....the faith that calls us to TRUST.
We don't know what the future holds but we know who holds the future..... My.mom taught me that.