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.
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