"But
these things I plan won’t happen right away.
Slowly,
steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.
If it
seems slow, do not despair,
for
these things will surely come to pass.
Just be
patient!
They
will not be overdue a single day!"
(Habakkuk
2:3 LB)
Like many of my fellow A to Z blog challenge participants, I
have had a rather hectic time since April 30th. My mom has been in
and out of two hospitals in an attempt to remove her gall bladder. She still
has it. Seems her heart doesn’t want to part with the darned thing. When they
put her under, the heart goes into a-fib, her blood pressure drops, and the
doctor says “Whoa, Nellie!”.
So she is currently staying with me and rebuilding her
strength after seven days of being confined to a hospital bed. While I am
enjoying the time, it is kind of discouraging for her to be still waiting to
have gall bladder issues resolved that began January 20th.
Personally, I have reaped several blessings from all the waiting
we have sown. First, my sister Lisa and I have gotten to spend a lot of time
together. Though there is a 13 year age difference, she and I have always been
kindred spirits. As in many families, life hasn’t given us much time together since
we both got married and had kids. Although we wish it were for other
circumstances, we are both happy to share these hours recently, even if they
are spent in hospital waiting rooms.
I also have a better understanding of the importance of respect
in dealing with elders, even when they are exasperating. How something is said
is as critical as what we are saying.
And third, truly caring doctors and nurses are a gift. Dr.
Waddle (gastroenterologist) and Dr. Shaw (surgeon) both showed extreme
compassion for my mother. Dr. Waddle smoothed Mom’s Phyllis Diller hair, held
her hand, and reassured her that they will get these issues resolved. Knowing
Mom wanted to stay local, Dr. Shaw truly hated to tell her he couldn’t complete
the surgery in Huntingdon. Unwilling to put Mom at risk, he referred her to a
hospital an hour away where there is a cardiologist on board 24/7. Both dedicated
and skilled men have blessed our family more times than we can count.
God is good—trials and tribulations merely assure us of that
fact. So, while I may not have had much time to blog the past two weeks, God
has been busy teaching me and molding me and blessing me over and over through waiting.
