April 20 is a date that holds a lot of heartache. April 20, 1994 was the date the final diagnosis was given for my MS. It is so hard to believe it has been twenty-eight years with MS. I am thankful for healing God has done in my body over the years. I will never forget the two ladies praying over me at the Wooster Church of the Nazarene that resulted in me being able to feel my right side after many years of it being numb. I also will never forget Brother Dan Bohi praying over me at the Willard Church of the Nazarene. That night I went into the church with the rollator/walker and danced out on my own strength. Woo hoo! The times of losing my sight; needing a wheelchair, walker, or cane; having mega doses of steroid IV's; etc. are ones I will never forget. The one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that God was and is always with me no matter what turn MS takes. A lot of relapsing-remittance MS patients find themselves going into progressive MS by this time into the disease. If that happens, God is with me. I know He will continue to use me as His faithful servant no matter what lies ahead. April 20, 2013 was the date my Daddy took his last breath on this earth and began dancing with Jesus. Woo hoo! It is bittersweet thinking about him. I miss him so much especially his morning phone calls. I miss hearing him say, 'Now Sheila Babe you can't stay in bed. If you do, the MS will take over. It's ok to rest but don't stay there.' He was one of my greatest encouragers. I am thankful for the memories I have growing up of being on the farm with him, going to the park and the speedway in the summer, going to revivals in the spring, etc. So, so many memories that I treasure greatly. I am grateful for the godly man he was. I am grateful for the great faith he had as he battled physical issues. Sixty plus surgeries, a broken neck from being hit by a train, surviving a gunshot wound, battling cancer multiple times...the list goes on and on with what he endured in life. But none of those things took away his faith. In fact, his faith grew stronger through each one. Praise His Holy Name! April 20, 2022 is before me. Plans are to take Momma to Daddy's grave today and celebrate him with going out for ice cream. The sun is shining so it will be a pretty day to go for a drive just like he liked doing. When I was a little girl, Sunday afternoon drives included me getting to say 'turn left' or 'turn right' whenever we came to a stop sign/light. Those drives usually did not include ice cream cones since places were closed on Sunday but other times my Daddy would spoil me with an ice cream cone. There you go. Now I know why I enjoy ice cream so much...lol. I often say, 'When I grow up, I want to be like my Momma with looking so young and like my Daddy with the way he enjoyed life.' I know I want to live for the Lord like they do/did with having a giving spirit and trusting Him greatly. I am reminded of Francesca Battistelli's song "God Is Good"....
Joy comes
Tears fall
I'm learning there is beauty in it all
It's not hard to find it
You just have to look
Oh, God is good
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the blessings of yesterday with getting my Momma out of the house! Thank You for the day ahead today as we bask in the memories of my Daddy! Thank You for the example of living a great faith he showed us! Thank You for giving him to me as my earthly Daddy! Cleanse me so You can fill me. May I be more like both You my Heavenly Daddy and my earthly Daddy. May I show others how to live trusting You more. May the peace I experience today flow from me so others will realize it too. I pray for many going through 'tough' days to know Your peace. My Momma; Ben; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Mike; Norma Hall; Little Jensen who needs a heart; Sharon Sebolt and her Momma Shirley; Serena and her husband; some young ladies with anxiety; a man in rehab for anger issues; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; a husband/father separated from his wife; Pastor Sam; Mary Lilley; Preacher Bill Watts; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Timmy; Amber; families in turmoil; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments... Doug and Gay; Patty's daughter Tracy; Sharon's daughter Ashley and niece Amy; Chrissy's cousins; Debbie's husband Kelly; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Patti Perkins; Betty's husband; my friend with mesothelioma; Judy Link; Dorothy's grandson; Little Ivy; and my friend who has upcoming radiation treatments. I pray for: Jonathan whose mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Russ and his family, Baby Henry and his family, Crystal and her family, the Long Family, and Christina and her family. I pray for all our military and their families to lean into Your strength. I pray for Larry Amstutz to have open doors as he seeks new employment and for Kim with PT. I pray for Anna, Michael, Matt, and myself as we adjust to life without my Rickey. Yesterday as Momma and I had lunch at Longhorn the memories came flooding back of the first time my Rickey picked me up at the airport and took me to Longhorn. My Momma often says, 'It seems like he walked into our lives and then walked out so quickly.' They bonded quickly and he brought laughter into her life just as he did mine. My Daddy would have loved laughing with him. I often think about my Daddy, Doc, and my Rickey laughing in heaven. Thank You for being My Treasure Chest! Amen.
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