Slowly my husband and I are moving into the next stage of life. Our parents are aging and we are learning how to respect their dignity and independence. When I got the call last week, my first reaction was that is it, home with me! But God is gracious and gentle. He first spoke to my heart encouraging words and 3 days later I was out of town with my dad. Dad is doing well. Surgery was, well surgery and it went well. Recovery is all that it is, when you've been cut. Each day has its own challenges and celebrations. I've been here now 4 days. Four days that I will cherish for a long time. Dad and I have had such a great time in spite of it all, just chatting. He loves his grandkids, but it has been a long time since we've been able to chat. My attention not divided by the need to be aware of kids. No interruptions for the mom, doctors and nurses are a whole other thing.
But it has been good. My guess it has been 15-20 years since we've been able to just sit and chat. How good it feels, to do this.
But through it all, God has shown me the good life my dad has here. He doesn't "need" to move, not yet anyway. He has a good group of friends. He has a life he enjoys here. He misses his kids and grandkids. And he may want to change all that in time. But for now, God has shown me, for this season Dad is okay. He is okay in his health. He is okay to be so far away from family, because he has a whole other family far from me. He has introduced me to some amazing new friends/family these past few days. They love him just as much as we do. For some this transition time can be horribly hard and frustrating. I find myself on a roller coaster of emotions, but I will continue to trust my Lord. I will pray for His Peace. I will pray for His help in learning how to best love and care about my parents through this part of life while still honoring them.
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