So grateful

 

Feeling grateful.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared an insight God gave me on my way to my beach retreat. ‘You can’t go up a hill in top gear,’ I heard him say as I downshifted on a rising slope. Praise God for preparing me for what was to come.

I am on a rising slope, here in California again. Mom fell and broke her hip, has had an operation, which she came through, albeit confused and ornery. Who wouldn’t be ornery? She can’t see, can’t think, hurts, and doesn’t understand.

Soon she will be moved back to her own bedroom, where hospice carers will take over her care. But for that to happen, I had to remove her Queen bed to make way for a hospital bed. I reached out in all directions for help with this one, truly downshifting. I eventually had to pay someone to take away a perfectly good bed. Charities here won’t accept beds.

When the hospital bed arrived, I had to dash out for single bed sheets. Twice, because I forgot to buy a mattress protector.

Between times, I’ve been tidying up for Mom – putting picture albums back together, taking some pictures with me. Nostalgic and sad.

This walking Mom home has been a very long and gradual incline. Incline. Perhaps I should write decline, as she has declined, (and probably so have I!), but as we’ve lurched and staggered forward, we have been blessed to see God at work in so many details. He has been with us every step of the way. I can’t believe the number of things I’ve had to arrange over the last ten years which have dragged me out of my comfort zone. But the three of us, Mom, me and God – and a small team of family and friends – are still walking – well, at least I am, Mom is bed-bound unless she can be persuaded to do some physio. And I know God has not abandoned us now. He will see us safely home.

Life is a challenge, but with God there is the joy of seeing his hand in myriad ways.

So grateful.