By His Strength Alone

It has been 2 weeks now since I got the call, my dad, my strong, never get sick dad, was in the hospital. I frantically called people, called the hospital, called anyone to find out what was going on. This couldn't be happening I thought. Lord keep him safe, give him strength, and please don't take him from our family yet I'm not ready for that, I cried out to God praying and hoping for the best.

Dad had a stroke that Wednesday night, and wasn't hospitalized until Thursday, rushed to Regina, and through hours in emergencay, my dad finally had a room, and was able to rest. He had, had a stroke, later we find out it is a minor one, back of the brain, no paralacyis, no loss of memory, none of the scary things that come with a stoke that aren't typically healed. However through this we wait, wait for him to gain some strength.

It is weird seeing someone whom you love, someone whom you always relied upon to open a new can, to reach up high for the cookie jar, to pick your bike up when you fall down, to lift your over weight suitcase when you leave the country for 6 months. And now I was the one that was needing to do these things, to help my dad get through. Thankfully I have been blessed with a heart of caring for others and looking after the things that are needed. Although I gratefully do these things, put on a smiling face, and tell myself we just need to get through this hic-cup in life. I am thinking, Lord, Really?! Really, how can I deal with all of this right now? We are supposed to be moving, out of country, selling all our stuff in less then 2 months. I am struggling keeping up with our own lives let a lone someone else's. And yet God says be still, and know that I am God (Psalms 46:10), in this he will give me strength even when I don't think I have any left to muster up. He will not give me more then I can handle.

It has been during this time that I have been shown how great of a support base my dad has around him, how his friends are amazing people who would drop what they are doing to help out my dad. Through his love and willingness to drop what he is doing for others, my dad has gotten it back in the end. Only through the strength of God have I been able to get through, through the house clean ups, through the paper work, the multiple bank accounts, and through the massive miles and hours I am putting on the highway. Although it seemed like a dark place a few weeks ago, I never gave up faith that my Dad would be ok. I see my family being brought closer together, more phone called to relatives then ever before, and I have seen the power of friendship and what it really means.