I had the most unusual week.
I looked at my calendar on Sunday morning to see what we had to do for
the week and it was totally clear every day but one. On that one day there was only a Therapeutic
massage session for Antonio where the massage therapist comes out to the house for an hour and stretches him and deep massages his muscles. It helps his Cerebral Palsy so much. It was the most empty week I had literally seen
in many years. I mean every day, every
square on the calendar was empty but one and on that day I didn’t even have to
leave the house! I could not believe it. We always have some places, therapy or
appointments we have to go to. I was
amazed.
God knows all things.
He truly does love each of us, His children, so very much. What I didn’t know, was what God knew. I didn’t know what was on His calendar for me
and that was why mine was totally clear.
I should have known. :)
We go to bed very early in our home because Tim gets up at
2:30 every morning to go to work. So Sunday
night at 9:00 p.m. we were all in bed.
House closed up for the night. I was awake and trying to think about my
empty week and what to do with it. What
projects I might attack and try to complete. The door bell rang. I jumped up and quickly went to answer it
before the house dogs started barking and woke up Tim. Standing there was a dear friend that I had
not seen in 2 years as she had moved from Georgia to Texas for a job. She was almost in tears and said she had a
tent, could she camp out on our farm for a few days? She said she was in a hard situation and had
just got in straight from Texas. Since it was Sunday night, she had stopped
by her old church where she had been a member and done much work in the church,
the eight years she had lived in Georgia.
She had asked them the very same
question and the pastor had told her no, absolutely not. He answered for the whole church. He did not offer to help in any way. So, her next thought was to come to us. I told her no way, she was not camping in our
yard either, she was staying in our home and to come on in. She said she didn’t know how long she would
be here and she had her two dogs with her.
That was why she could not easily get a hotel room for very long because of
the dogs. No problem I told her. We live on a farm. :)
As I helped my friend (I have known for 10 years) unload her
vehicle, in the dark and bring her things into the house. She started unfolding to me the story of her
last two years she had been away living in Texas. How her daughter and grandson had to
come live with her, while there, for a while, again, as they were homeless. My friend has been single for many years and how hard it was for her to work full time and care for her grandson as her daughter was not being reliable or responsible, gone a lot and making some very bad choices in her life. Her daughter was not taking the grandson into
consideration. The daughter eventually took the grandson and moved
back to Georgia. My friend shared she had
just received a call that her grandson had been taken into care by the state (DFCS) in
our town. So she served a short notice
at her job, liquidated her things, put all she owned in her vehicle and headed
to our town to try to get custody of her grandson. If she did get custody of him, she was heading back up north, to
her place of birth where she would start over again with alot of support from family
and friends. She had already made living
arrangements up there. Court was Wednesday. We talked until late.
Wow, I was so glad God had cleared my week.
Then, when we work up on Monday morning. William came into my room early in the
morning and said he had a knot on the back of his head and could hardly move his neck. I thought he might have slept on it
wrong. But as the morning went on and he
tried to do his chores the pain and stiffness proceeded to migrate down into
his shoulder and arm. I looked at the knot
and knew it was a swollen lymph node. I made a doctors appointment because when
William was six he had the exact same thing happen. Upon examination at the doctors office, we
found directly above the swollen lymph node a bulls eye ring and tick bite! He went thru treatment and praise God was
fine. This time I thought it might be
the same thing. I was not taking any chances. He had already been treated once for Lymes
disease. Before we left I quickly
googled anything else I thought it could possibly be. Shingles? Meningitis? Spider bite? Nothing matched up but Lymes. We could not get
in with his normal pediatrician that I trusted, so had to see another in that group. While in the room, waiting for the doctor to
come in he was under very bright good lighting for the first time and as I ran
my hand backwards over his head, looking at his scalp, just above the swollen lymph node, there was
indeed a 3 inch circular rash.
Yikes! Lymes is terrible if not
treated and nothing to mess around with. So at that point tests or no tests I just
wanted antibiotics for him. If it was Lymes it should take care of things if not it wouldn’t hurt him to be on
it. When the pediatrician checked him
out she thought he just slept on his neck wrong.
I asked for the test to be run and for treatment and she would only run
the test for Lymes. I asked also for a
CBC because of the swollen lymph node.
She sent us home with a pain med and muscle relaxers. She said that the test results would be in by
Friday and we will treat if we needed to after that. Ug!
I thought Ok. If it
is that he slept on it wrong, usually, it is at least starting to improve by the
next day and a little better every day after.
So I put William on the couch for the day. He was in such pain every time he tried to
move, bless his heart. I spent the rest
of the day fellow-shipping with my friend that was staying here and helping her run
errands to prepare for court.
Tuesday morning William was much worse and the pain and
stiffness was working its way down his shoulder and arm. So I took him to another doctor and paid
cash. I wanted a second opinion. I explained that we had been to his regular
pediatric group and what they had done there for us and praise God this doctor
felt as I did and started William on the round of antibiotics for Lymes. I spent the rest of the day fellow-shipping with
my friend that was staying with us and running around town picking up paper
work and dropping off documents for her grandsons court hearing.
Wednesday morning William woke up still in so much
pain. It had not progressed or gotten
worse this time but was about the same as the day before. But he had only had two doses of antibiotics
by then. I set him up on the couch again
for the day and Tim just happen to have the day off so he was there to take care of him and the other kids so I could
go to court with my friend and be of support to her. She did not get custody at this hearing but
if her daughter does not do her case plan, will get him in six months. So at least there is a plan for this child’s
life. We also found out he is in a Christian
foster home and being loved and cared for.
Something that my friend had been praying fervently for. That helped a bit to make us feel better.
By Thursday morning (after his fifth dose of antibiotics) we finally started to see improvement in
William. The lymph node was starting to
decrease in size and he had a bit more range of motion in his neck and shoulder
and was in slightly less pain as long as he still didn’t move to much. Since court was over and we kind of knew the
plans for my friends grandsons near future, we could relax a bit but still did some
errands. We dropped off some things she had bought and packed at DFCS for her
grandson. They told her they would keep
in contact with her and she could call and send things to her grandson all she
wanted and if she was in the area could visit.
That she was the placement they were looking at for him if things went terribly
south in the mom’s case plan. Praise
God.
Here I am. At the
end of what I thought was going to be a totally empty week. Very tired but so very blessed. God knew.
He knows all things. He cares about
the details of our lives. He just knew
how much my friend (and William) would need us and totally cleared my week. God had Tim happen to have Wednesday off the
very day of court! And we were at the
court house from 9 a.m.. Hers was supposed to be the hearing at 10:30 a.m. and we never left
the court house till 5:30 pm!
Zeke and Carolyn weeding their gardens.
As I hugged my friend and we all waved and said our good byes………I am
in thought about what a blessing the whole week was. God truly does work all things together for good towards those that love and serve Him. We saw God and His hand with us and on us all
week long. He made preparation and cleared
my week for everything that was going to take place. He was with us every time we went to DFCS to try
to see someone without an appointment, the person we needed to see was always in
the office and available to take us right back and help us. (unheard of) God was with us thru court and had Tim to
happen to have that day off so I could be with my friend for the whole day as
Tim stayed home with the children. He
had her grandson placed in a Christian home just as she has been praying for. We now also see His plan for my friends
grandson so she can go home, get established and make arrangements and plans
just in case. He was also with us as we
got treatment for William. Glory to God.
While my friend was here we have had the most wonderful, sweet
sweet fellowship every day. Even though
she came to visit under such extreme circumstances we talked and enjoyed each
others company daily and talked way into the hours of the night. I didn’t realize how much I needed it. How very lonely I am for Christian fellowship. It was like water to a thirsty soul. The children were just so happy and enjoyed
having her here so very much. She will
come back and stay for any future court dates.
William, Praise be to God
is on the mend. Though still
stiff and in pain, it is much, much better than where he was with it all on
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The
antibiotic has definitely kicked in. As
his lymph node has started to decrease in size a lot.
Next time I see a whole cleared week I am going to prepare
myself for the unexpected. As God showed
to me once again. How He cares about the
details of our lives and knows all things.
How He organizes and ordains our days and time. I am so very grateful that He is in charge
and loves us so very much. I don’t have
to plan and worry. He’s got it. God plans the details.
May we always be faithful to follow the Almighty God as He
leads and guides us thru all things.
Making preparation for us even
when we don’t know it.
Blessings, susan
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
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