Oct. 13, 2009 - Thanksgiving: Better Late Than Never!
Thanksgiving breezed by this year as we spent Saturday and Sunday in the truck driving home from an unexpected trip to the coast. But it did not pass without the realization that we have much to be thankful for this year. In fact, there are so many things I’m thankful for (in addition to the usual things like a good husband, great kids, etc) that I hardly know where to start! So in no particular order:
1. Max. Max is a beautiful black Tennessee Walking Horse, bred and trained by my father-in-law. With Dad’s fight with cancer picking up he decided it was time to sell his beloved horses. He has bred Tennessee Walkers for many, many years, so this was a hard place to come to. He wanted one of his kids to have at least one of the horses, but none of us live on property that could house them. They sold two of the three, but the last one, Max, would just not be sold. Meanwhile, my husband surprised us all by checking into a local saddle club to see if we could bring Max here and house him at the club. After watching God work out all the details, many of them at the very last minute, Max is finally ours! I was glad to hear that our taking Max was a relief to the family who had been unsure what to do if they couldn’t find a home for him. Meanwhile, my oldest daughter and I could not be happier. Owning a horse is something I have always wanted, but thought would never happen.
2. Family. We were called to come as my father-in-law was not doing well. The decision to go was made at 10 pm on Friday, Sept 25, and by 11 pm the next day we had made the 1400 km drive and were at my sister-in-law’s. For the next week we spent a lot of time at the hospital where my father-in-law finished his 3-year fight with cancer. During that time we were blessed by their large family as a constant stream of visitors came and went. Supper was brought to us at the hospital. Prayers were said on our behalf. Several times family sang around my father-in-law’s bed blessing not only us, but the nursing staff as well with their hymns of praise. It is a wonderful heritage my children have received through their father’s family, and it was a great blessing for them to see the faith of their fathers (and uncles and cousins) worked out in such a practical and loving way. My own family supported me by phone and my parents were able to come to the funeral and blessed us with their gift of music before and after the service.
3. Heritage of love. In addition to the heritage mentioned above, I was also touched to see the deep sorrow of my mother-in-law in the final days of her husband’s life. There are many occasions that give me cause to be thankful for my own marriage, and this was one of them. To have a husband whom I love as deeply, and to know that he loves me the same is a treasure beyond measure.
4. Relationships. There is something about spending all night with someone at the bedside of another that makes one feel much closer to both. My mother-in-law had been spending her nights in the hospital with her husband, and the last two nights my sister-in-law and I stayed with her so she would not be alone. Through this, as well as the rest of the week’s events, we grew closer than we had been before. We were also able to develop more friendships with some of my husband’s cousins whom we were blessed to be able to visit with over our time at the coast.
5. Hospital staff. The ward my father-in-law was on was excellent. The doctor was available throughout the day and gave us honest and informative daily evaluations of my father-in-law’s condition. The nursing staff were incredible in their genuine care of their patient as well as his family. We were wonderfully blessed by this compassionate and competent medical staff.
6. My husband. He is an amazing man who was able to drive 17 hours (including stops) after only 4 hours sleep. (I did drive after lunch for a couple of those hours while he napped in the back seat.) He spent a huge amount of time over those two weeks driving out to where his Dad’s horses were to feed them, sorting through the barn, finding what we would need to bring Max home and care for him, packing tack, etc. He spent a full day working on the brakes of the horse trailer only to realize that he did not have the parts nor the time to finish the job and took the trailer to a garage to have the brakes done. He helped with the set up and clean up for the reception after the funeral. He stayed up very late packing up the horse trailer the night before we left, then drove about 9 hours Saturday and again on Sunday, pulling Max in the trailer and letting him out to walk in the mornings before we left and in the evenings after we arrived at that day’s destination. And through all the craziness he remained calm and got the jobs done.
7. Friends. We obviously could not pull Max in the trailer for 17 hours, so we had to make the return trip in two days. But that posed the problem of where to stop for the night where Max could get out and walk. We had met a friend and riding buddy of my in-laws a few times over the two weeks. His wife was managing a hotel at a town roughly half way between where we were and home. They graciously offered us lodging as well as a place for Max in their stable. Unfortunately one of the horses at their stable had contracted an illness so Max could not stay there, however Mike found a place for our truck & trailer behind the motel and helped my husband walk Max and clean the trailer for his night’s stay. We were very blessed by their hospitality.
8. More friends and family. It was such a comfort to know that we had family and friends all over the country praying for our father and our family throughout this whole time, and in fact, throughout Dad’s illness.
9. Our Risen Lord. Most of all we know it was the Lord’s grace that sustained us. It was His hand that ordered all our steps and worked out all the details so that we could be there with our family at this critical time, and so that we could bring Dad’s horse home with us. But most of all we are filled with gratitude that He allowed His Son to die and to rise again, thus conquering death once and for all! Because of this, says the well-known hymn, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone. As we said good bye to my father-in-law, we knew that it was not forever. While the parting was difficult, there was great comfort in knowing that his pain is gone, his fight is over. He now has a perfectly healthy body in which to spend eternity, and we will see him there. This is what Paul meant when he wrote to the Corinthians, “Oh death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (I Cor. 15:55) There is no sting in death because for those who love God, it is temporary. Because I know He holds the future, I can face uncertain days because He lives! (Words from “Because He Lives” by Bill Gaither)
Me and Max
