And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." - John 1:16
As I stay here with Dad and Mom, song lyrics and verses about grace keeping popping into mind. It's so good to be here with them, and to hear family and friends reflect on how Dad has impacted their lives. We continue to marvel at Dad's longevity and at his gracious concern for those around him, even in his greatly diminished state. All this gives me a greater appreciation for God's marvelous grace poured out on us.
Just a few recent examples of the hundreds that could be named:
- Driving down to IL thinking of Dad and crying while listening to Toby Mac sing:
"Break open the sky
Won't You turn off gravity so we can fly
We wanna see Your face
So tear the roof off this place
Jesus, break open the sky."
- Seeing Dad greet visitors -- when he's awake and able -- with "How are you," showing concern for their well-being as they are visiting him for possibly the last time.
- Listening to friends share stories of Dad, from discussing scripture to correcting grammar and pronunciation. Apparently, his comments and insights have been a frequent discussion point at the ministers' meetings at their church; I guess that's what happens when you're a Bible scholar and a former high school English teacher.
- Bringing my Aunt Milly over this morning, so that she could visit with Dad earlier, since he's usually sleeping solidly all day after about noon. Unfortunately, Dad was pretty unresponsive even then, and what he did say she couldn't hear, since she forgot her hearing aids again. She was pretty teary, but then her granddaughter, Tracy, showed up with her toddler, Jude, who brightened up the room considerably. He came in with his jaunty scarf, his big smile and his utter delight at seeing the both the ceiling fan and the leather moose he could play with. As they left, Jude waved and called a cheerful, "Bye!" to Dad. Love that.
- Chatting in the evenings with one of Dad's part-time CNAs, a sweet young mom who has been with Dad for months now. Kaleigh used to take him on drives all around the area, and now she just bathes him (and does a better job than all the other CNA's, according to Dad) and helps turn him every few hours. Last night we two were talking about our wilder younger days, and Mom and I ooh'ed over pictures of her preschool son in his dapper new suit. She's become almost part of the family and knows Dad's habits and preferences for his care better than almost anyone. It's been lovely to have her walk this journey with us, and to share in each other's lives for this period of time.
- Watching Mom care so beautifully for Dad: smoothing wrinkles from his bed, arranging the pillows for maximum support and comfort, applying bandages to new bed sores when they appear, carefully giving him all his meds throughout each day, and just holding his hand and talking with him.
So, in the midst of all the sadness of Dad's approaching departure and all the logistical challenges and medication tracking, it's so good to be able to sit and quietly look for God's hand of grace moving throughout these situations. Praying that we all have eyes to see that.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 2:7