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It’s that time of year when lights are twinkling and calendars are filled with events. There’s a Christmas carol playing in your car, at the store, or in your head. You just can’t help singing along. Our Savior Jesus’ birthday is worth celebrating big-time.
Then there’s the stress of finishing up baking the cookies you promised to bring or last-minute gifts to find. Even more difficult are the blues that overtake you thinking of someone who won’t be at the family Christmas dinner, like our son, Ray, since he’s still in the hospital. Or the child you miss because they’ve lost touch. It hurts.
Whatever you’re feeling—joy, stress, or sadness, God cares and is with you. Just call on him in prayer. The Bible says that He is our ever-present help in trouble. Please take a few minutes to listen “Call on His Name,” a song I wrote with my friends Kathy Enix and Barry Gadd. May the Lord bless you this Christmas with a heart that is filled with comfort and joy.
I remember seeing “The Sound of Music” as a kid for the first time. Breathtaking scenery and the Von Trapp children singing made it so memorable. I especially loved the songs.
The scene where the Mother Abbess tells Maria she will be leaving her position, includes the iconic “Climb Every Mountain.” Surely millions of people have been moved by that song to look beyond a huge challenge to in search of their dream.
As Mom to my son, Ray, I’ve always searched high and low to find the path that was best for him. Several months ago, the Lord began to show me that a new direction was coming for Ray. I wasn’t sure where that would lead us, but I knew he would need more care and support than before. I followed God’s lead. A few months later circumstances revealed that God was preparing me to help Ray face a life-changing medical condition.
We are working through his hospitalization knowing that when he is well, he will move on from where he has lived. As I ford this stream to a finding a new home for Ray, I am learning about programs that may provide what he needs. Please pray for Ray and me.
What I appreciate most right now about being a child of God is His gentle way of preparing me for climbing the mountain before me. I had been praying about the future and coming to grips with helping lead Ray forward. When his health needs hit, I cried and worried at first but thankfully I knew this was no surprise to the Lord. Nor was it a surprise to me, because God had been preparing me to find Ray’s new path.
I am not worried about tomorrow because I know who holds our hands. God says He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). As Steve and I help guide him with all the love we can give as long as we live, our love for Ray and our Lord will undergird each step forward until Ray finds his dream.
Our Thanksgiving Day was satisfying in many ways. We drove out of town, and family and friends gathered for plenty of good food, football, and fun conversation. We took time to make our annual list of things we are thankful for: Jesus, family, jobs, good health, and just being with one another. About 7 PM, our son, Ray began to moan and hold his stomach. My stomach felt stuffed, too, after eating perhaps the biggest meal of the year. We chalked it up to way too many desserts and headed to the hotel for the night.
Next morning, Ray and I enjoyed our annual tradition—shopping for gifts he wanted to buy for his sisters. The line at Bath & Body Works was kind of long at Bath & Body Works, but once we got inside, he and I located the perfect presents. The whole time, Ray continued to grip his belly and moan, and I realized something must be wrong. On the three-hour ride home, I asked Ray how he felt, and he said, “It hurts,” as he held his tummy. We stopped for dinner, and he took a sip of his root beer and ate one French fry. Not normal. As we unpacked his suitcase at his apartment, we promised to check on him the next day.
Ray was still suffering Monday morning as we headed to his doctor’s walk-in clinic. After an X-ray, the doctor sent us straight to the emergency room at a nearby hospital for further testing. Ray was admitted and tests began in earnest the next day. The results showed a serious abnormality in his digestive tract, and surgery was scheduled for the next day.
Ray now has a colostomy as the surgeon had to remove one-third of his colon. It’s been a rough week. He is out of ICU and healing in a regular hospital room. Not only will he likely have the colostomy for life, but he will not be able to live in his apartment anymore, because the ministry that supports him and others with developmental delays does not have authorization to give special medical care. We are facing many decisions. Ray will leave his apartment and the friendship and support that he has enjoyed for thirteen years. I had to break the news to him yesterday, and he had tears in his eyes as he said, “I am sad.” Steve and I are, too.
We believe that God is with us through this difficult time. Friends and family have called and texted us, and Ray has had visitors, too, reminding him of their concern and prayers. God’s word says, “We don’t know what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1) One week has changed everything about Ray’s life and ours as his parents and caregivers. Though we feel unprepared for these heartbreaking changes, the Lord is with us through it giving grace through many tears. Your prayers are appreciated.
A Goldilocks Life 