Waiting, Prayers, and Optimism

On Tuesday, my father had to travel to the doctor (about 60 miles) to be wired with a heart monitor. He wore it for 24 hours, then returned it to the office. As soon as he and my mother returned home, there was a message from the doctor's office on their answering machine. The message said that the doctor wanted my dad to drive right back so he could be admitted to the hospital for testing!

I just happened to call while my dad was waiting for the doctor's office to return his call. It was funny, but I just had that feeling that made me call right then, in the middle of the day. I hurried my call, not wanting him to miss the callback from the doctor's office after he explained all this to me.

The office did get hold of Dad, and they told him he could return the next day, which was yesterday. He was to go to the hospital for testing and to be examined by a cardiologist, and he was also told to plan to stay at the hospital for testing.

My mom called last night and said that the cardiologist decided not to do a heart catherization, as the other doctor had planned, but that today, he would implant a pacemaker to regulate his heart. He was told that his heart was only operating at about 35%! This is a bit of a hard pill to swallow, as my father has always been the epitome of good health. He takes good care of himself and is always busy. Even the doctor said that he looked younger than his 76 years!

So, going to bed with this on my mind last night, I was a bit disturbed. During the night, Murphy kept waking me up, moving all around. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him until this morning....I picked him up and flopped him belly-up to give him a belly rub, and there, in his "skirts" was a round hairbrush! Silly pup!! I had brushed my hair before going to bed last night, and when I went to set the brush on the bedside table, I heard it fall to the floor. Apparently, Mr Murphy thought he would have a looksee at the brush. Good thing he didn't get it tangled in his beard! It took some time to gently loosen all of his skirt from the brush. I think the more he moved about, the more it tangled....and it was tricky loosening the sensitive hair under his legs (armpits?).

When awoke this morning, a robin was chirping so loudly in the woods, I could hear it in the house! I grabbed my camera as the boys and I headed out the door, but try as I might, that robin was no where to be found, although the chirping continued on and on. When I looked up in the tree I *thought* it was in, only these two were there...and they AIN'T songbirds!!! (look in the center of the picture!)

After the boys finished up outside, I went out to the garage to examine Mark's project from yesterday. He worked out there in the afternoon, along with Michelle. When Michelle found out Dad was going to be painting on the poly, she was SO there!

Yes, Mark's workbench is all completed! He even has a really nice woodworking vise built into the surfaces of his bench!

Mark faced the workbench with beautiful red oak, and made a big drawer the width of the bench with oak. Before he had the spinal cord injury, Mark used to always take the first 10 feet of any live tree he had to cut down. He and the neighbor built a porable sawmill that used Mark's chainsaw to cut the tree into boards. We had oodles of boards drying outside for a few years, before the kids and I carried them upstairs in the garage. Now that Mark's woodshop is getting all put together, many of those boards will be used for pieces for the house and such!

As I looked around the shop, I had to smile....there, atop the little refrigerator sat and old pair of speakers. Michelle must have brought them out to connect her MP3 player, so she and her dad could listen to some music!

I had written this entry this morning, but never got the time to upload it, as this was just a very busy day!

Update on my father....I called him this evening and he sounds great. He has a "frog" in his throat, but other than that, he is doing well and if all goes as planned, he will be set free tomorrow! I am so happy!

It is amazing just how miserable I was all day today. I just didn't feel good, wondering about how my father was doing! But, now that I have spoken to him, I feel so relieved. It is hard thinking about him in the hospital as he has spent little time in the hospital over his lifetime!

I just thank God once again for His grace and mercy. And, as I said before, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made!