One Drama after another

Unfortunately I have no photos to share this week. It has one crazy and often stressful time this week. At the moment I am on the Sunshine Coast spending time with my Dad who had a stroke on the weekend. It was a major stroke - but God is good. He has not lost his speech or his mobility, and seems to be improving each day. It is early days yet, and he has a few more weeks in hospital before he will be allowed to come home. My sister and I met with doctors and the social worker today and they have assured us that he will not be home until they have assessed his situation and put things in place to help both Mum and Dad retain some sort of independence at home. We are very grateful for this. The days have been long though, and we come home feeling pretty exhausted. So much information to process... how to find help... understanding strokes.... when help is available to them. At times it all seems a little overwhelming. To make matters worse, this all happened on Father's Day, and then yesterday was Dad's birthday. We all told him that he did not have to go to these extremes to get us all to come home to help him celebrate not only Father's Day but his Birthday also.

I also spent last Friday in Hospital having tests. Mostly the results were good, although we are still waiting on the results of the biopsies. Since I have been here I have also had a call back on one of the tests I had a couple of weeks ago - not something I need at the moment, so I am heading back to Rocky on Thursday as I am booked in early next week to go back to the doctors myself. We have just a little over a week until we are supposed to leave on our big adventure. At the moment I am not even game to allow myself to think about it. I know that our plans have to change as we will be needed here now for a little longer to make sure some maintenance is done around Mum and Dad's place and also to make sure that Dad is OK and they are coping at home before we can move on.

But you know through all of this God is faithful, his timing is perfect and whilst I don't like all these things that are happening I am so thankful for his goodness to us.

Thankful that
1. Dad had his stroke after my surgery and not before
2. Thankful that if this had to happen to him, it was before we left home and not when we were on the road somewhere.
3. Thankful also, that although i would have preferred none of this to happen, the fact that it did, allowed me to have a precious day with my daugher before she heads overseas. I would have missed her otherwise.
4. Thankful for my boss who told me to just go as soon as I rang her on the weekend.
5. Thankful for the beautiful staff in the hospital who are just so lovely to my dad and who are doing such a marvellous job looking after him
6. Thankful for my amazing sisters who have dropped everything to be here and for the fact that we are all united in working together to get a solution for mum and Dad.
7. Thankful for my wonderful dad who just adores my Mum and just to see them clinging to each other other week.
8. Thankful for Lloyd, one of the Pastors from my Dad's church who has spent time with my Dad this week and has been a huge encouragement to all of us.
9. Thankful for all the beautiful friends my parents have, and just their love and concern for my parents. Just so beautiful to see.
10. Thankful that my Dad is doing so well, and that he will still be pretty independent. God has had his hand on Dad's life and has done a miraclous work of healing in his life.