Irene was REFLECTING on the day she was discharged from UCSF and came home …. July 20, 2007. As she walked up the five steps from our garage to the kitchen she slowly but deliberately made the first two steps without incident. As she attempted the third step her legs collapsed beneath her….Jocelyn and JoAnna held her arms steady, assisting and lifting her up the next three steps….until she was able to stabilize herself….
Here’s the point …. Irene feels that the prayer support she’s been getting from so many compare to what Jocelyn and JoAnna did by helping her up the steps. She is convinced, with great emotion I might add, that without the prayer intercession of family and concerned friends she would not have made it this far. God is faithful and thank you for praying!! By the way, today we celebrate 4 months since Irene’s stem cell transplant!!!
Irene drove herself to dialysis this morning and contended with a brutal headache and nausea for most of the afternoon …. that is, until Shirley Churchill arrived and spent 90 minutes working on the physiology of rousing her system. By the time Shirley left, Irene’s headache was diminished and the nausea had been somewhat sidelined …. Yay for relief! Thank you, Shirley!!
The words of this great hymn from yesteryear are so appropriate …. it is Irene’s favorite scripture and hymn combination….
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
As we reflect on the past, we also focus on the future. Reflection gives us time to gain perspective and see more clearly what God has done in His faithfulness toward us. Focus directs our attention to the future, giving us “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow”.
Caminando con Fé
Dave
