I Will Rejoice....

I have been away from my blog for awhile due to my Dad being seriously ill. He has been in the hospital for the past two weeks, and after a very close call with death, is resting comfortably at home now. He is 81 years old and had always been in perfect health until about 3 years ago. It is very difficult to see someone that you always felt was ten feet tall and bulletproof, suddenly become very mortal! When I see my Dad suffering, I am suddenly ten years old again and very scared! My mom passed over 11 years ago, and in the years since, Dad has been both Mom and Dad to my sister, brother and I. I have decided that no matter how old we get, we still need that anchor that our parents provide. And although Dad has been a devout Christian with an unshakable faith for over 46 years, and he is 81 years old...I am still not ready to let him go. He brings something to my life that no one else on earth can bring! I love his heart, his laughter, his sense of humor, his strength of spirit, his hugs, his hearty appetite, his devotion to his children and grandchildren, his outgoing personality, his willingness to help others, his simple way of accepting life as it comes and believing that the Lord has it all under control. He told me the other day, "I have trusted the Lord in life, I will trust him death." That is solid faith....and I only hope that when I am where he is...I can say that just as strongly!

My card today, even though you can't really see the sentiment, simply says, "REJOICE"...and tonight I am rejoicing for the Dad that I have been blessed with...for the fact that he is home from the hospital and although he is frail in body, he is strong in spirit! And in the end...I will know without a doubt that he is safely in the arms of the God he has served joyfully for so many years, and that he will finally be reunited with my Mom! So again, I will REJOICE!