Amazing Grace

It's amazing how good the Lord is. There are moments when hope feels almost out of reach and discouragement is your constant companion. But then Jesus steps in and reminds you that all is well, he is in control, and, despite what you might sometimes think, he does know better than you.
John's dad just went into scopic heart surgery. No, this was not part of the original plan. But it's the plan for today. Before he went, we shared stories of snow from our childhoods; sledding, shoveling, and other memories. I told some stories from one furlough when we stayed on a farm for awhile. Despite being pretty out of it, I spied a few smiles on his face as he listened. He's responsive but still in and out of it. When the anesthesia techs arrived to get him prepped for surgery, John realized he knew one of them from highschool and wrestling! Small, small world but a big comfort, even from something as simple as seeing a familiar face.
Blessings are all around us, the love notes from a loving God. It's just sometimes hard to see them when they're not what we're expecting. One big blessing has been my hip. The first few days we were here I was in some pain...probably from the road trip sitting. The pain continued to grow the longer we were here. It dawned on me today that I'm in absolutely zero pain. In fact, I can't remember when I hurt last. Lastly, we've been enjoying the coffee stand in the hospital lobby. Today, the barista suggested I get a punch card since I had so much coffee that week. She then proceeded to give me my punch card...complete with all the punches I would have earned if I had started it at the start of the week. Again, little things...but blessings just the same.
Now we wait. The surgery should last four hours. The purpose is to patch the lining of the aorta. If that doesnt work, we'd be looking at open heart surgery. Which is a whole different animal. The doctors are confident this will solve the issue. So we are praying for good news in a few hours. In the meantime, my sister-in-law Emily might be flying down today or tomorrow.
I won't lie; it has been a rough week. But God has been with us all the time and I know he not only is in control but he also knows what is best. Now to wait.