Apparently not

After six months of being out of his office, he returned yesterday.  He was greeted by a variety of salutations, some positive,  some negative. But, he went back.  

Currently, I'm listening to him beside me. He's asleep, doing a pattern of rescue breathing, occasionally needing a nudge when he goes too long between breaths.  But, he's here.  

When a set back happens in regards to his health, it usually takes us a while to want to bring it up.  We will then talk about it with eachother and close friends, eventually getting to a point where we will talk about it more candidly with more people, most of whom just don't get it.  But, we do.  

In all honesty, most people do not survive even one instance of what he has now had to recover from at least three times. When blood flow is stopped to an individual's lungs due to clots(not clot, but clots), the outcome is usually not positive.  He's now been given the chance to recover three times from that.  And all the other times he's had deep venous thromboses.   And all the times he went into burning buildings and came back out intact.   Some shake their heads, and in all honesty this reality can weigh heavy on our minds at times.  But we see it as God's still got plans for him. 

This summer was far from picture-perfect.  (I mean, can't we take just ONE picture where everyone looks at the camera and smiles?!?  Apparently not.) June was a blur.  July included watching big boy play some baseball and football.  Hearing of his kids' weeks at camp.  Spending a couple of days letting his family wheel him around while we tried to have fun as a family.  Sitting by the wave pool while the kids and wife (who threw caution to the wind and didn't care what she looked like in her bathing suit) climbed thousands of stairs to ride water slide after water slide.  Hours of PT. Days and nights of frustration.  Far from picture-perfect.  But, filled with God's grace.

Now, I may have scarred my kids for life by running around with them while in a bathing suit or making them try to pose for pictures that one always ultimately photo-bombed.  But, we've all been reminded again that God's grace is overwhelmingly sufficient.  

No perfect summer.  No lavish trip.  Not enough time.  But, full of His generous mercy and amazing grace.

"There's no space that His love can't reach,

There's no place where we can't find peace, 

There no end to amazing grace."

-crowder