Another new day, and the weather forecast says it will be a wild one with gale force winds. When we looked out the window this morning, we saw that some of the neighbours' wheelie bins were blowing down the street. On the news last night there was a warning that the wind would be strong enough to cause structural damage to homes and property.
On a different level we continue to feel buffeted by the uncertainty of Dad's condition. His night nurse reported this morning that he had had a comfortable night and that his blood pressure had risen again this morning to "the low end of normal." (Ironically, his blood pressure isn't too much different from my own, which is often unusually low.) Of course, anyone who has ever nursed a terminally ill patient, such as someone with cancer or aids, knows that fluctuating blood pressure and body temperature can be a sign that the end is near, and so it seems that medical staff are "watching and waiting" at the moment, and giving morphine to keep Dad comfortable and pain free.
His night nurse reported, though, that he was looking bright this morning, and that she was able to have a conversation with him (which must mean that he's beginning to be able to speak a bit better, after having the trachy tube removed yesterday.) She was telling him about how she used to keep her horse in the fields near our house - the place where my Dad used to walk the dog - and he was also telling her that I usually live in Spain.
Even as the TV weatherman announced that today's 100 mph winds might cause structural damage to some homes, I was reflecting on the fact that the prevailing winds of our lives can also cause "structural damage" if we are not firmly anchored. It's been challenging and stressful to live through six weeks of ups and downs with a loved one in intensive care, and I know that even these six weeks are a relatively short time compared to the trials and challenges that some families have faced. I remember, back when I was a teenager, hearing someone say that life's trials will either make us "bitter or better" and that we do have a certain amount of choice in which will be true for ourselves. Even though life is unstable, we can trust and pray that our own life and faith will be stabilised and not "gone with the wind."
Even though we still have no certainty of what today might hold in store for us, my prayer for myself and my family is that we will be firmly anchored amidst the storm. Many things in life are uncertain, and one of the few certainties we can have is that God is good and that His grace is sufficient for us in every situation. Thanks for remembering us, and Dad, in your prayers today.
