Yesterday I had the joy of driving up to Fargo to spend the next few days with my Dad and Barb. Last night we were able to go see Top Gun (if you haven’t seen it- RUN TO THE THEATER RIGHT NOW!) and dinner- Dad’s first dinner out in 6 weeks. He was exhausted by the end of the night, but I am so thankful I am able to be with him in person, and see how far he has come since I left him a few weeks ago in the ICU. I’m happy to report that Dad is walking without his walker (giddy up!) and is doing well and is on track with his recovery considering the circumstances. 

His feet are very swollen, so they have a call into the Dr. to see how we can help ease this discomfort. Dad is also extremely cold due to his weight loss, so this morning I took a little trip to Target and picked him up a Comfy Original (think a HUGE, GINORMOUS sweatshirt that makes you feel like you’re being hugged by a cloud), along with a heating blanket. I’m hoping these will help him be more comfortable whether he’s sitting in the house, or out on the pontoon. When I presented them to him he looked at me like I had a third eye, and I just looked and him and said: ‘it’s comfort over cuteness Dad.’ We aren’t out to impress anyone here, am I right?

This morning he sent me a text which said ‘In Mark 2, Jesus healed a paralyzed man because of his friends faith. This is why your circle matters.’ I don’t know if you all are familiar with this story in scripture, but I encourage you to read it. There are many different take aways from this story and what it shows us about Jesus that are extremely important, but the thing Dad wanted me to know in this message, and then in turn share with you all, is how thankful he is for THIS circle.

You all- taking time to specifically pray for him and our family has been monumental, and we are at a loss for words with how grateful we are.

We started making out a list of who to thank, and quickly realized that it would be utterly impossible. Isn’t that just beautiful? What an awesome problem to have- too many people to thank. If we started listing names we know that we would unintentionally leave someone out; and that is the absolute last thing we want to do.

Stacey and I have had the privilege of speaking on Dad and Barb’s behalf for the past six weeks, but this next message is specifically from them: 

Thank you everyone. Before all this happened, from January to May we had 46 people came down to Arizona to spend time with us.  We are thankful for those memories; and having lived through these past 6 weeks it has really put things into perspective and reminded us of what we already knew: we have an amazing circle. And it goes beyond those people that we see on a daily basis or on special occasions. We know that there are people we may not have ever met that have prayed, and those prayers mean just as much. Thank you. We are grateful.  

And there you have it. I know it might sound crazy- but I am thankful for these past 6 weeks, what has been revealed to us, and where we are heading. God is good.

I, for the first time, was able to ask dad for specific prayer requests. This is what he shared: 

*Good reports from the Doctor on the 23^rd

*Continued growth of strength and stamina

*Foot swelling diminishes   

God bless you all.