Saturday: our youngest son was taken to the emergency room and we spent a total of five hour with him there as the doctor and nurses evaluated his condition.
- While at the hospital I was advised that the tire on our van was flat, soon finding that we had run over a nail.
Sunday: our youngest son was taken to the emergency room twice, then hospitalized overnight.
- Both my wife and I stayed late into the night with our son in the hospital and stayed up until the early hours of the morning praying, worrying, and praying.
- My wife also spent the night and entire next day with him in the hospital, her absence was felt in a major way.
Monday: our oldest son woke up with a cold, he was unable to go to school.
- My wife and youngest are able to come home in the late afternoon but we are all exhausted from the previous days hospital visits.
- Our youngest wakes up at 3:30 a.m. and decides that he has enough sleep for the night.
Tuesday: our daughter woke up with a slight cold, we were sure she would be the next to get the full-blown virus.
- Our oldest is still not able to go to school instead we decide to take him to the doctor, finding out that he has croup.
- Our youngest has adopted a new sleeping schedule that does not include the hours of 3:00 to 6:00 a.m. (some of my favorite hours to sleep).
Friday: our car is unable (or unwilling) to start, the battery is dead.
- The new vehicle models completely lock up when the battery is dead, the trunk will not open, the key is locked in the ignition, and the transmission is locked in park.
- We have inconveniently parked the car in front of the garage and are unable to get our van out.
Saturday: I threw my back out.
Now, given all of these things, some might think that our family had a right to be a bit tired or grumpy, or even to complain a few times. I might agree if it weren't for what happened on Thursday. On Thursday I had the opportunity to listen to a sermon from Gateway Church located in Caledonia, Ontario (not one of the typical podcasts that I listen to) on the topic of giving thanks to God. In this message they spoke about the need to be thankful for the large and small gifts from God and introduced the concept; "1,000 to be thankful for".
Not only did I grab a notebook on Thursday and begin to list some things that I am thankful for, I began sharing them with my family and church family, and I have continued, these last few days, to write more and more things that I have to be thankful for - gifts that God is bringing to me and to our family every day.
And, through this process I have gained a new perspective, in marriage, in parenting, in pastoring, and in life.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2
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