#thedaythelordhathmade

 Life is full of situations. Ups and downs, some like to call it. Sometimes its high up in the skies, sometimes its low there, in the gutter.
2015. Situations happen. I had been going through a lot lately. A midlife crisis. Unresolved issues caused me anger, I was unhappy at work- the people, the working times, worrying about my family, money issues. Life looked really grey.

Then my father fell ill. Very ill. We took him to hospital and ended up staying for a month. On that first night, we arrived at the hospital at about midnight. He could hardly stand up straight, let alone walk. They did test after test then took him into a little cubicle and laid him on a narrow, hard couch. I was alone with him in that teeny-weeny space. He was in absolute pain. The doctors said they were working on a room for him. We were in that space for close to 5 hours.
In that moment, my life flashed before my eyes. Now, here was a situation to worry about! Surprisingly, (I pray a lot) I asked God, in that moment, to make my Dad well again, and to take away his pain.
The days that followed were hell. For him. For us, who love him so much. In those days that I sat at his bedside and watched him waste away, not eating, needles in his hand, a catheter that gave him hell, I remembered the unresolved issues that I had with him. The anger that I had been storing for two years. And it did not matter anymore. It did not. All I wanted was for my Dad to be well. I did not care about the bills and where I was going to get the money. I did not, for one minute even think about work, or if I risked losing my job because I was away. All I wanted was for my Dad to be well. To eat again, to walk again, to smile again and show me his dimples, one of which I inherited.

After so much treatment, trying times- even getting  a sip of water down his throat - sleepless nights, we took Daddy home. Today, he sits up, walks around, eats a lot, and even drives! And I am thankful to God for that. 

That stay in hospital taught me so many things. One, that there are things in life that matter. Like my Dad. And others that do not- pettiness, worry, hate, anger. It also taught me to trust in God in whatever situation, that he is always looking out for us. Another lesson it left me with is that situations, and especially the tough, nail-biting ones, is that they make you stronger. And lastly, rejoice, because THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE!