God's Plan

God has a plan. We don't always get to see his plan, but there are times when we do. For the first several years of our marriage, Kenny and I lived in several different apartments. Even after Katie was born, we lived in a couple of different apartments. It was a joke around the family because we seemed to move every year or so. We wanted to buy a home, but were not able to save up enough money for a down payment. After talking with my parents, we decided that we would move in with them for a couple of months and save up some money. Mom and Dad lived in a house that they had purchased brand new a little over 30 years prior. The neighborhood had gotten real bad and we wanted to get them out of it, but they didn't think they could make the change and afford a new home. One day, totally unexpected, my husband came to me and made the suggestion that we help my parents sell their house, get them out of the neighborhood and purchase a new home together. Another factor was that Mom's health was not real good and Kenny knew that I would be at their house helping frequently if we were not together. Now, the idea of living with my parents was not something that I thought was unusual, because my grandmother, Mom's mother, lived with us for as long as I could remember. So joining families seemed like a normal thing to do. What I wasn't sure about was the fact that my husband is a very private person. I was not sure how he would deal with it. But, he was very adamant that he would be fine and he felt it was a good idea. The next step was to talk to my parents. I really didn't know how they would feel about the idea either. After discussing, we all agreed that it was a good idea. So the move began. We started looking for a house while selling theirs. Everything was going well. We found the house all loved and their house sold.

We moved into our new house and everything was going well. Then, Dad started having some problems and ended up having a colonoscopy that showed he had colon cancer. It was a shock to all of us. He ended up having surgery where they had to remove part of his colon and had to go through chemotherapy and radiation. Six months of treatment. Then he started having blockages that would cause him to have severe abdominal pain and extreme projectile vomiting. Every couple of weeks he would have a spell. He would start to gain weight and then having another spell. He ended up having 3 more surgeries where they would remove a little bit more of his colon. He ended up having 1/3 of his large intestine removed. Slowly, after his surgeries and numerous hospitalizations, the spells were get further and further apart. It has not been over a year since his last one.

Three years after we moved into our new home, I started having my cardiac issues. After each of my surgeries, I would need to have assistance in many things. Especially after my last surgery. Kenny missed so much work while I was in the hospital, it was such a relief to him to know that I had someone to care for me when I got home. I don't know what we would have done if we were not living with Mom and Dad.

During all this time, Mom was still having her medical problems. She would have periods of time where she was bedridden. Towards the end of her life, she could not walk and had to use an electric scooter. She ended up being bedridden all the time.

It is so obvious to us that God's plan was for us to move in together. We needed to be together to take care of one another. He knew we would need each other and put us together. We could not see what the future held for us, but He knew. He is all-knowing. Thank you God, for Your wondrous plan.