A quiet evening...
Chores done...
A late dinner...
Washing dishes to the
sound of the peepers
in the pond...
The phone rings.
Now, at our home,
If the telephone rings
after 8 pm...
It is usually bad news.
It was mom.
"Are you looking for us?" she asked.
"No..." I replied hesitantly.
"Why do you ask?"
Now, as far as I knew...
My parents were tucked in
just down the road...
Probably preparing for bed...
"Well, we're in the emergency room."
My stomach flip-flopped.
My first question...
"What happened?"
My next question...
"How did you get there?"
You see, neither of my parents
can drive very well at night...
And my mom is so tiny
that she can't see up over the
dashboard so she doesn't even
drive during the daytime now.
My dad had cut his hand open
while working in his shop.
I didn't know how bad
his injuries were...
But I could tell by the tremble
in mom's voice that she was worried...
When I asked her why she hadn't
called me when it happened...
She said that Dad didn't want to
bother us during dinnertime...
And he thought mom could
take him to the hospital.
"Stay put," I told her.
"We'll be right there."
As my husband and I
made the 40 minute trek
to the hospital...
I began to understand
how our Lord must feel sometimes...
When we don't call on Him...
Because we don't want to bother
Him with our little problems...
Because we think that we
can handle it all by ourselves...
Until things get
"out of control"...
When we arrived,
Mom seemed relieved.
I never knew that a finger
could bleed so much..
We went in with dad
while they put in the stitches...
Two hours...
Ten stitches...
And a tetanus shot later...
We headed for home.
Mom and I in the car...
My dad and my husband in the truck.
"Mom," I told her...
"Don't ever hesitate to call us.
That's what we're here for...
To help you...
To take care of you."
"We know," she replied.
"But sometimes,
We just don't think too clearly..."
Now I really know how our Lord feels...
Because we think that we
can handle it all by ourselves...
Until things get
"out of control"...
When we arrived,
Mom seemed relieved.
I never knew that a finger
could bleed so much..
We went in with dad
while they put in the stitches...
Ten stitches...
And a tetanus shot later...
We headed for home.
Mom and I in the car...
My dad and my husband in the truck.
"Mom," I told her...
"Don't ever hesitate to call us.
That's what we're here for...
To help you...
To take care of you."
"We know," she replied.
"But sometimes,
We just don't think too clearly..."
Now I really know how our Lord feels...
"Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you. "
I Peter 5:7
Oh, Laura, this really spoke to my heart. I absolutely hate asking people for help even when I really should. I just abhor the thought of being a bother! Yet I consider it a privilege when people ask me to help them! I take delight in going to the store for someone, picking up a prescription or helping someone get to or from a doctor or sitting with someone when they are ill. It's not very logical.
ReplyDeleteI do hope your father will soon be restored to vibrant good health.
I am going to have to pray about, well, praying! It just seems so trivial sometimes to ask God for small material things (for example, I no longer feel safe in my apartment complex and really need to move. I can't afford to do that right now but I feel selfish praying for such things). Yet your blog entry helps me to see that God wants us to come to Him so He can help us and take care of us.
Thank you for posting this. I hope you and your family have a blessed week!
I'm praying for your mom and dad. I understand how they feel as I'm 70 years of age and neither my husband or I can see to drive at night. We also don't like to bother anyone.
ReplyDeleteOh, Laura, I'm so sorry to hear about your dad cutting his finger. I'll be praying that it heals up OK. Bless their sweet hearts...not wanting to bother you at dinnertime...goodness gracious.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad your mom was able to drive safely to the hospital.
That story is a perfect illustration of how God feels when we don't want to 'bother Him with our little problems'. Yes, sometimes we don't think too clearly.
Hope you're having a lovely evening, my friend.♥
Hey Mom,
ReplyDeleteI always cringe when the phone rings when it's late. It always seems to be bad news. I'm glad gramp's okay. Power tools can be so dangerous, even if you are careful. Remember when the mower engine blew up when I was running it? It was fortunate that I didn't get hurt.
Love,
Josh
What a wonderful reminder for when we try to take care of things ourselves ~ He wants us to call on Him!
ReplyDeleteI will say a prayer for your dad, things like that can be so painful.
Blessings Laura!
Sharon
I am so glad all ended well and your mom and dad are safe and sound!!! God bless!
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that we feel that asking for help means that they are bothering us?
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you must have felt. I am so glad that it wasn't anything more serious, and that Our Lord kept your mother safe as she was driving the 40 minutes trek to the hospital.
Praising Our Lord that you and your husband were able to arrive and lend support and I am pretty sure, speak to the doctors also.
What a blessing that you are able to live close to your parents.
Blessings...
Mrs. M.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteOh my! I'm sorry to hear about your father's accident. I hope that his hand recovers soon.
My mother is the same way with me sometimes. She doesn't want to call me until it's almost "too late," and it can be frustrating sometimes. I am just thankful that I have been able to be there for her when she needed me.
You also gave us a good lesson about how we should come to God at all times, and not feel we are bothering Him with the "small things." That's hard sometimes. Maybe some day, my little "hard head" will get the picture. :)
Blessings,
-L. Rose
I've been praying for your dad and hope the pain is considerably less today! My dad cut the end of his thumb with a saw a long, long time ago (and had to go get it sewn back on!) and I can only imagine how things like that must hurt...
ReplyDeleteMay we all learn to admit when we need some help, and then ask and graciously receive the assistance! There are a lot of subborn German people in our area (we're German too, so I feel that I can say this!) and this post would be a great one for us all to read!!! :)
This post hits home for me. But it's not me asking others for help as much as it is me asking God for help and leaning on His guidance. I'm so glad your father is ok! And it's not any worse.
ReplyDeleteDear Friends,
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much for your concern over my dad. Just a quick update...his finger is doing well...no infection, praise God. I have been watching it closely as I change the bandage for him each day. He is in very good spirits about it...although he is looking forward to getting out the stitches next week. I thank you all so much for your prayers.
With love,
Laura
Dear Miss Linda,
ReplyDeleteWe are so sorry to hear that you feel unsafe in your apartment complex...we will be praying for you on this matter. Perhaps God will see fit to move you somewhere else...or change the circumstances right there where you are now. We will leave this in His more than capable Hands.
I think that we are all guilty of not wanting to bother anyone...I know that I feel this way often times. I have to keep reminding myself that God puts certain people in our paths just for that purpose. And, on the other side of the coin, that God commands us to "love our neighbor" as well.
Thank you again for your sweet comment and for stopping by...
God bless,
Laura
Dear Granny,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by with your sweet words of comfort. My dad is doing so much better...always joking about being clumsy and whatnot. I know how you and Grampy feel about driving at night...I don't even like driving after dark. One reason is that we live in such a wooded area that deer are a problem at night...as well as other creatures. Also, there aren't too many street lights, so it gets pretty dark and deserted once the sun goes down! I'd much rather be home, curled up with a good book or a craft project!
Have a blessed day,
Laura
Dear Melanie,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by with your sweet words of encouragement. I am so sorry that it took me so long to respond to all of you...it has been a busy week around here! As I've said, Dad is doing so much better, thanks to all of your prayers. I spent the afternoon with him and mom yesterday, doing errands and taking them to the greenhouses so that mom could fill her flower boxes for Mother's Day. This has always been sort of a tradition with them...Dad takes her to get some pretty spring flowers for all her planters and such.
Hope all is well with you and your family. I'm sure that spring is much more in bloom where you are. Summer friends from South Carolina arrived last week and said that coming here is like experiencing a "second spring". Everything back home was already fully in bloom.
Have a wonderful day at school...
With love,
Laura
Praise God for His protection over your Dad! And what a blessing it is for you to be there to help your parents and encourage them and comfort them and love them.
ReplyDeleteYou have a lovely place here, and I noticed your son has a blog, too. I'll have to pass that link on to my son.
Dear Josh,
ReplyDeleteI, too, am so thankful that Gramp's hand healing well. We can never be "too careful" around tools and equipment. What a blessing to know that the Lord is watching over us always!
Love you lots,
Mom
Dear Sharon,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by and for your prayers. My dad was very touched when he heard that all my "blogger" friends were praying for him! He's doing so much better...can't wait to get those stitches out!
Have a blessed weekend!
Laura
Dear Karen,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your sweet sentiments. My dad's hand looks really great...no infection and very little pain...Praise God. Hopefully, all stitches will be out next week!
Hope you all are having a blessed week...don't you just love this sun! Everything here is starting to bloom!
Laura
Dear Maria,
ReplyDeleteYour comments are always so sweet and caring. I am so grateful that the Lord was watching over both of them that evening. Dad is doing so much better...what more could we ask for?
Hope all is well with you and yours...
God bless, my dear,
Laura
Dear Lady Rose,
ReplyDeleteI certainly know about having a "hard head". It sometimes takes me so long to get what the Lord is trying to teach me! I'm ever so thankful that He never gives up on me...what a reassuring blessing that is!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Laura
Dear Miss Cora Beth,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by and for your prayers. I think there must be some kind of magnetic force between dads, power tools, and fingers! This is the second time my dad has cut this same finger. I can remember when I was little that my Grampa Bunter cut the whole tip of his thumb off once with his table saw, wrapped it in a dirty handkerchief, and walked to the hospital (about a mile and a half away)to have them reattach it!
Hope all is well with you and your family and that things are growing in your new greenhouse. Don't you just love this time of year!
Sweet blessings,
Mrs. Laura
Dear Nabila Grace,
ReplyDeleteSo good to hear from you, my dear. I'm so sorry for all the heartache you've been going through lately...we continue to pray for those so devastatingly affected by the storms of the past few weeks. Please know that you are in my prayers each and every day...and that God is so good.
With love,
Laura
Dear Trisha,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting my blog...and for your sweet comments! It is always so nice to meet someone new. I look forward to stopping by your place for a visit soon...and I'm sure that Joshua would love a visit from your son!
Have a blessed weekend,
Laura
Dear Dakota,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by. It is always so nice to meet new people. I look forward to having the opportunity to check out your blog.
Have a blessed weekend,
Mrs. Laura
That's beautiful Laura. Thank Jesus for the lessons He teaches us - even through the little things in life. Praise His Name!
ReplyDeleteApril.
Dear Miss April,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by for a visit...and for your sweet words! Our family loves to look for the lessons in our daily life...ways the Lord is blessing us...shaping us...teaching us...molding us...to be more like Him!
I hope that you and your family have a blessed week!
Mrs. Laura