What You May Miss if You Take Life For Granted {One Thing Our Marriages Desperately Need Today ~~ A Husband's Heartfelt Words as His Wife's Heart was Weak #HeartMonth.}

{To read Part 1, the beginning of the series:

"A Husband's Heartfelt Words as His Wife's Heart Was Weak"

click here first.}

We were nearing one month in the cardiovascular ICU in a major Toronto hospital and the road ahead was still long and bumpy, but after a few full days learning how to let the tracheostomy breath for me and yet not become dependant on mechanical ventilation by starting the arduous weaning process (which involved introducing short periods of breathing without ventilator support and gradually increasing the time until I was breathing on my own), Jon testified on September 27th to the faithfulness of God in our lives:

"Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun."

Eccl.11:7 

A common paraphrase says it this way: 

"Oh, how sweet the light of day, And how wonderful to live in the sunshine! Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted. Take delight in each light-filled hour..." 

We take so much for granted each day. The busy pace of life tends to make us charge through our full agendas and schedules and sometimes everyday wonders and blessings can easily pass us by.

What a beautiful fall day it was today. The sun shone indirectly into the ICU room window here this morning and Rebekah was determined to get outside. (When was the last time you made it a goal for the day just to get outside and feel the sunshine?) So with spirit in her step, our nurse to guide the IV pole, a respiratory therapist to wheel the ventilator machine and me following with an empty wheelchair, we all walked our way out of the unit, down the hall, up the elevator, through two sets of double doors, down a ramp, across a concrete pad - why? To get into the direct sunlight.

 

Rebekah has been inside now for a month and it was such a wonderful blessing for her to just sit for 45 minutes and soak up the sunshine and feel a natural breeze again. It was a big effort but worthwhile to enjoy something that is so every-day-common.

How much do our souls search to bask in a different light? The light of the radiance of God Himself. The light of knowing Him, and resting in His grace, His love, His mercy. 

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Cor. 4:6 

Rebekah enjoyed birthday celebrations here in her room the other day. She wanted to look her best so I took a crack at curling her hair with one of those iron things. I also painted some black stuff on her eyelashes with a little round brush. - (Now I've rode motorcycles, skinned rabbits, changed out the winter tires on the van . . . but I've never done my wife's makeup before. - That's trust folks!) 

Rebekah enjoyed watching family around her bed eating pizza and cake in her honour and just being there with her. She was flooded with gifts and warm hugs from our children who scrambled onto her bed to be near her. Oh how we have both missed seeing them everyday. 

We are in an oasis from busy life in some ways right now because we are in a time of healing and recovery. A time of waiting for a diaphragm nerve to repair itself and work again to assist with breathing, a time to allow the numbers to be just right in setting safe coagulation levels in Rebekah's blood so it doesn't clot in the new mechanical valve, and time to wean off a ventilator slowly with a tracheotomy in her throat as gradually her own lung strengthens and opens up after further collapse.  

Yes, these seem to be the biggies that are keeping us in the ICU for now.

So . . . Time—Patience—Endurance! 

It seems to be God's recipe to grow in us . . . Faith—Hope—Trust- as we watch His sustaining faithfulness toward us in so many vivid ways.

-Jon

~.~.~.~.~.

This is part 13 of the series:

One Thing Our Marriages Desperately Need Today ~~ A Husband's Heartfelt Words as His Wife's Heart was Weak

{for #HeartMonth.}

You can read Part 1, the beginning of the series here.

Read Part 14 here.

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