Precious Moments And Many Thank You's

FlowersFromChurch
Originally uploaded by MAPryor.

Our week has been rather interesting: outpatient surgery on Monday and an ER visit on Tuesday. I am glad that Mark's infection is now gone, and we are back to our normal, busy schedule. Mark truly gave us quite a scare, but he is feeling great. I like to say he has two gears: very fast and running nonstop or he is sick in bed. There is no in between gear for the man I adore.

Leaving him at the hospital was very difficult. My heart truly was torn. There was a part of me that was more than willing to stay the whole night, but then the mom in me knew Sheldon needed me as well. Mark finally convinced me it was time to leave. It felt so awkward walking out the door without him. Yes, I cried quite a bit and finally told myself it was now time to be brave for my son's sake. The first question out of Sheldon's mouth was, "They kept daddy at the hospital?" Yep, those tears started coming, but his child-like wisdom was encouraging. I explained to him why his daddy was in the hospital and he said, "Well, isn't that the best place for him to be?" Of course he was right, but my heart was saying, no, the best place is here with us!

Before I left the hospital, I received a TM from Jana letting me know that everyone was praying. It is little acts like this that have a way of calming your fears. Rodney called and also let us know they would be praying. Just knowing that dear friends and family are praying is amazing. Then once I was finally able to speak to Mark, he told me that Steve and Debbie Saiz had just left. I want to insert here that I know everyone would have been at the hospital if they could, but this was a personal confirmation to me how much God truly looks out for us. I could not be there after he returned from the CT scan, but two friends were there--Steve and Debbie. My, how this touched my heart!

I made it through my restless night, and I was getting prepared to see Mark, but I could not get there fast enough. I had just spoken with Sabrina who let me know that flowers were on the way to his room. However, I had to quickly call her back, and tell her that Mark had checked himself out. Of course, we laughed. I should have taken a picture because there he was sitting in the wheelchair just waiting to go. I am sure he was only sitting because he had no other choice! That sure was a welcome sight.

My heart has not stopped overflowing with gratitude because the Pentecostals of OC once again showed just how much they care. Marcella organized it to where someone would bring us dinner for the remainder of the week. We have enjoyed such wonderful meals. Thank you Marcella and family, the Peavey family, the Lopez family, Reina's mom, and Donald and Rebecca. Your kindness has made us smile. To all the families that prayed for us, thank you. Your prayers are so important, and we are thankful to be a part of the most CARING, AMAZING church. You have made us proud of all you.

Thank you Joe and Frank for taking care of Wednesday night service. Pastor was ready to preach, but I had to prevail and remind him that he needed to REST. I am thankful that we can count on you!

Thank you God for healing Mark. Thank you dear friends and family for your prayers and support. Just knowing that you are there for us is comforting. Also, thank you Johnny and Sal for delivering the flowers. We enjoyed talking with you. Marcella, thank you for watching Sheldon on Tuesday; you are so thoughtful. Thank you Sabrina for taking care of Sheldon on Wednesday. He loves your cooking! To Sheldon's teacher Mrs. Shenton, thank you for your prayers, for comforting Sheldon, and assuring him that he's daddy's surgery would go well. As a teacher, I am sure there are days that you wear many hats, but we are glad that he has such a caring teacher. To all of my wonderful friends at work, thank you for your prayers and helping me through this week. I know I can count on you!

Well, I guess that concludes my thoughts for today. Mark is running around passing out post-it notes to us because we have a way of taking all of his. He even mentioned post-it notes that are the size of bulletin board, and he now wants to hang it on the sliding glass door so that when he prays he can write down a thought or two. Yep, he is amazing. He has the heart of a pastor. He is also the best husband and daddy! We love him bunches, and bunches! Now, I guess I'll just drink my coffee and wait for Jana and Brian to call because we are meeting them for dinner. I am looking forward to a refreshing time of just hanging out with our great friends.