R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Thoughts for R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Women

I am still burning up the road between Wichita and Kansas City (about 3 hours). I returned to K.C. Saturday after being in Wichita since Wednesday afternoon. I will leave here again Wed. evening or Thursday morning. I want to first of all thank everyone who reads this blog and has been praying for our family. God continues to work through all the decisions that have to be made and last week was another amazing example of that. My brother and I started looking at places that might be a good fit for my dad who is very social and has always loved being around people and talking (and talking and talking!). The first two places we looked at were very depressing to me … like hospital rooms with a bathroom. And the cost was $10,000 per month at one place and $6000 plus at another. (And there were waiting lists). As we were driving to another place on our list, a woman from an assisted living facility called (“from out of the blue”) and wanted to invite my Dad and Mom to lunch. She didn’t realize Mom had died until she called my sister-in-law, and remembered my Dad because he was a veteran and her dad had been also. She mentioned that just last week she found out that an expanded one-bedroom apartment in her facility was going to be available sometime around the first of August. A friend from my parent’s church lives there and had been trying to talk mom and dad to going there for several years. My brother and I stopped in and were met by people who were upbeat and laughing in a full, dining room. Some were using walkers or carts, but everyone seemed happy and engaged. My brother and sister-in-law are taking Dad to lunch there today. We haven’t told my dad that they are holding the apartment for us. He can get help with dressing, bathing, medications and getting to the dining room or other activities. They will move him for free and they have a barber shop and rides to doctors appointments. They even can provide hospice care if necessary. Dad’s family doctor is just a few blocks away as is my brother’s house. Talk about an answer to prayer! It is just amazing. And it appears that Dad’s social security and veterans benefits will just about cover the monthly fee. Can you believe it? My Dad continues to thank God for all his blessings in every prayer he says, and even though he is suffering and very sad, he accepts God’s providence even in this great loss of his “precious jewel”. Please pray that he feels safe and loved in this place. If this comes about, we can visit for meals or for the night or take him home with us any time and he will have the benefit of people his own age to interact with. (Several of his hall-mates have recently lost spouses.) I feel God still has work for my Dad to do, and I pray he will feel that call even now in this new stage of his life.

I know this blog is all about me and our family, but I think it is encouraging to anyone going through any of life’s difficulties and challenges. My Dad and Mom’s lives have been a testimony to God’s care since I can remember. It encourages me to see the living God of the universe still taking care of them. He will take care of all of us in every life challenge we face as well.