Making the Most of Life
I took Mom to Branson for the third time last weekend. The first two times, Dad stayed at their camp in Arkansas while she and I headed to Missouri to see shows and shop. He was never into the hustle and bustle of things. This time, Dad wouldn't be waiting on us to return though. She had to drive herself up from Mississippi. It was the first time she had driven that far by herself in a very long time.
The Spring of ‘21 was our first Branson trip. She was using a portable oxygen machine, due to a paralyzed diaphragm caused by nerve damage during a neck surgery. With the help of a scooter for the areas that required long walks and her oxygen, she fared pretty well. In the Fall of ‘22 we went again, but her health had declined drastically. The need for oxygen had increased so much that she could no longer depend on the portable machine and had to have continuous flow bottles. I told her that I couldn’t take her back unless she agreed to bring a walker or wheelchair with her the next time because she couldn’t go more than just a few feet without getting out of breath.
In December of that same year, she had plication surgery as her breathing was steadily getting worse. It was somewhat risky and took a lot of recovery time, but the hope was pleating the diaphragm and tacking it would allow more room for air in her lung.
By May of '23, she was finally noticing some improvement. She was able to sit in Dad's hospital room without oxygen for a while. When it became apparent that he had suffered complications during his heart surgery and that he may require lots of rehab and assistance, she remarked that God was allowing her to get better so that she could take care of him. We didn't realize at the time that God was allowing her to get better because she was going to have to take care of herself.
As we made this last trip to Branson, we knew that no matter how busy we stayed, the weekend would still be tough at times. Saturday was her birthday and Monday marked the one-year anniversary of Dad's death.
We shopped, ate out, saw shows, and took on a few adventures. I picked with her about needing to ride a mountain coaster. I didn't really expect that she would spend her 72nd birthday on one. I also didn't expect her to ride the 150' Ferris wheel, something she has long had a fear of. She said when she was no longer dependent on the oxygen, she felt like she had been given a second chance at life and that losing Dad made her realize just how short life is and she was going to make the most of the time she had left.
God has a plan for our lives. Sometimes His plan may not be what we expected or the path we would have chosen, but if we belong to Him, He will look out for us and take care of us even when we don't always realize it or deserve it.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11
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