The Wading Pool

Hey Pop,

Remember in my last note how I asked you for more?  I told you that you opening your eyes was awesome, was an absolute God-send, but that I wanted more.  Remember that?  Remember that I told you that I was going to keep swinging for the fences in prayer, because I’m God’s kid, and I know He love us?

Well Pop, He answered.  He answered in a BIG way!

When I got to the hospital this morning, Mom and Stacy were already with you.  Nita and Becky were tearing up in the waiting room.  I was worried…I gotta admit.  But they smiled so big and said “He squeezed your sisters hand!!”

Well you know me…I had to see this for myself!  You did give me Thomas as a middle name, you know!  So I came back, suited up, and walked up to your bed. As soon as I picked up your hand, you looked at me!  When I asked you to squeeze my hand if you knew me, you did!  Dad YOU DID!!!  I asked if you knew me, and you nodded your head!

Then I asked if I could pray for you, you squeezed my hand.  Pop, honestly, I don’t know what I prayed, but I prayed, and cried, and prayed, and cried!  And Dad, you kept squeezing my hand through it all.  You’re in the hospital bed, and you’re consoling me.

You were still being my dad, taking care of your little boy.

Then we got more news from the doc that all the tests on you had come back clean.  Dad can you understand the miracle that THAT was?  Your brain was fine Dad!  That’s astounding!  That’s miraculous!  That’s God!  They took the respirator out, and said we could go see you.

Well Pop, I’d told everyone that I just wanted to hear your voice again.  I wanted to hear my dad talk to me.  And pop, you just gave me the best Christmas present I could ask for:  you touched my face and said “I love you.”  Man…as Ted says, it got a little dusty in there then.  It got a LOT dusty in there!

Dad, I haven’t told you this, but when I first got the hospital last Saturday night, and when I went back to see you, for some reason, the first 2 lines of Psalm 27 were on my mind:

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

Well Pop, I reckon I should have read the whole Psalm then, but you know me, I’m a little slow on the uptake at times.

Then Wednesday (man dad, Wednesday was a tough day), I woke up and had this on my heart:

“I would have lost heart, unless I believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” 

Guess which Psalm that’s in?  Yep.  27, verse 13.  You know what the next verse is?

“Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!”

Truly, God is good Pop.  I’ve always known it.  Now I know it just a little bit better than before.  Ok, a LOT better than before.  Thanks for giving me my Christmas gift a two weeks early.  It’s the best one you’ve ever given me.    I love you dad.