Last month June 12 (2010) I attended my daughter, Kylee’s High School graduation. Kylee is the youngest of our four children (our baby); she is a very patient, undemanding girl who has a very tender heart. Glennis and I are so very proud of her and the young lady she has become. Kylee will be continuing her education at Highline Community College where she was awarded a volleyball scholarship. This summer, she will be traveling for two weeks with her team to the  National Volleyball Training Center in Brazil. We are really excited for the new adventures before Kylee and for God’s direction in her future.

Hope against Hope
At the time of my diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1997, Kylee was only six years old. I was given the 2-5 year death sentence with no possibility of recovery. Our oldest, Justin, had just turned 15yrs and was to graduate in 2001. We grieved over what the medical professionals had told us. There was little hope that I would see Justin graduate from High School.

BUT GOD
I have always believed that God could heal me and that is exactly what I told the Neurologist who insisted that I needed to get my “affairs in order”. We realized that he was doing the hard part of his job; delivering a terminal diagnosis and having to make SURE that the family knows how serious it is. The information was sterile, cold, unwanted and heartbreaking. There was no comfort, no avenues for treatment, no ray of hope offered.

THE God of ALL HOPE
Praise the Lord; I attended Justin’s graduation 4 yrs later in 2001, followed by our other two daughters. Jessica graduated High School in 2003 (and college 2007) and Ashley graduated High School in 2005 (and college in 2009). Now, with Kylee’s graduation this year, I feel as though I have graduated from the regret I felt thinking that I possibly would not be at these big occasions for my kids. God has worked beyond what we could ask, think or imagine was possible given the gravity of my health challenges. Although our faith had been shaken, we have always had hope in the One who loves us.

God is a great and greatly to be praised! He strengthens the weak and encourages the downcast. Through His word God asked us to believe that ALL things are possible with Him (Mark 10:27).

There have been other milestones; the recent larger occasions have been to walk my oldest daughter down the aisle and to be involved in her wedding (2007), to rejoice in the arrival of our first grandchild (2008), to celebrate with my wife our Silver Anniversary (2009). Each Birthday, Anniversary, Thanksgiving and Christmas I am so grateful that we get to enjoy them together. Everyday is a gift; I am thankful that God has extended my years to cover my family in prayer and decision making. I love God and receive great joy reading His Word and encouraging others. I have been given much and am so thankful God still uses me for His service in the land of the living!

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 17th, 2010 at 5:15 pm and is filed under Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.