So, You Vowed to Be Happy No Matter What…

I swear God said, “So, you gave yourself permission to be happy regardless of your circumstances. Let’s see how sincere you are.”

Days after making that vow, my dad collapsed and was rushed to the hospital with either pneumonia or heart failure. At 90 years of age, this was not good news. Adding to the sense of panic, my mother has early stage dementia and could not stay home alone. With most of the family living hours away, a mad scramble ensued to get someone there quickly.

We went from Plan A to Plan ZZZ in a matter of hours. My daughter logged forty-three phone calls, beating me by three. My middle son bailed his job (with permission) and drove down to stay with my folks until my sister or I could relieve him.

I live in another state, eight hours by car or five hours by plane to the nearest airport, still a seventy-mile drive away. With the inclement weather a deciding factor, my frequent-flyer son booked me a flight.

Then God added another twist.

A few days before my scheduled flight, I rushed my husband to the ER with symptoms of a massive heart attack.

At that point, I conceded the battle and told God, “It’s all in your hands.”

Throughout the next few hours I bounced between my husband’s bedside and answering calls regarding my dad’s condition. Things eased when the doctors released my husband with a diagnosis of a serious, but treatable infection. He’d recover at home with rest and a regimen of two antibiotics. I delayed my flight.

Doctor’s released my dad from the hospital with the understanding he and my mother would either go home with family care or go directly into assisted living. With his health issues directly related to complications with his prostate cancer, none of us were capable of the 24-hour medical care he needed. We voted on an assisted living community close to my sister and by default closer for the rest of the family too.

With my husband recovering, I took a late flight and arrived the following afternoon at my parents’ home. We packed their essentials into a U-Haul trailer and endured a five-hour nightmare of packed snow, ice, and blizzard conditions to the assisted living community.

I helped my sister settle Mother and Father into their apartment and all seemed well until it was time to fly home. My first flight was delayed, causing me to miss my connecting flight, and resulted in another late-night arrival. Then, I woke up sick the next morning.

Can I truthfully say I was happy during all of this?

Joyful in the Lord is a better description, the joy that depends on God, not our circumstances, and that is enough. My blood pressure remained low, my blood sugar stayed stable, and my attitude remained positive.

I hope I have a grace period before the next set of challenges, but I give that to God too, more than happy to let Him sort it all out.