In a few days families will be gathering around a bountiful table to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Even in the tumultuous world in which we live, we have many things for which to be thankful.

As part of their literature class, my four oldest granddaughters and I have been reading “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom. In this book, Corrie recollects the horrific days that she and her sister Betsie endured in Ravensbruck, a Nazi concentration camp. The conditions were beyond miserable, but their faith so strong that they even thanked God for the fleas that flourished in the straw-strewn bunks in their living quarters. Later, they realized the flea infestation was the reason the guards did not enter their barracks – as they did the others – making it possible for Corrie and Betsie to lead nightly Bible studies.

We may not understand everything that happens to us along life’s journey, but even in the midst of trials and hardships – whether seeing our loved one suffer with Alzheimer’s or trying to deal with our own sleep deprivation – we will fare batter if we can find a reason to be thankful.

It has been almost twelve years since my Dad went home to heaven, but I still have vivid memories of the blessed times we had together during those last five years when my family and I lived with and took care of Daddy. Thank you, God, for these precious (sometimes mixed with tears) memories:

• At one of his medical appointments, he was given a mini mental test – to name as many vegetables as he could. As the consummate farmer, he grew produce as varied as peanuts, potatoes and pumpkins. But all he could name that day was green beans. After repeating that vegetable four times, the doctor promptly changed the course of the examination. His inability to name more than one of the vegetables he had grown so plentifully made me feel despondent until I remembered that green beans were Mama’s favorite. Of course Daddy would remember that one the best!
• Daddy had a life-long friend (they had met at the hosiery mill when both were still young men) named Erwin Edwards. I often took Daddy to visit “Ervin” (as we had always called him) first in his home and later at a nursing facility. Ervin did most of the talking and Daddy did most of the listening. Ervin liked to comment on how neither of them had remarried after their wives had passed away, “Because we had such good ones the first time!” This line was always followed by uproarious laughter. Heaven was another one of their favorite subjects. When Erwin died in 2001 just a few months after his ninety-sixth birthday, I had to break the news to Daddy. It was one of the few times I ever saw my Dad cry. After a few moments, he broke into a wide grin and declared, “Well, he always told me he’d beat me Home!”
• When Daddy was no longer able to ambulate without assistance, we got a Hoyer lift. Although the medical equipment staff had explained how it worked, the first time I actually used it I forgot how to stop the lowering mechanism. Realizing what was happening, I quickly threw myself on the floor so Daddy would drop into my lap. Thankfully, we were unhurt but laughing uncontrollably. I can still see Daddy’s face aglow with amusement at our predicament.

There were so many other memories created during those caregiving years – seeing Daddy snuggle with my three oldest grandchildren; reading the Bible and praying together every evening at bedtime; the night, not long before he died, when he grabbed my hand and said, “Goodnight, Mama” as I tucked him in. That was especially poignant, as his birth mother had died when he was ten years old.  There are other cherished recollections that I would not have today if I had not accepted the charge to take care of daddy.

Sometimes we just need to look past the “fleas,” realize the opportunities, and be thankful, whatever our circumstances.

 

I Thessalonians 5:18