Flamingos!

Hey everyone,

Divine timing! Yes, that is what Laurie believes happened this past week. God used someone out there to boost her spirits exactly when she needed it the most by “flamingo”ing our yard. Yes, it brought a smile to her face and tears of joy and excitement.

Laurie had been feeling down on Wednesday and Thursday for a variety of reasons. Forrest and I had been at football practice every night last week. Laurie's work has been very busy lately which has led to some frustrating moments since she's not being able to get everything done while working the part-time schedule, Although Forrest and I were not around every evening this past week and her work has become a bit more of a challenge, the biggest reasons for her low spirits were medical.

First of all, although she had finished radiation earlier in the week, the effects didn’t peak until 2-4 days after the last treatment. So she was rather uncomfortable due to the “really bad sunburn” in the treated area. Secondly, she had to have two sonograms as a follow-up to her PET scan results from last December, but it could only be done after chemo and radiation. She went for them on Tuesday and the initial results indicated a need for her to go see two more specialists. Nothing yet to panic over, but it just seemed a little more than she wanted to handle.

Then, as she was going to bed on Thursday night, she noticed a note taped on the window beside our front door, and opened the door to get the note. That is when she noticed the 17 flamingos all over the front yard. While we still don’t know who to thank for lifting her spirits, we wanted to share this with all of you so that whoever was responsible will know it was perfectly timed and greatly appreciated!

One of Laurie’s favorite poems is "Footprints in the Sand" by Mary Stevenson. It reflects how we trust the Lord for everything and rely on him to carry us though the good and the bad.

Thanks God!

Footprints in the Sand

by

Mary Stevenson

Last night I had a dream. I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonged to me, the other to the Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
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