Day of HOPE
I DIDN'T EVEN SEE IT, at first.
But, the MIRACLE had been there all along, even before we'd arrived. 🤗
We were coming home from one of our long trips to treat my husband's rare cancer in another state... We were SO worn out, so exhausted & we hadn't had great news, AT ALL. The doctor had attempted a surgery to rid him once again of this horrible disease.
But, instead of removing it, about as soon as he opened him up, he had to stitch him back up again. The cancer was too extensive in my 26 year old husband's body & this time, we knew that nothing aside from a miracle would save him.
Our daughter was only a few months old & the prognosis loomed over my head. I believed that all things were possible, but I had still hoped for a different outcome from this fifth "last ditch effort" to save my husband's life.
Nick was in high spirits nevertheless (as was his usual mode of emotion) but I was feeling down & entirely overwhelmed at our predicament. 😞
As we pulled onto our street & into our steep driveway, I was looking at my feet. Praying to God, yet again, for healing. For our miracle.
I helped Nick out of the car & he leaned heavily on me. I focused on getting us to the pathway that lead to our front door.
I didn't even see it at first, but then, I looked up.
Our YARD had been TRANSFORMED while we were away. 😍 Where there had previously been brown dead grass, was grass attempting revival. Where dead plants had resided, beautiful flowering blooms had taken their place!
New furniture was on our porch which had previously been a slab of blank concrete.
I didn't understand at first.
What was THIS gorgeousness?!
My mother had been house sitting, opened the front door & with a big hug, she lead us to the back door. 🙈
AND, the back yard OUTDID the front. BEAUTIFUL flowers, a gorgeous tree, bushes & lucious green covered every square inch. New bark. New furniture. Garden decor.
I was in awe. I got Nick situation & then practically collapsed into one of the cushioned chairs to take it all in & listen to my mother tell the story.
Over 50 people had been working on our yard for almost 4 days. They'd bought & donated the pots, the soil, the mulch, the flowers, the trees, the bushes, the decor, the furniture & their time to transform our neglected yard into something of beauty. A retreat of sorts, for a battle-weary family. ❤️
I think about all that today & my heart swells with GRATITUDE, hope, & happy. 🙏🏼
Today, we volunteer with #DayofHope2017 to help a family get their house ready for sale. They live in our city and their 10 year old daughter, Phenyx, has brain cancer.
I PRAY for the miracle they so desperately need & HOPE that we can be a part of a small miracle they will experience today. 🙌🏼
The miracle of hope, faith & love is ALWAYS already there. It's in your life. It's in your past. Your present. And your future.
Often, it can take awhile to SEE IT.
But, if you open your heart to recognizing these miracles, you will come to find them in your everyday life. 😍
Maybe not in the form of a couple dozen strangers lending a hand. Maybe not in the person you love coming back. Maybe not even in the form of health for a loved one on this side of heaven.
But, I can GUARANTEE you that if your open to miracles of all kinds, in any form, you will SURELY find them. ✨