Gratitude

The first few days at home have been rough but our spirits remain good.  Jeff has to go for a few tests tomorrow.  It is not unexpected to have some extra difficulties after open heart surgery.  We have to keep in perspective everything Jeff's body has gone through the past couple weeks.   Please continue to pray for Jeff's recovery.

Through all of this we have been amazed by the generosity of others.  Family, friends, co-workers, church family and those who are complete strangers.  Today, the giving spirit of these people literally brought us to our knees thanking God for his provision.  Tears of joy and amazement flowed freely from both of us.  God's timing is perfect.

On our behalf, people have made many sacrifices, they have sacrificed finances, taken time out of their day to visit with us, cook us a meal, or run errands.  My co-workers have given up vacation time to cover for me while I was up at the hospital with Jeff and are putting in extra hours to take care of my work load.  People have welcomed our children into their homes, taken them to birthday parties, helped them with homework, kept them overnight and transported them to and from school.  We even had die hard Brewers fans offer to fulfill a present we bought for Brayden's birthday, subjecting themselves to 2 days of Cardinals Mania down in St. Louis and the most painful part...wearing a Cardinals badge around their Milwaukee lovin' neck (still waiting to post pictures of that one).

Then, there is the generosity and caring of all those at Memorial Medical Center who took care of Jeff.  We cannot rave about the medical and support staff enough.  They saved Jeff's life.  The gave Brayden and Kenzie their dad back.  They gave me my husband and best friend back.  They went above and beyond to make sure our needs were being met, even bringing me extra blankets and pillows on the nights I slept in the waiting room.  And when we did have a concern, they responded in a big way.

We want to take this time to say a big THANK YOU.  We may have said it before and we might say it again, but we cannot express enough the positive impact you have made in the lives of Jeff and I and our children.  Impact that will be long lasting.  

As we left the hospital Sunday night, instantly the verse from Matthew came to us and we left it behind on Jeff's dry erase board.  This is a verse our family strives to live by on a daily basis.  It became our focus last June when we went on a Family Mission Trip to Springfield and Joplin, MO.  Each morning of the mission trip, we were given a devotion and a verse to talk about with our family.  Jeff and I had to return to Springfield 2 days earlier than the rest of the group because of my work schedule.  Brayden choose to stay behind with the group, most of which he had never met before the trip.  We did a devotion with Brayden the morning  before we left.  He was headed to Joplin, MO to assist with tornado relief.  The verse from that day was from Matthew 25:45, "Whatever you did for the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you did for me".  This verse is true for all of you who have taken care of us thus far, for those of you who expressed desire to assist our family in the coming months and for all who have prayed for our family.  This is God speaking to YOU.  You see, you weren't just generous with us, you were generous with God.  You have made Him proud by honoring one of His commands:

We will keep you updated on the results of Jeff's tests.  Once we get over this unexpected post-surgical hurdle, Jeff should be able to start Cardiac rehab and get back on the normal course of treatment.  

GOD IS GOOD!!!!!   ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

-Stacy