Home! This word can have many meanings. The summer months led me away from my home but to my home. When I was with mom in Springfield our home was the hospital. Once we moved to Arkansas my home was mom and dad’s home…one I never lived in growing up. But what does home really mean? I am sure it can mean many different things to many people! We throw the term around lightly. As we do the word love. But this summer taught me much more about both of these words – HOME and LOVE.
Home is truly where your heart is. Love is the action that creates the home. I had several homes this summer. One I was absent from but my love was not. One I had not lived in long-term but my love always had. This summer changed that. I was able to love while living in that home – mom and dad’s. Throughout the summer God revealed Himself in the love – through the actions of others. He revealed Himself through mom’s amazing recovery. He revealed Himself through the amazing love we felt from everyone. He also revealed Himself through some wonderful surprises. 🙂 I use the word amazing over and over because that is what it was…AMAZING!
During my last run in Bella Vista I heard Phillips, Craig and Dean sing AMAZED on my iPod. As I listened to the words I realized the Lord had been dancing over us all summer. He had been singing all around us. He loved us through this difficult time! And now He was orchestrating mom’s recovery so I would have a peace going home – my home in Tennessee that I had so desperately missed – my husband, my kids, my friends…. He was still holding us in His hand…He was holding MOM! Wow! Amazed I ran…His love is truly that great for us! Wide, deep and GREAT!!! Why am I amazed? I don’t know. He is God!
AMAZED!
You dance over me,
While I am unaware.
You sing all around,
But I never hear the sound.
Lord, I’m amazed by you
Lord, I’m amazed by you
Lord, I’m amazed by you
How you love me.
You paint the morning sky
With miracles in mind
My hope will always stand
For you hold me in your hand
Lord I’m amazed by you
Lord I’m amazed by you
Lord I’m amazed by you
How you love me.
Lord I’m amazed by you
Lord I’m amazed by you
Lord I’m amazed by you
How you love me.
How wide, how deep, how great, is your love for me.
How wide, how deep, how great, is your love for me.
Lord I’m amazed by you
Lord I’m amazed by you
Lord I’m amazed by you
How you love me.
Lord you love me.
Home – I was able to prepare my heart and soul to come home because I was amazed. Mom was now taking giant steps in her recovery! Mom was doing so well they released her from occupational therapy and speech therapy last week, the week I left! She is showing how determined she is…TaylorStrong determined.
She has her bone flap back HOME and she is right with the world. 🙂 Her balance is great. She will be off the walker this week and on a cane. Her physical therapist told her not to buy one because she will not need it long. He also said he only thought she would need PT for three more weeks. Praise the Lord! Again, I was amazed. As I ran and listened to the words of the song, I knew I was ready to go to my home in TN! I had peace!
This run took place on Monday. That night I called Mike at our normal time to say good night. When he answered I could barely hear him. All I was able to decipher was “I have been working on a surprise for you since 3:30 this morning. It can’t wait until Thursday. Can you stay up?” Since it was hard hearing him, I text him back and asked him if I was supposed to stay up that night. He text back “Yes, please!” Then he text, “I PROMISE!!! It will be worth it; I’m SO excited to show you, it can’t wait until Thursday, I have to show it to you tonight! :)” I couldn’t figure out what he would be working on that couldn’t wait, but I knew it would be worth it because his work is amazing. 🙂
Around 10:20 pm I text him and told him I was fading and I would turn my ringer on high. Call me when he was done. About twenty minutes later I receive a text that says, “I’m outside your parent’s house!!!! :)” It was with a photo of him…or at least I could kind of see his outline in the dark of the night. I couldn’t believe it. How in the world did he get here…if he was really here. He calls me as I am walking outside and sure enough there stands Mike in Arkansas. My home had come to me! I was beyond excited. He stood there with his arms open wide in front of the 1955 Ford truck we received from dad two years earlier.
The short story of the truck. My daddy has had this truck since I was two. He gave it to us two years ago. Our plan was to redo it and have it ready to surprise him with it this summer. God had different plans. Mike started his business and we were unable to redo the truck right away. While staying with mom and dad this summer daddy mentioned he would be able to work on it if he had it back. So that is when the part of the seed was planted for Mike to pull off an amazing surprise. The other part was in a sermon one Sunday at church. Our pastor used an illustration where a father surprised his family on a vacation. This got Mike thinking…how can I surprise Trish and her mom and dad. Well, God knew. He knew a friend of Mike’s would be traveling to Texas with an empty trailer and could take Mike, along with the truck, 3/4th the way to my parents. He knew Mike would share his story with this angel and he would make the offer. He knew Mike would say yes and he would be on his way. On Monday, August, 19, Mike’s journey started. The same day God was giving me a sense of peace and showing me how to be amazed. Little did I know I would be AMAZED once again…at 10:40pm that night. Mike drove the ’55 Ford from Little Rock to Bella Vista in about 4 hours and 45 minutes…about an hour and fifteen minutes longer than normal. But, he made it…with prayer carrying him every mile. Now, the truck was HOME!
The second part of this amazing surprise was yet to come! Surprising mom and dad! The next morning we got up early to wait on dad. Jasmine, mom and dad’s dog was sleeping with me because of mom’s surgery. Every morning dad would come get her from my room. I decided it would probably be best if I took her out before he came in because daddy still didn’t know Mike was in their home. It might not go to well if he came in my room to two people in the bed…:) So I took the dog out and Mike came out to stand by the truck. Within five minutes dad was up and I told him to go ahead and take Jasmine outside. He did and the next part of the surprise was set in motion.
Daddy walked around the front of the house to Mike standing in front of the truck with open arms once again. In dad’s sleepy stupor, he was amazed! He was shocked. He was in disbelief! Mike was here and so was the ’55 Ford. Mike had pulled it off and he couldn’t, we couldn’t, believe it! Mike and the truck were home!
Now, off to surprise mom. We went in the house and sent Mike in first. As he walked in, Mom came out of her room. Again, she was alone and walked out on her own with her walker. (She is able to now…one week after the surgery…she was on her own! Wow! Turn WOW upside down and you have MOM…yes, that is our MOM…wowing us! Thanks to Mike again for pointing that out.) Back to the story, mom turned and saw Mike. Her look was of amazement! Mike had done it again!!! He surprised all of us and was at home with us!
Mike and I now had the week to take it all in and prepare to come back to our home…together. He had come all this way to first fulfill a dream for dad – bringing the truck home and then to fulfill a wish of mine – not to drive home alone. Boy, I am a blessed wife. God is good! He is very good!
We had a wonderful time with mom and dad. Mike was able to witness mom’s amazing recovery. He was able to help daddy with the truck. We all had a wonderful time wrapping up the special time I had this summer with mom and dad. The sweet memories we made will forever be cherished in my heart – and their home will always be a part of me as long as I live.
God provided an answer to a prayer I didn’t realize I really had. He amazed me with His peace and not only allowed me to come home with my dear husband but with a sense of peace so strong I still have a smile on my face.
Another thing Mike encouraged me to do was to make it home in time to run a race…a Run For God race…a Run For God all ladies race…the Pinky 5k.
I am so glad he did. I was able to make it back to run and run well! I ran for mom! She was my inspiration and she is what helped me put one step in front of the other. She helped me finish strong…TaylorStrong and NewsomStrong – I won my age group. 🙂 Not only did I run well I also got to fellowship with my amazing RFG family and friends who have been praying for me these last 2 1/2 months. Such sweet fellowship! I missed them so very much…though I knew they were there with me in spirit they were now there in body too. 🙂 We had a great night enjoying God’s grace and love – I was home! In Tennessee and RUNNING!
Mom and dad are on their own creating new normals. Mom gets her staples out this week. Yay! Then she will be able to really get all things back together. Her first priority is a hair cut! 🙂 Three months is a long time without one, right mom? 🙂 They are doing awesome. God has amazed us all in this journey. He has changed us. He has made all of us better people. He has given us a God story – one we need to share. One we need to get out there. Prayer works! God LOVES us! God is HOME for all of us if we just believe!
Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Romans 5.1-8
5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3.16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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