Recent happenings that made my heart smile!

*** It didn’t take long for Pat to claim me as a member of her family. We used to talk about being sisters in Christ, but she thought of me as her earthly sister as well. Several times one of the medical staff would come in her room to evaluate her and ask if I was her family member. I always said, “No” while Pat was shaking her head “Yes” the whole time. I couldn’t help but smile when she did this, knowing the hospital didn’t consider “love like a sister” as being a family member. In the short time I knew her, I don’t think I could have loved her more, had she been my sister. So you can imagine how honored I felt when I was listed in Pat’s obituary and funeral program, as her “adopted sister.” No doubt she would have loved it just as much as I did!

*** Because he was ADHD with learning disabilities, our son Brandon, struggled through his school years. After high school he attended a couple of college courses, dropped out and moved to Texas. I was more than a little concerned about his future, but he got a job at a hospital in Dallas and has done very well. He called me recently to tell me that he had gotten the “Service Excellence Award” for the third time! He is the first person in his division to ever get the award three times in one year! He was also chosen as “Employee of the Month” for February. As he said, “Who would have thought that the kid with ADHD, who struggled in school would be doing so well!” As you can imagine, I am beyond proud of him!

*** Eight years ago, Jim and I were very supportive of a young couple we knew whose two year old daughter Lyla, was battling leukemia. Our hearts went out to them and we did what little we could, to help them through that difficult time, and after when she passed away.

A couple of days ago, Lyla’s dad called. He said he had some good news for us. He and his wife are expecting baby #5 and it’s their first boy! Because of all our love and support, they are naming him “Mason” after our last name! Yep, I cried and then I smiled when Ryan told me his “good news!”

*** And for the grand finale - Our oldest grandson turned 10 years old today. On his wish list he wrote, “Jim and Molly come for a visit.” Melt my heart little one!

The Journey Began With A Smile

Oh, the power of a smile! I will always be in awe of the way I met Pat. I looked across the hall in the hospital and saw her looking at me - a complete stranger - and smiling at me! What??? Someone looking across the hall, smiling at me as if I were her best friend? Little did I know that smile would be the start of a journey where we would develop a deep relationship, where I would learn more about her, and about God. I stopped by her room and told her I loved her smile. The doctor was with her, so I couldn’t visit, but left with her on my mind. I was so intrigued when I walked home, I knew I had to know more about her and went back that afternoon to meet her.

From the moment I saw Pat I knew there was something different and special about her. After meeting her, I realized what made her so special. Her faith and love for God were awe inspiring, to the point she smiled in the midst of her storms. Considering the magnitude of her storms, this was truly amazing! Something had attacked her body and she was in a sense, paralyzed. Other than being able to squeeze my hand, there was little more that she could do with her body. To make matters worse, she had a trachea, was on a ventilator and her only communication came by reading her lips.

In the middle of all Pat was going through, she was quick to offer me hope and encouragement when I was going through a couple of hard times. One day I shared a concern with her. Without hesitation she said, “You have to promise me you won’t worry about this. God has something better in store for you. Promise me you’ll trust God with this.” Knowing my battles with worry, I couldn’t give her that promise. Pat wouldn’t take “no” for an answer and insisted that I make the promise. It was hard for me to do, but I made the commitment to her. That simple act changed the way I looked at the situation, and helped me keep worry at bay.

I can’t begin to understand the ways of God, and the way He answers our prayers. Pat trusted Him for a healing. Friends anointed her with oil and prayed over her. Many prayers went up on her behalf. I prayed for her, prayed with her and read Bible verses to her. Almost daily I saw a decline in her health. As I watched her slowly fade away, I thought more and more about God. I sensed He put Pat in my life to teach me more about trusting Him. Instead of trusting Him to do what I wanted, I needed to be trusting in Him to do His perfect will for her life!

Yesterday Pat received complete healing, and Heaven got a little sweeter, as she went home to be with our Heavenly Father. No more pain and suffering for her! She’s rejoicing and praising God with all the angels. In one of our many conversations, I told Pat when she got to Heaven she would be running and singing all over the place. The angels would be chasing after her, telling her to slow down, she has all of eternity to praise God. After being confined to a hospital bed for months, and only able to communicate by someone reading her lips, I can only imagine the rejoicing she’s doing!

I told a friend I wish I could have had one more hour with Pat. She asked if there were a lot of things I wished I had said to her. And there isn’t! I can’t think of one thing I would say, that I hadn’t already said! I would just love to tell her again how much I love her, how much of a difference she made in my life, and see her smile one more time. I’m so thankful that God chose to put this beautiful person in my life. The brief time I knew her, has forever changed my life.


To read more about Pat, check out the tags on my blog, "Pat."

Precious Pat

Pat was transferred to another hospital and had surgery Tuesday afternoon. I went to the hospital Wednesday morning to check on her. When I walked in her room, the first words out of her mouth were, “God is good, all the time!”

Amazing, inspiring, faith filled . . . are there really the right words to describe Pat? She’s on a ventilator with a trac, and has paralysis due to neuropathy. Less than 24 hours out of major abdominal surgery, her body is racked with pain. She has a tube in her nose, drains and a wound vac. Yet her first words to me are filled with praise for God!

The nurses talk about Pat. The doctors are in awe of her. My friends, who have gone to visit, have fell in love with her. It seems she touches the lives of everyone she meets. I’m sure some people wonder what gives Pat the ability to smile in the midst of her storms. I know the answer. One can’t be around Pat very long without realizing, how much she loves God. She truly is a beautiful testimony for Him! I think we can all learn lessons from precious Pat.

The Lady with the Beautiful Smile

My heart sings with joy! I have a new friend and she has already been a blessing in my life. She is one of the most precious ladies I have ever met. I don’t think anyone could meet Pat and not walk away a different person, she’s just that amazing!

Yesterday I went to visit Tammy in the hospital. As I left her room, I happened to glance across the hall. There was a lady looking at me and smiling! I’m sure you wonder, “What’s so unusual about that?” I have been going to that hospital since August and have never walked by a room and seen a patient smile. NEVER! Pat is the first. That in of itself, says a lot about Pat. I stopped by her room on my way out and told her that I loved her smile. She smiled even more. As I walked home, I wondered about the lady with the beautiful smile.

I couldn’t get Pat off my mind and nothing would do, but for me to go back and meet her. Since Tammy was having a bad day, I thought I’d go back and check on her, and stop in and talk to the “lady with the beautiful smile.” Tammy was sleeping soundly, so I went in Pat’s room, introduced myself and asked if I could visit her. She smiled so brightly and said I could visit, come anytime, and as often as I wanted.

Like Tammy, Pat is on a trach, making it a challenge to communicate with her. After months of visiting Tammy, I’m much better at reading lips, so we were able to carry on a conversation with just a few missing words. A few minutes into the conversation I mentioned her smile. She said “It’s God.” I wasn’t surprised. It didn’t take me long to recognize that Pat is overflowing with faith, love and smiles. One of the nurses said they call her “Miss Smiley” because she’s always smiling. I stayed until the nurse took her for some tests. Pat made me promise that I would come back for a visit.

Later that afternoon I took some Bible verses and the alphabet printed out (to help with communication) to Pat. Her family was visiting so I got to meet them. I spent a few minutes talking with her family and left the Bible verses and alphabet with them.

Today I stopped in to see Pat on my way to visit Tammy. Pat was awake and smiling She asked me right off if I would read the Bible verses to her. I asked if she wanted me to put her name in the verses as I read them and she liked this idea. To give an example, I read Isaiah 26:3 like this, “Thou will keep Pat in perfect peace because Pat trusteth in thee.” In between verses, we talked about God, how amazing He is, and how much He loves us. A couple of times she looked at me and said, “You’re going to make me cry.” When I told Pat that I’m amazed at how well we communicate, she said to me, “It’s because we have a connection.” I thought she was going to make me cry with that one!

I told Pat that I am going to my parent’s house for Easter. When I told her that Dad has Alzheimer’s and Mom has Dementia, she looked at me and said, “Pray about that.” I shared with her that I have been, but sometimes I get weary and give up with my prayer requests. She looked at me and said, “Never give up!” Wow! Here I am hoping to brighten her life with a visit, and she’s encouraging and blessing me.

Sometimes the visits with Tammy are so emotionally draining for me. As God always does, He sends us just what we need, just when we need it the most. I’m thankful He sent Pat to me for encouragement and uplifting. I think of her as my sunshine on cloudy days.

"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our life is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see." Corrie Ten Boom