God Has A Way

Our God always has a way of making us realize just how much none of what happens to us, is a surprise to Him.  And again today, He showed us how even years ago he was preparing us for what we are facing now.  When Burns was at U Turn for Christ, he met a man named Kenny while at a retreat.  It was a coincidental meeting, and neither of them really even remember meeting, but God had a way on the day they met.  He had today in mind, even back then.  Since their original introductions, Kenny was in an unfortunate motorcycle accident, leaving him with a spine injury that is very similar to Shelton's.  Through U Turn connections that both Burns and Kenny have now, Kenny heard about Shelton's situation.  He has relentlessly contacted us and reached out to minister to Shelton.  Today, Kenny and his family came over to our house for lunch as Shelton was able to be home with us today.  We all connected immediately and enjoyed two hours together as if we've all been friends for life.  His kids and Cooper started playing instantly and had a great time.  I could really relate to his wife, Michelle which made conversation easy for us.  It was definitely time well spent.  To be honest, as I was thinking about all of the things that would need to be done today, knowing that this is our last weekend before Shelton comes home, I doubted that we would have time for this chance meeting.  Boy was I wrong.  If preparing for Shelton's homecoming was on the top priority list for the weekend, then what better way to prepare than spending time with a family who has been there.  They helped us see that the first months will, in fact, be quite difficult however not

impossible.  They were able to talk about the challenges with seriousness and also laughter.  We will need this in order to keep us from losing our minds.  What a blessing it was.  God knew that we would need a family to which each one of us could relate.  He has been saving that special blessing for us, just for this time.  I go to bed tonight with joy in my heart because our precious Father chose today to reveal more of His plan to us.  God is good.  All the time.


Even though I am the one typing this, it is definitely our family blog.  Therefore I must share this story that was so precious to Burns today.  Shelton is developing incredible strength each day as he continues on with his rehab.  However, his abdominal muscles are still healing and his core muscles are considerably weaker than most who are learning to rely completely on upper body strength.  Today he, Burns and Kenny were in the backyard.  Our backyard has a decent slope to it and Shelton has a hard time making it up in his chair, so Burns usually give him a push to get him all the way up.  As Burns was following the other guys out, he saw something that touched his heart in a such a special way that we know it is something he will never forget.  He looked up to see Kenny, in his own chair, pushing Shelton on up the hill.  It was a little thing, but left a huge mark on my sensitive husband's heart.  He can't tell the story without tearing up.  Ask him about it if you happen to see him soon.  It is a story he will love to tell for a long time to come...

In other news...Shelton's room is done.
This picture does no justice to how
wonderful it looks and how perfect it
is.  Thanks so much to a friend willing
to put in hours to do the leg work and
others willing to "sponsor" the re-do.
We are thrilled to have this ready for him!

{Your compassion, Lord, is great;  preserve my life according to your laws.}  Psalm 119:156