New Every Morning - Part Two

The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 NASB

Click here to start at the beginning.  :)


Most of the summer of 2013 passed as it normally did for us.  We decided to not travel to our beloved lake for vacation, guessing we'd need to save our pennies while we still had them.  Instead, our summer was filled with work for Fernando, and other typical things--gardening, canning, blogging, church activities, and friends.

There was one small incident mid-June that would affect us profoundly in the months to come.  For two days, Fernando and a few co-workers spent several hours moving heavy equipment around, with the explanation being that they wanted the space to look neat and organized for potential buyers.  Seeing that the purchase had been shaken on and would be a done deal a few weeks from then, and looking back on it from this vantage point, it was a trifling reason.  But the reason was there, and Fernando did the work.

At the end of those exertions, Fernando felt very strange in his back, practically not even being able to stand.  He emailed his boss, worker's compensation was applied, and he saw a doctor.  After three weeks of light duty, his back seemed to be better, and no other thought was given to the matter, except for the fact that Fernando wasn't able to work out with his usual strength.

Then it came.  Fernando's official layoff notice was served; his last day of work would be October 4.  Reality sunk in, just a bit, although our prevailing attitude was one of trust in the Lord--we are His children, and He will work His purposes in us.  The reality of unemployment was to be put off for a while, however.

I don't want to be one of those people who love to share all the details of their infirmities, diagnoses, tests, or treatments, and what aches and pains are involved with each of those.  Suffice it to say that health-wise, Fernando slowly went downhill, to the point he ended up in the ER in early September with excruciating back pain.  Back home, he made arrangements to see a surgeon, and to have an MRI, and time dragged on.  Finally, thanks to several helpful people, he ended up back in the ER, then checked in to the hospital for an interminable week, waiting to have an MRI then a cortisone shot.  Follow that up with the back surgeon, and the end result was that back surgery was a necessity.

We agreed that, since insurance covered us through the end of October, Fernando would schedule his surgery to occur just after his last day of work.  So, he came home from Miteq for the last time on October 4, and walked with me into the hospital for surgery on October 11.

In that short week of unemployment, before the day of surgery, Fernando received a phone call from the owner of a satellite uplink company.  This man was enthusiastic about the possibility of Fernando coming to work for him.  Fernando gave assurances that he was indeed interested, but he wanted to take the month of October off.  Not wanting to scare off a potential employer, he didn't mention the surgery and recovery that would take up the month.

Meanwhile, Jacob had returned to school in late August (and thus he missed all the ER hubbub and surgery stuff), Danny had started studies at UIC, and Thomas was full-blown into his football schedule.

#50 - Thomas on the defense!

Joseph and Fernando in the stands during a late September football game.
This was one of the few early games Fernando was able to attend.

For me, September through November was packed with car time--taking Danny to/from the train station every day, and getting Thomas to football practice, math team, and other homeschool activities.  Also, when Fernando was in the ER and/or hospital, I spent much of my time with him--more car time!  I longed for just one full day at home, to the point of not even stepping out of the front door--for anything.  I was weary.

In all of this, though, peace surrounded me.  When the Word calls it incomprehensible, I understood why!  By all rights, I should have been a wreck, emotionally and physically.  And although I was weary, I was at peace.  It surpassed all understanding.  It was peace, and mercy, for each day.  When I awoke, it was there to greet me, surround me, comfort me.  It was enough for that day.  His mercy is truly new each morning!

Sunrise over prairie grass, September 2013.

Click here to continue reading at Part Three.


Back to life,
Christine

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