Help me to journey beyond the familiar
and into the unknown.
Give me the faith to leave old ways and
break fresh ground with You.
Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be
stronger than each storm within me.
I will trust in the darkness and know that
my times, even now are in Your hand.
Tune my spirit to the music of heaven and
make my obedience count for You.
Amen - A prayer inspired by St. Brendan of Clonfert
I feel a little guilty calling these times darkness, when Doug continues to make small gains. But I have decided that in this blog I will only share what is on my heart. These past few days Doug's progress has not been as obvious and I am concerned about the near future with Doug wanting to come home while he can't sit by himself, walk, still needs help eating and has no bladder or bowel control. I have asked the nurse to ask the doctor to have a family meeting to talk about goals for Doug. I know that the team met last Thursday to set goals and a discharge date, but I think it is important that they include us in that meeting. For Doug to come home I need to get our bathroom doors widened for a wheelchair to easily get through. I need to have a seat put in the shower and I need to have the bed I ordered arrive. Or ... Doug needs to stay at the Elks until he can sit on his own and has some control over his bowels, be able to stand and pivot from chair to chair.
His disabilities are real. This is a darkness that threatens us. Our call is to trust in the darkness and so we pray that the light will continue to lighten our path so that the darkness does not overwhelm us.
When Angie and I were walking the Camino in Spain, each day we heard our fellow pilgrims' stories. Many stories of darkness in each person's life were shared and with each step our fellow pilgrims were seeking light, wisdom and hope. I know that while Doug and I have many challenges right now, we are not alone. Many who travel with us are seeking the light and looking for an epiphany. It is the human experience. And so we pray this night that all seekers tune their spirit to the music of heaven and trust that our God is stronger than each storm within us.
Holy God, as we walk this pilgrimage, help us to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give us the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You. Help us to trust in the darkness, knowing that you are at hand. Help us to always give thanks for that which we can see and give thanks for what is yet unseen. Sustain our hope and guard our faith. In your name we ask it. Amen
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