Grateful for...

HEALERS.

I've become quite emotionally exhausted over the past 3 days.  So much so, that I will not expound on all the gory details.  Just works me up too much.

Two nights ago, I had mentioned briefly in passing that we'd had a scare with my FIL at the hospital.  

Well that scare has blossomed into so much more.

When we had left him that night, he was connected to IV's to rehydrate him, with the plan to be that he would be released for home following all that.  Turns out his condition was worse than they had originally thought. 

One of his two kidneys has permanent damage and its not very likely to recover.  The other has sustained some blockage & trauma as well, so he's very limited as to his options.

Consequently, he wound up admitted & into a private room by 5:30am, Thanksgiving morning.  

We received that update about 3 hours after he was settled, and was by his side within a couple more hours.  (Not your typical family Turkey Day celebration.) 

Since then, there has been surgery.  There is talk of further procedures necessary for his kidney "situation" and another pending surgery for his 13 year-old artificial hip.  Not a splendid outlook, especially for that to be the first news he received after coming up out of anesthesia.  

You could safely say that his reaction was a wee-bit grumpy.  A smidge, really.

Regardless of where we've been as a family the past 72 hrs with him, and regardless of the road ahead (as he's still in the hospital, for an undetermined amount of time - and some dialysis has been mentioned), I am still extremely grateful for these talented healers, who have the best at heart for him, and are utilizing the most advanced medicinal practices available to keep this ornery ol' guy, that we love so much, still viable & kicking around.

(Not gonna lie, I'm not ready to let go of ANY more ornery guys in my life right now!  I NEED THESE ORNERY GUYS!)

I'm thankful for those professional healers (be they nurses, nurse-practitioners, or doctors) throughout the world, who give so much to so many.  More than anything, you promote hope when it seems so far out of reach.  

::MILLIONS OF HUGS TO EACH OF YOU!::

Also, I cannot fail to mention that I am so very grateful for the healing power available through Priesthood Blessings.  Through this experience with my FIL, there was a beautiful & powerful Priesthood Blessing given.  So powerful, in fact, that many tears were shed, and testimonies were strengthened.  

I am grateful to those who administered his blessing... and I'm extremely grateful for the many who were willing to help with that blessing, at the drop of a hat.  Humbling, really.  Nothing warms my soul more than to hear the extended offers of help.  They are sacred to me!

I am grateful that Heavenly Father loves us so much that He would be willing to extend His power, through the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, to His children here on Earth.  I am grateful that He knows us each so well that He is aware of our illnesses & pains... and that He would be able to tend to each discomfort that is ailing us, whether spiritual, physical, or both.  

I am grateful, beyond words, to be married to Mr. LKP, who is a worthy Priesthood holder.  As such, he is able to participate in & honor its ordinances, as well as administer its blessings, as God sees fit.  The strength Mr. LKP brings to his entire family is palpable.  His leadership and valiant, yet humble, example is inspiring.

Mr. LKP leads this family in honor, dignity, and humility.  Through the Priesthood he holds & honors, he is also a healer- one led by revelation and moved to action by the Holy Spirit.  

Even without a medical degree, for these reasons, Mr. LKP is my hero.

"I would be my brother's keeper;

I would learn the healer's art. 

To the wounded and the weary

I would show a gentle heart.

I would be my brother's keeper- 

Lord, I would follow thee."

~"Lord, I Would Follow Thee" 

by Susan Evans McCloud

"The priesthood is here. It has been conferred upon us. We act in that authority. We speak as sons of God in the name of Jesus Christ and as holders of this divinely given endowment. We know, for we have seen, the power of this priesthood. We have seen the sick healed, the lame made to walk, and the coming of light and knowledge and understanding to those who have been in darkness...

Paul wrote concerning the priesthood: 'No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.' (Heb. 5:4.) We have not acquired it through purchase or bargain. The Lord has given it to men who are considered worthy to receive it, regardless of station in life, the color of their skin, or the nation in which they live. It is the power and the authority to govern in the affairs of the kingdom of God. It is given only by ordination by the laying on of hands by those in authority to do so. The qualification for eligibility is obedience to the commandments of God...

There is no power on the earth like it. Its authority extends beyond life, through the veil of death, to the eternities ahead. It is everlasting in its consequences." 

~Gordon B. Hinckley  
("The Cornerstones of Our Faith," Ensign, November 1984.)