Message to the youth (ME)

Well before all of this began on Sunday October 18th Jennifer shared with our youth at church about being thankful. I really enjoy hearing her speak and this is my "church" as well so I try and get as much out of it as well. It was a great message and at the end she challenged the youth every morning before they get out of bed to think of 5 things they are thankful for. It has to be something different every morning. I thought this was a good exercise for our youth since that can be alittle wishful for what they don't have instead of thankful for what they do have. I never thought that God had truly intended that message to be for me......

Well on Thursday morning I was updating my facebook status to try and keep everyone informed and praying for Rae when Jen's message came ringing in my head. How could I be thankful at a time like this when my daughter was so badly injured??? She was so athletic and now has a broken leg and don't know how all of this is going to work out.... God how can I be thankful??? Well I really felt God pulling not just tugging but PULLING at my heart strings so it took me awhile but I did find a few things I was thankful for and posted them: Bar stools and folding chair, ER doctors that coach volleyball, pain medicine for kids, family and friends that pray and a loving dad. After I got through the first one it was really much easier to think about being thankful and we were able to see God's Hand in all of this. Let me share some with you:

1. We didn't know about the mass on her bone.. The leg really could have broken anywhere but it broke in a somewhat controlled place with a school nurse close by. Not on the softball field with her sliding into a base and the wound being opened and infection on top of everything else.

2. Her being comforted by her assistant coach who is an ER doctor ... Thanks be to God for Dr. Kurbat he was on top of everything for her and the staff of ER nurse and techs were fabulous.

3. Our dear friend "Daddy Dwayne" as Rae calls him works for a company that fits people for wheelchairs so he was able to get a wheelchair for Rae. Vince and our neighbor Artie were able to fix it with some plywood so that Rae could go to Prestin's football game. She loved getting our of the house. One of her friends from school went with us. Our youth pastor Ryan with his family Jen and Coden came and it was a great time. Prestins' team won which makes them 7-0.

next are a few of the posts from facebook:
Mona Calhoun Wilkinson
is thankful for friends with hospital beds that share and deliver, that Vince and I have jobs and bosses that understand, Wal-Mart they really do carry everything, Rae's friends that make house calls and that nothing is on the schedule until Mon...day afternoon when we go to the surgeon. Today we are going to try and wash her hair..... Could get interesting!!

Mona Calhoun Wilkinson
is thankful for brothers that love their sister, Goodwill having plastic stackable chair when everyone else has all their Christmas decorations up, Rae getting enough strength and confidence to do more on her own!! A little bit of sleep in my own bed,... Raeannas' hair is clean and last but not least Raeanna feeling well enough to want to go to church this morning!!! So much to be thankful for this morning!!

Thanks Jen for the reminder!!