Our Room With a View

After a sweet heaven-on-earth few days at Beavers Bend with my family, we parted ways as they returned to Frisco, and I headed to Tulsa because the next day I would be attending a Confirmation Retreat as a sponsor to a precious teenage girl. First things first when I go to Tulsa -- I go to see Mom and spend time with her while Karen and George get to have a date night. As it turned out, the night became one that we had to rush Mom to the hospital ER because of medical concerns, which ended up being two days of Mom, Karen and I being “guests” of the Oklahoma Heart Institute Hospital for Mom to undergo many tests and procedures. Thankfully, I can report, as of last night, Mom is back at home in Tulsa and I am back home in Frisco.After a sweet heaven-on-earth few days at Beavers Bend with my family, we parted ways as they returned to Frisco, and I headed to Tulsa because the next day I would be attending a Confirmation Retreat as a sponsor to a precious teenage girl. First things first when I get to Tulsa -- go see Mom and spend time with her while Karen and George get to have a date night. As it turned out, the night became one that we had to rush Mom to the hospital ER, which ended up being two days of Mom, Karen and I being “guests” of the Oklahoma Heart Institute Hospital for Mom to undergo many tests and procedures. Thankfully, I can report, as of last night, Mom is back at home in Tulsa and I am back home in Frisco.

God’s timing was impeccable. Of all times for me to be in Tulsa when I could be a moral support to Sis and help carry the responsibility of the next couple of days. Teamwork lightens the load. We grabbed a couple of hours of sleep with one of us in the chair and the other on the window seat. When the sun came up, that first morning and we looked out the window, we saw our view from Mom’s room. We realized we had a “Room with a View” in this 5-Star Hotel --er’ hospital! The gorgeous Tulsa skyline welcomed us to this new day of faith and hope. It’s a matter of perspective – being IN a room that accommodates every medical device and equipment imaginable which could accompany all kinds of concerns and wonderings about what this day and tomorrow could hold. Or, it could be looking OUTSIDE that room to the beautiful skies, the Tulsa skyline, as well as the fond remembrances of walking in Pro-Life marches, participating in charitable organizations benefits, remembering the Route 66 marathons that I and family and friends ran on those streets, the great restaurants and shopping that THAT VIEW gave us instead of worries and concerns.

A special memory that came back to us was 10 years ago when in this same hospital when Mom was a patient and we were snowed in for days. Karen and I were Mom’s roommates then and because of the impassable roads, medical personnel had to use vacant rooms to sleep in. We had other memories in this hospital as my sweet husband was in there two separate times. I reminisced about our “Trust Me and relax" message from God during times of overwhelming concern and worry.

Karen and I were Ron’s (my husband/her brother) prayer team. We would go for walks during “stressful times’ at the hospital. We could have worried, but we turned those times into opportunities for stretching our faith muscles. During one of those “faith walk” times, we noticed a mama cat and her baby kitten, lying on the grass at the corner of the hospital grounds. They watched us intently, and unlike wild cats, they never flinched. Immediately, we could sense God saying to us "Just like these cats….. RELAX – be in peace -- I am with you." After those sweet prayer moments, we could go to sleep….completely at peace, knowing that God would be orchestrating the plans for the next day. And, He most certainly did. That’s where we are with Mom. At 95, there are expected AND unexpected ups and downs along the way. After all, lots of body parts in these bodies that have many miles on them. You just never know when a replacement or tune-up is necessary. At the end of a couple of days of little sleep, we cherished our “Room with a View” because the view we’ve come to know is God’s view.

Maybe the view of your circumstances has you overwhelmed and your heart is heavy with troubles that loom in the “room” you are in. Maybe it’s time to take a little walk and have a talk with He Who knows everything about everything and He wants you to turn your cares over to Him. He knows what tomorrow holds, so why not allow Him to orchestrate the details? In the meantime, take a deep breath and RELAX…..God has got this! Turn that ROOM you are in, into a ROOM WITH A VIEW of God’s faithfulness, of His promises to never leave you or forsake you, of turning your mourning into dancing and the spirit of heaviness into joy. THAT room, my friends, is better than a 5-Star hotel!