To say that it has been a sobering week would be an understatement, especially from Kyle's perspective. Kyle's bestie (I'm not sure men would appreciate that terminology like women do however I'm going to use it anyway) Tom, fell ill last week. These two men have been life long friends from boyhood until now...40somethings...
Grade school...
High school...
Football...
(Kyle the quarterback; Tom the center... MaKayla said Tom once told her, "Your dad played quarterback & I played center. He had his hands between my legs all the time..." :) Boys will be boys...)
Band...
FFA...
Bachelor outings...
Best Men...
Brothers-in-Christ...
Daughters graduated...
Good times...
Tough times...
Most all times in between...
Kyle spent a great deal of time at Tom's house growing up...thinking of him as a brother he didn't have & seeing his parent's as an integral portion of who he is today. He still says Tom's Mom, Lois makes the best fried cheeseburgers & laughs over crazy pranks they pulled on Tom's brother, Joe. They were & continue to be family...
Subsequently, Tom's wife Beth & I have been besties over the years as well. And in turn, our children have grown up together & formed special friendships.
By Sunday evening it was concluded that Tom had suffered a heart attack & by Monday mid-morning tests revealed that all arteries in Tom's heart were 95-100% blocked. After Kyle was able to get in touch with Beth, he called me...
Broken...
Distraught...
Shocked...
Concerned...
Overcome with emotion...
As we drove to the hospital, Kyle was quiet...processing...preparing...
We visited...
They embraced...
Tears were shed...
Hearts were united...
Prayers were offered...
By the grace of God & His divine hand of protection, the One who has Tom's days numbered, had angels hovering over him...guarding his life...preserving his heart (literally)...securing his health...
We are beyond grateful...
We give Him praise...
We stand in awe of His goodness...
For Tom & Beth, the week has been full of tests & procedures, waiting & resting, praying & believing & waiting some more. Kyle received the call this evening from Beth that open heart surgery has been confirmed for tomorrow...
Sobering...
The wait is over...
The time has come...
For such a time as this...
Some situations in life are situations we would rather not face yet some situations are divine reality checks reminding us of the fragility of life & compelling us to cherish the ones we love more than we ever have before.
For those of you who are intercessors, our family asks that you cover Tom, Beth & their children (Morgan, Sylvia, Alex & Zoe), Tom's parent's Richard & Lois as well as the doctors, surgeons & nurses who will be administering & overseeing Tom's care in the next hours & days.
Thank you to those who are willing to take the time & pray...
Jesus looked at them and said,
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26
