On being blessed......

There are probably close to a billion things I could complain about daily.....seriously. 
But, in the same respect........I have about a billion things to be thankful for as well. 
Don't you think that concentrating on the latter is a better choice.  The bad will always be there in life.....but, if you look hard enough you will always see that the good is bigger!

If you don't know.....a few years ago we lost our home.....it was due to a compounding of events, but mostly because of outstanding medical bills for our babe.  We used a little money we had saved to purchase a small mobile home to live in while Devan went to school and we rebuilt our financial situation.  Almost as soon as we moved in, we outgrew the home.

Parklen's medical equipment takes up space.....a lot of space.  Add that in with a college students books, two boys' toys.....and everything else for daily living and you get one crowded situation.... Then, along comes baby......  Mixing in another human and all of her stuff has been insane.  As the baby came, Parklen required even more equipment.

You may or may not know that Devan works as a contract laborer.  When he is not in school he can be found remodeling homes and helping to "flip" properties.  He does most of his work for a friend of ours who owns a good number of properties and makes a living by investing in such properties. 
Lets rewind time a little and look back about a year.......

Devan was working on a home, like usual, I went to check things out.  I love to watch the transformation of these homes.  They start out as something dirty and undesirable and end up new and beautiful.  Right when I walked in the door I fell in love.....  This home was already beautiful.  On that very day I began to pray.......

I have prayed every single day for God to pave a way for us to have this home.  I have known that the chances were slim.  After all, we had no assets, no credit, no means of making a house payment while Devan was attending school....and still, I prayed.  I had visions of space, plenty of room for equipment and still having space for the boys to be kids..... 

A couple of weeks ago, while we were in Denver for appointments, Devan and I were talking about what will happen after transplant and all of the things Parklen's home will require.  I said, "We really need to work on getting a house."  Like he always does, Devan smiled at me and said, "yup, I know."  Not even 5 seconds later his phone rang.  I could hear his end of the conversation and instantly got butterflies in my stomach.  After he was done speaking he handed me the phone. 

"Hello?"  It was our friend.....the one who Devan works for.  "Hey Amanda, I was just calling to let you guys know that the house is yours."  I just started to cry.  He went on to explain that God had spoken to his heart and he was moved to help us out in a big way.  It may seem like a trivial and materialistic thing to some, but having enough space and the ability to make a safe home for Parky and also a great home for our other children is so important to me.  Its the reason why I have prayed every day for something that the world said was impossible. 

So, we are packing up our things and heading across town, to a beautiful home.  We are able to do a rent to own....and we are able to afford what is being required of us.  We wont be paying more than we are now........

This home is an older home....it has tons of character.  It also has a weak sewer.  What will we do?  A friend of our friend, who owns a plumbing company is donating his services....labor and time to repair it!

How do these things happen?  Through faith.  Through believing that God is bigger than what the world says is possible. 

I hear a lot of people say, "We are praying for you and your family."  There is no better gift than prayer.  Genuine prayer.  I would just challenge you to think about this......why pray for something if you arent going to believe that God will answer?!?!  I believed every single day.....for over a year, that God would bring us a home....that he would provide safety and space for our special needs son...that Paysen would be able to enjoy his home and not have to walk on egg shells around his brother's equipment.  I prayed it becasue I believed that God would answer.  However that answer would have come.... I knew that, in His time, it would.  

I believe, in the same way....that God will heal Parklen.  I pray each day for this.  Knowing that He answers in the best way and that I may not always understand that way.   I know that his healing may come through medical treatments....I know that one day.....somehow,  Parklen will wake up with no pain.   What the answer to this prayer will look like is a mystery....but still I choose to believe. 

So, as I hobble around on my hurt foot(a story for another time)....packing our things into boxes, I will say again.......We are blessed................................