Day 58

Tonight, I am asking for prayers for my dad.  I have blogged about my dad before. 
He is simply amazing.

Tomorrow will be his thrid day in the hospital due to an infection in his knee that began spreading up his leg.  It is painful to touch, swollen, red and extremely hot.  When my mom and sister saw him tonight they both agreed that the redness had spread.  They called me and gave me the news.  I told them that I would not rest until a nurse came into the room and marked his leg around the red areas, so that when the doctor came in the morning, he could see if there were any changes.

I would pester them all night if that's what it took...but I wanted a nurse in his room STAT!
They assured me that as soon as they ate dinner they would call the nurse in.

Finally, I got a call from my dad.  He told me to rest and know that he is well taken care of.  The nurse came in and marked his leg.  He is still taking two antibiotics through his IVs. 

My dad is not the type to sit around, watch TV, or just simply, "do nothing."  He wants to be at work.  I know as soon as they release him, he'll be on his way to work.  He isn't a workaholic, but he is a provider.  He always has been.  When I was growing up, he was always perfectly content going without as long as his girls were taken care of. 

I am his daughter, and I adore him.  Naturally, I am worried about him.  I want to be able to fix this.  Dad just keeps saying, "Heather, this is just a bump in the road compared to a lot of things." 
He's right; however, I want him well.  He's so strong and energetic.  The thought of him up in that hospital bed makes me nauseous.  I say, "the thought of it," because I haven't been able to go and see him, and that is part of the reason this is so difficult.

If I were still in Illinois, I would be spending a lot of time there.  I'd have lunch with him and we would talk.  I'd probably be chatting so much that he'd be wishing I'd go home for awhile! 
Living 15 hours away from so many people that I love is proving to be challenging at times.  When situations such as this arise, I feel like I live a million miles away. 

What can I do for my precious dad?
Well, I can call him many times per day to check on him.  At this point, he probably sees my number on his cell phone and just laughs and rolls his eyes.  He knows me well, which means he knows I'll need the "run down" of every doctor and nurse that has come into contact with him. 
Most importantly, I can get on my knees and pray for him.  I pray that he is healed from the inside out.  Every fiber, cell, tissue, muscle, organ, etc...everything must line up with God's Word.  My dad is healed in Jesus' Holy name.  It may not be as fast as we would like.  I am not the most patient person.  I have to be patient and wait.  God is working on Him. 
I know my dad's phsical body needs rest.  He works outdoors in many layers of clothing for 12 hours per day.  Even in the extreme heat in the midwest, my dad is outside working hard six days per week.  His body needs to rest.  Although he very much dislikes sitting in that hospital bed, he is getting the rest that he needs. 

Yes, this certainly makes living far away from my family unbearable. 

I will do all I can do, which is this:  call him, pray for him, and request prayers for him.

Please keep my dad lifted up in your prayers.