change of diagnosis

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart;  do not depend on your own understanding.

I really love my dad. When I was a kid, he would spend time with me intentionally. He tried to instill in me the basics of giving and serving. He took me to a community wide food giveaway. We would fill boxes & deliver them to families in our town. He wanted to teach me the concept of tithing, so he gave me my $1 allowance in 3 quarters, 2 dimes & a nickel. He would sit with me on Saturday afternoons while I tried to memorize my Sunday school memory verse, so he could learn it, too!

I noticed a difference in him about 15 years ago. He didn't remember things as well as he always did. He was only in his late 50's. No reason this should be happening, but I noticed it.

About 5 years ago, the doctor handed my mom literature on Alzheimer's Disease. Whoa! This was serious. He handled it so well. He wanted us to go to the meetings at the Alzheimer's Association to learn all we could. He said this disease wasn't going to affect him. It was really going to affect all of us. His intentionality blew me away!

He got on the good drugs to try to keep the disease from rapidly progressing. He faithfully visited his doctors to evaluate his situation.

Last week, his doctor said there had been no change in his condition in these five years and wanted to change the diagnosis from Alzheimer's Disease to vascular dementia. I'm pretty sure the end result is very similar, but the journey to the end is a little easier to think about.

There are many times in our lives that we give our situation a prognosis & a name. We get a little hopeless, live in denial & get depressed. We think about what we won't have instead of what we do.  Trust in the Lord. He sees the big picture of what is happening. He gives us the prognosis of get up every day and love me with all your heart...and love others like yourself.

Don't worry about the title, name or what you think you know is going to happen. Fall into the arms of Jesus & remember He's always been there & will continue to be intentional in your life. You're Dad really loves you!