My dad had a very difficult night last night. He had a bad reaction to one of the medications and was seeing and hearing things all night long. He was still pretty distraught when my mom and I got there this morning and his blood pressure was way up. It was a rocky morning for everyone and we really just wanted to get him home. We were grateful when a woman came in and offered Holy Communion. We gladly accepted. It was a moment of peace. Lunchtime came around and we still hadn’t seen the doctor, so my mom and I left to get a bite to eat. Of course that is when the doctor visited my dad. My dad told him the problems with the medication, so he will not be taking that one any more. The doctor said that he felt the blood pressure was under control at this time and it was ok for my dad to go home. Hooray! Evidently my dad also had a conversation with his roommate and apologized for any ruckus that he caused during the night. On the way out, my dad was thanking everyone for all the help they were and for their kindness. When we got home, he fell asleep in seconds – clearly exhausted from the whole ordeal – and slept for hours. He managed to wake up for dinner and as we talked about the past few days, he said that he learned a lot and that it was worth the pain and stress of the hospital stay. I was somewhat surprised by the comment. Today I gained a new insight into my dad.

I Found God today in the incredibly patient nurses, in the ability to receive Communion, in being able to get my dad home to recover, and most of all in the extremely grateful and empathetic actions from my father.