God Is Still Good

 

This is Cliff Sanford. He is years 54 old and he is my grandpa.

He has been a truck driver, probably since his late teen years, and has been very good at it.

On February 20th; one year ago, he was getting ready to head out. The next day he would be heading to orientation for the new job he was about to start. 

But that night, his life would change. That night he would suffer a stroke.  

  He was admitted to St.Johns Mercy Medical Center where he spent 35 days. He spent 8 days in the ICU and was almost completely unresponsive for most of it. We were told that a blood vessel in his brain became weak and burst under pressure. The blood saturated a portion of his brain and paralyzed his entire right side. He even lost his eye sight at one point. We were so happy when he gained his eyesight again. 
       He would spend the rest of his time in the hospital working on gaining his strength back. Hours were spent on physical and occupational therapy.  The therapists would help him do simple things like standing up or sitting down.

Sometimes even that was too much for him. But he was fortunate to have a wonderful wife who loved him. My grandma stayed with him the entire time.

My grandpa didn't know where he was half of the time and it was a comfort to know that she was there. And he would need more encouragement and comfort as time went on. It was so hard for him to go from being completely self-reliant to not even knowing how to walk.
There were nights when I would hear him cry. It broke my heart. But God is still good. I knew that. And all my family could do for him at that time was love him, pray for him, and encourage him to trust that God was still in control. Especially when he was told that he probably wouldn't walk for a long time. But thankfully, he didn't let it stop him. He was determined to walk again. He wanted to see the day when he would be able to walk without a cane or any other form of support. The doctors and nurses told him that it would be a year or better before that would happen. But he didn't care. :) 

    Now, a year later, he has proved them wrong. By September 2013 he was walking easily WITHOUT his cane. He now works on lawnmowers and welding machines. 

He uses his scooter to give out free rides to all the grandkids

(Here he is pulling my cousin Schylar while he rides his skate board.) 

And what better way to use a cane you don't need for walking?  :)

 FORE!!!!!

The point is, God is good. Even through this hard time in all of our lives, God got us through. He helped us find joy. He helped us rejoice in the tiny victories we saw each day. And we can rest in knowing that no matter what happens to us, He will be there.

Psalm 136:1 - O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.

     Brianna