Exercising Gratitude: 30 Days - 1

Today I am grateful for my mother-in-law, Lois Logan.

Here is why: 
She came to live with us 8 years ago, and even though she is legally blind, and has occasional other challenges, she has faithfully helped in our home, especially in kitchen cleanup and setting the table.
When Andrew and Hannah were babies, she welcomed them to her bedroom when they were a nuisance in the night.  Often she would deliver them to me for night feedings and retrieve them so I could get better rest.

She is an amazing woman.  She rarely complains about anything - is probably one of the most contented people I've ever known.  She is happy despite her many limitations.  

She was born in Lucknow, India and later lived in Karachi before the formation of what is now Pakistan.  Later she moved to South Africa with her parents to complete her nurses training.  She studied at Emmaus Bible College, which was at the time in Oak Park, Illinois near Chicago.  She later married Paul Logan, of Chavuma, Zambia, and moved there to be a missionary nurse and assist in all the work of the mission there.  She spent 46 years there and had her 4 children there, the last of which is Samuel, which is why I am so grateful for her.  During her time as nurse at Chavuma hospital, she delivered over 1,000 babies.  Many of those babies were healthy and nurtured well thanks to her expertise and dedication.  She also spent many hours with patients, comforting them after receiving difficult medical diagnoses.  It seems she had a special gift for sitting with those who were to receive HIV positive diagnoses.  Doctors would ask her to be the one to share the news with an ailing patient.  In the bush of Zambia, where specialized medicines are sparse, this diagnosis was extremely troubling, as it meant a very swift and downward spiral healthwise.  She was able to walk with grieving patients through these very painful moments.

In 1992 she suffered a severe medical crisis.  She contracted malaria, which is quite common out there, but sadly it got into her brain which is deadly in most cases.  Cerebral malaria put her into a coma and she was airlifted to South Africa for treatment.  In an effort to save her life, high doses of quinine were administered, even though they knew this could be damaging in other ways.  After a number of days in a coma she did come to consciousness and slowly regained many/most of her faculties over the course of a number of months.  The high doses of quinine damaged her optic nerve rendering her legally blind, barely able to read except with high magnification and unable to drive - which is a huge blow to independence.  She experienced mild brain damage but remarkably has been able to carry on and learn how to function well for the most part.  God's grace in sparing her life is not to be overlooked - her life is a testimony to the power of God in responding to the cries of prayer to Him on her behalf.  

Because it is a different kind of experience growing up with a Grandma in house, our kids can sometimes take her for granted.  Sometimes they fail to see and recognize what a gift she is.  And when she has 'brain-lapses' (a cognitive gap or something), they sometimes lack compassion and I must call them back to basic courtesy, respect and gratitude.  Here is what I tell them:  "Your Grandma may frustrate you at times.  Sometimes you may not understand why she does or says something.  But I want you to ask yourself a few things:  Are you glad you have such a wonderful Daddy?  Do you appreciate that you have a Daddy that loves you and cares for you, is faithful to our family and who works hard to provide for us?  Do you realize that you have a very wonderful gift in your Daddy?  Think about that for a moment.  Now think where you got your Daddy from.  Sure, God made him and gave him to you.  But did you ever think that Daddy wouldn't be here, nor would you be here if Grandma hadn't had him, cared for him, raised him, taught him, loved him and guided him?  So, next time you aren't grateful for Grandma, just ask yourself are you grateful you exist, or your Daddy exists...because if you are, you are to be grateful for your Grandma too."

Our family has its rough edges all around.  All of us fail each other at times.  It is easy to focus on the irritating things or how we wish others would change for us.  Grandma Logan has very patiently put up with all our crazies.  We aren't exactly a tidy household, and I know this has annoyed her at times.  Sometimes she says something.  But more often than not I come home after dropping off the kids to our entire living room, dining room and kitchen all tidied up - even though this requires so much effort on her part.  Instead of complaining, she kindly serves.  Instead of reprimanding, she quietly steps in to help.  Instead of lecturing on my/our faults, she accepts and patiently waits for our maturing and growth.

In these next 30 days I hope to highlight many more areas of gratitude in my life.

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