And so, when we got ourselves situated in our new digs here in Palmerton, we started looking to re-stock with new stuff. Well, not "new" new, but replacements for what we had left behind. We went looking for a new living room set first - we were sitting on a rocking chair and a small easy-chair, the only things we had. And they were getting really tiring. So Jen went looking on-line, and we found a small recliner sofa at Ashley's. Went to look at it, and although it was a bit over our budget, we ordered it. Had to put a 50% deposit on it, but it was due in a week. We had to pay a $125 delivery fee, although the warehouse it was coming from was in our immediate area.
The very next day, Jen found a sofa/love seat/chair set through Craig's List. Three pieces instead of one, and $200 less. No recliners, but we're not picky. We went to look at the set and it was beautiful - well-kept, clean. And the guy selling it was affable and generous - when we decided we would take it, he offered to deliver it to our home the same day, free of charge. Not only that, but Jen asked him if he could do some pick-up/delivery for us (paid, of course) for other things we were shopping for but couldn't transport in our little Escort. And he gave us a very low fee and his phone number.
We got back home and cancelled our Ashley order, cleaned out the living room, and within a few hours, we had our new furniture. We had felt a bit rushed and anxious to buy something at Ashley's, and it just didn't feel right. You know that nagging doubt that you have when you make some decision that isn't quite "there." We were feeling rushed, not relaxed, about the purchase, and when we settled down and acted on our faith (of course we were praying about all of this), it all fell right into place. Thank you, Lord.
Now, that may not seem too "miraculous," but the next situation is a bit more interesting. Now Jen is looking for a small kitchen table. We have a small galley kitchen, with no room for a full-sized table and chairs, so she was looking for a smaller round table with fold-down ears and matching chairs, Had to be off-white to match the rest of the kitchen, with maybe a nice wood grain top. So it was off to Craig's List and shopping. She found several sets that were very attractively priced, and started sending replies to the 2-3 sellers - do you still have the furniture, and if so, we can pick it up immediately. Sure sale, right? She got zero answers, so she re-sent the requests...again, no replies. Now this isn't an hourly thing - she waited several days, with no results. And in one instance, the seller re-listed the table she was trying to buy. Jen re-applied and no one responded. We started investigating whether or not our e-mails were being blocked, and tried other addresses - no joy! We even asked someone else to send an offer. Nope! What was Jen doing wrong? She knew how the system worked, but it wasn't working now.
And then, as she was looking for another table, an offer popped up that was only about an hour or so old. Jen sent an offer, and got an immediate reply. Hmmmmm... She called the lady, and found out that the table was indeed still available. Not only that, but the location was a very short drive from our home. Jen made arrangements to pick up the set the next day, and we were off to get the new stuff. We drove through a little town called Slatington, which looked like it had been there since colonial times (sights like this make me sure that I have made the right choice in moving to PA), and when we arrived, the lady had the table dis-assembled and ready to load into the car. Jen got to talking with her, and told her about our move from Florida, and found out that she had also moved "back home" to PA from FL about 15 years ago. She had lived on the west coast, in Central FL and knew where we had come from. And unlike most of the locals who usually question why I would ever move from FL to PA, this woman told me about the wonders of Fall and Spring, and even the nice things about winter. We immediately bonded!
As we loaded the pieces, I noticed that everything was quality grade. This wasn't a cheap table - it was well-built and sturdy. The color was just what Jen had wanted. And it was way under-priced! Now, Jen had looked at several other sets, some priced at around $40-$60, and that probably were the standard Wal-Mart grade. But no matter how hard she had tried to buy any of them, no one had bothered to respond to her offer. But when she saw this set, and sent her e-mail request, she got an immediate reply.
And here it sits in our little kitchen. It is perfect! The price was way below what it was worth. The lady that sold it to us gave us a further break on the price. She was also a Pennsylvania ex-pat who moved back from Central Florida. Now, anyone can call all of this coincidence, luck, whatever, but Jen and I know what happened here, and what happened with our living room furniture. We ended up with the best outcome of all because we know Who is watching over us. And we put all of our trust in Him. And He delivers! He always does.
And here is the clincher - if you have been following my situation with the VA and my cancer, you will know that I have been to the VA hospital in Manhattan for the initial consultation with the plastic surgeon. Initially, I was going to have to come back to NYC for yet another consultation with the surgeons who would do the excision and lymph node work. But my plastic surgeon managed to get 3 doctors to see me before I left, something that even she didn't think she could do. Then, surgery was arranged for the 28th, two weeks distant, but I was going to have to come back a week earlier for what they call a "pre-bed" check-up - blood work, possible EKG and stress test, talk with the anesthesiologist, etc. I talked with her and told her that I lived 100 miles from the hospital and that it was next to impossible to keep coming back for these things - could I possibly get the pre-bed done in Wilkes-Barre or Allentown? She didn't think so, but told me to call the department responsible for this schedule and ask them. When I left Manhattan, I was set for surgery on the 28th, the real possibility of having to be there on the afternoon of the 27th, and a good chance of having to stay in the hospital for 2-3 days of observation.
The plastic surgeon called me yesterday to ask me to contact her after I had talked to the pre-bed team, and tell her what they had said. The number she had given me led to voice mail, and I left a message to call me back. I was hoping that I could get over to Wilkes-Barre, do the pre-bed testing, and then I'd only have to go to Manhattan the day before the surgery. I had even talked the main surgeons into letting me go home the day of the surgery, as an out-patient. I didn't want to stay in the hospital unless absolutely necessary. So now I'm sitting here at home waiting for a phone call from someone, anyone, giving me further instructions.
And this morning, my cell-phone rings - it's one of the main surgeons who will do the removal surgery and the lymph node thing. It seems that they have decided to do the surgery a week earlier, on the 23rd. What about the pre-bed? I'm trying to get it done in Wilkes-Barre instead of NYC. "Well, I'm going over your health charts and you seem to be fairly healthy - no heart attacks or other medical problems - so I think we can do the pre-bed the day prior to your surgery. If you can get over here on the 22nd, we can do all of the initial work then, schedule you for the nuclear test (putting radio-active dye in the melanoma and tracing it to the lymph nodes) first thing in the morning, then we'll do the surgery to remove the melanoma around 11 - 11:30, check on the lymph nodes, and then turn you over to Dr. Zampell to close up the hole in your shoulder. We'd like to have you spend the night, and you can go home on Saturday."
I thank him several times for being so willing to work with my distance issues, and hang up the phone. And then I give God a bigger thank-you...Jen and I have been praying ever since this thing on my shoulder was diagnosed, and in one instance after another, doors have opened up, schedules have changed, and more than ever, the VA, which is generally not known for expediency, has been on top of this from the get-go. I am not anyone special, not a celebrity, not some big war hero, just a little guy in the system. But the system has taken care of me more than I ever could have imagined. I have experienced God at work over and over again, and this situation has His finger-prints all over it. And although it seems redundant, I have to repeat His promise to me, to us: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11
I know that I have quite a future ahead of me - I am with Jen's family, now my family, too. I have two wonderful daughters, two sons-in-law, and 7 beautiful grand-children in my life. That's why I moved to Pennsylvania - it was Jen's home, and now it's mine, too. And God is with us! I have absolutely no doubt about that. He is in everything we do, and I give Him all the glory!
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