Will the quail show up?

Manna and Quail (Exodus 16:2-2)

The summary of this passage is by the Reverend Jennifer McNally, "Moses is leading the people through the desert, as they are escaping Egypt, and it's a rough time. They are tired and hungry, and uncertain about what the future holds. They start to get angry at Moses, and then Moses starts to get angry at God. 'I did everything you told me to!,' Moses says, 'but this is so much harder than I ever thought. We're tired and hungry and scared.' God tells Moses he'll take care of them. That night, quail come falling from the sky, and the people have meat to eat. They are so happy! They eat until they are as full as can be... and then they start stuffing their pockets with the meat so they'll have enough for tomorrow. But the next day, the meat goes rotten in the heat and the people can't eat it. They are again afraid. Again, God sends quail that night. They eat and eat - and stuff their pockets again. Again, it goes rotten. Again, God sends more quail the next night. It takes some time, but eventually the people learn to trust that they WILL have everything they need each day. They may not have MORE than they need. And they may not always FEEL sure that what they need will be there... but it IS there." 

God is always there. You might not always feel it or see it, but it is always there. God's love is unconditional, it never wavers. It is steady and undying. It can be really hard to trust that it's there, but it is. Have faith.

The past couple of years my dad has had periods of lapses in memory that corresponded to being in the hospital. Flashback to about a month after my Grandma Helen, his mother had passed away. He was hospitalized with pain, there was no physical cause that was found. Around the third day in the hospital his mental status began to decline, it started out little. He would forget who had been to visit to forgetting the year. It gradually got worse by day six he didn't know where he was or why he was there, he would stumble on the names of his children. He was discharged and we were to follow up with a neurologist. The neurologist didn't have a reason or a solution. Eventually my dad got better and was back to himself. This would happen again a couple times a year or so.

The beginning of 2019 was rough. My dad was hospitalized. It became apparent that he needed to move into senior housing. This was not a new concept, we've been saying that for two years now. He's had hospital stints before but this hospital visit was the straw that broke the camel's back. 

We don't know what the cause is. But it is apparent that living alone isn't an option anymore. So my dad is going to move. After a long week filled with assessments, home visits, and appointments we've accomplished a lot. It wasn't easy, there is a lot of emotion around. I turn back to the above story. I may not know what is going to happen next. But I know that God loves me and has put people in my life that I can lean on.

It is scary. I am 22 years old, my dad is 72 turning 73 in June, and he is moving into senior housing. I find it interesting how we (children) don't realize that when we age they (parents) also age. Or if we do, we don't recognize how it will affect us. Moving forward, I will have to balance my life along with the duties that come with an aging parent.