Unexpected Blessing!

I am so behind on blogging. I have so many photos to share from Philly and Alabama. I will upload them soon. This past weekend we went to Alabama to visit my family. It has been a very long time since we have been there. I will blog about that part of the vacation after I upload the photos. As I blogged previously, my Mamaw has had a severe case of shingles. It started over a month ago. She was way too weak to make the trip to Alabama, so we were very sad her and Papaw would not be there. When we arrived in Atlanta on August 29, my sister picked us up. She told me that my Mamaw had been taken to the hospital for a possible stroke. I immediately fell apart. My Mamaw is 85 years old and has never been in the hospital as long as I have been alive. I was really scared. I prayed all the way to Alabama and just knew that I had to go see her. I talked to my Dad and he of course wanted to go as well to see his mom. My Papaw was all alone at the hospital with really no one to help him and he was already so very tired from taking care of her the past 3 weeks with shingles. My Dad and I left at 4:30 am the next morning to go to Kentucky. Sterling stayed at my parents house in Alabama with the girls and my mom. It was great getting to spend that time with my Dad by myself. I adore my Dad and respect him more than he will ever know. We got to the hospital at about 10:30 am. My Mamaw was very surprised to see us there! I got to spend the night at the hospital with her, while my Dad took my Papaw home to get some sleep. I loved being there with her. My Mamaw has always taken care of everyone. She has always waited on us all hand and foot pretty much, and so she kept worrying about taking care of me while I was there, even though she was the one in the hospital bed. She was afraid to rest because then I would not have anyone to talk to, or she was afraid to ask me to raise her bed or get her a drink, because I had just sat back down. She had no idea what a privilege it was to be there helping her every need. What an honor it was to serve her after all she has done for me and meant to me. I love my Mamaw and Papaw with a love I can't really explain. They have touched my life in ways no one else has and I am forever grateful for them. I am happy to say my Mamaw is recovering at home now. She did not have a stroke. She had such severe shingles that her whole body had just been through so much and caused so many different complications. She has been through so much this past month and my Papaw has told me over and over again how tough and strong she has been through all the pain. My Papaw loves her so much and it was so evident in that hospital room. He has taken such good care of her. They've been married almost 65 years. Amazing! I will never ever forget that special time with my Mamaw. What a treasure!