The Curveballs Life Throws

For those of you who have followed along for awhile, you probably noticed an abrupt drop to the blog about a year ago. As the primary writer and editor of this blog, I (Registrar Sara) had a pretty big curveball thowen my way this time last year. After a lifetime of only knowing my dad to go to the doctor for only the most necessary of routine exams and follow ups, I got a call just as I was getting breakfast one morning at camp that he was in the hospital.

What curveballs has life thrown at you lately?

A scheduled visit to the VA clinic and hospital in Sioux Falls for a second opinion on treating some back pain that had been getting worse for a couple of weeks had taken an unexpected turn shortly after arrival. He had a seizure which triggered a cardiac event and left me dropping everything onto my wonderfully understanding office assistant to get on the road to be with my parents while we attempted to figure out what was happening and how potentially serious everything was. It was the Wednesday before the big 100th Anniversary Celebration at camp. Pancakes and sausage links were served for breakfast that morning. It was the day before my birthday. It was just 4 days after NW Iowa flooded.

After nearly a week in two different hospitals, lots of bloodwork, scans, xrays, MRI's, and CT scans, and consultations, it was determined the primary cause of the back pain was a herniated disc, his heart is actually healthier than most men 20 years younger, and his seizure medication needed an adjustment. After a visit to the pain clinic, he was sent home with instructions to be patient, stop trying to keep up with guys in their 30s and 40s, and give his back some time to heal.

How do you dial back the stress levels in your life?

It's been an interesting year as I have processed what it meant to see my tall, strong, ex-marine, tanned from long hours of outdoor work on the farm father in the hospital for those days. It's taken a year to feel like I have caught up on things in life and work to have the mental space to once again blog. There's lots to say, but this isn't a personal blog nor is it all my story to tell. I'm mostly writing this post to explain where I've been and let you know I'm planning to get back at blogging again with the 2025 summer theme.

But I also want to share one thing which has stuck out to me very clearly from that experience a year ago. For as long as I can remember, my dad has talked about going to the VA for Dr.'s appointments and check ups. He is Vietnam Vet who was wounded in action. Growing up just north of camp, regular trips were made to Sioux Falls in my youth to go shopping, for school field trips to the circus, and even, once, to go to a DC Talk concert! (Free at Last Tour....anyone else there back in the 90's?) Every once in a while, we would happen to drive by the VA and it would be pointed out but it wasn't until last year that I spent any amount of time in the building.

The Sioux Falls VA main entrance. The quote reads: "The price of freedom is visible here" A very sobering truth.

Within the first few hours of my arrival, staff of all sorts, from orderlies, to nurses, to the greeters at the front door, made a point of knowing that I was the daughter of a patient. After giving my dad's name the first time, I had only to begin to look lost or turned around before someone would be sure I was on the right path to where I needed to be. Staff who had worked with him in the clinic and emergency room would see me 2 days later and ask how he was doing since he had been transferred out of their departments. And each person who interacted with my dad, no matter what mood he happened to be in at the moment of their arrival, was intentional about looking him in the eye, patient in answering his repeated questions, willing to go the extra mile and do the extra test to help put his mind at ease, firmly shook his hand, and genuinely thanked him for his service to the country.

That veterans are to be honored is deeply engrained at the Sioux Falls VA. I lost count of the number of times I heard someone say this to my dad and my mom and I as his family.

It was a powerful reminder to me that it is never to late to be thankful for what others have done on our behalf. I spent 3 days in a building full of people who have enabled me to live in a place where I have the freedom to worship God publically and in a church context which I choose. I am not forced to worship God in a specific worship style or context. I am free to change churches and denominations as I feel God is leading me do so. I get the priviledge of openly working in a minstry context instead of having to hide it from the government. In the midst of stress and uncertainy for my family, again and again I saw how much it meant to my dad to hear those words, "Thank you for your service."

Those who were working that VA a year ago didn't directly benefit from his time in the Marines. They were not villagers freed or protected by his unit. They were not his fellow marines on the ground who relied on him to have their back. But they were practicing something often see in Scripture: They were remembering and giving thanks for those who had gone before them.

Hebrews 11 is a great example of this practice. The chapter starts by declaring "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation." The following verses trace the story of our faith from creation, through Noah and Abraham, Moses and Rahab: "For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets..." the author writes. Examples of faith which were valued then and who still influence how we practice and understand faith today.

All of the people listed in Hebrews 11 are those who I will never meet on this side of heaven. Yet the legacy they leave lingers and impacts my life here and now. In this last year, I have often wondered what impact my life will have in this world in generations to come. Will be it be part of the story told of those who stood up for the weak and vulerable in this world? Will it be part of a story told of doing hard things and facing real dangers when I would rather stay warm and comfortable at home? Will it be a story which ultimately points people to Jesus and inspires others live a life of faith? When I'm in my late 70's, when someone thanks me for my service, for what would they truly be thanking me for?

I'll end by saying my dad is doing much better now a year later. He is mostly back to his old self and usually remembers to be a little more cautious in undertaking physical tasks. He is glad to have avoided back surgery and is keen to avoid future hospital stays because, while the extra attention from staff was enjoyed, the food was less than ideal! And by saying thanks to the camp staff and 100th Anniversary volunteers who made it possible for me to be with my parents for much of that week despite all the beautiful chaos happening with a special event and summer camps in full swing.