Lost and Found

My father, that is. Literally! Many of you know, but many of you don't know, that my father was lost for over 14 hours this past weekend. Patricia, my stepmother, was with him in Cary, NC this past Saturday afternoon. They stopped at McDonalds to get a soft drink so that he could take some medicine. My dad said that he would rather not wait in a long line at the drive-thru, so he went in to get a Coke at the counter. Patricia waited for him for a short time and then went in to find him - but he would not be found. There was no indication that he might do something like he did - he had gone out the other door and had become disoriented. He began visiting stores in the adjacent shopping areas - yes, that is plural.

I received a call from Patricia and was on the scene within 30-40 minutes after he disappeared. For 3-4 hours I searched in store after store looking for him, apparently just missing him. The police response was incredible! Quite a few Cary police officers were on the scene. A Wake County K-9 unit arrived - a dog confirmed that my father had not gone into the woods behind the shopping area (at least not at that point). The Highway Patrol had a helicopter searching later in the afternoon.

As it turns out, my father was visiting some of the same stores where I was looking. I must have just missed him. Later in the afternoon, (after the dog had checked the edge of the woods for a scent of him) my dad went deep into the woods. He later said that he heard people calling his name, and he also heard the helicopter, but he did not respond. Why? He doesn't know. At 4:00 AM on Sunday, he came walking back up to the same McDonalds from which he had departed the day before. He would later say that his mind took a trip (this was from aging issues, of course, not illicit drugs).

Our family is so grateful that God brought my father back to us! I had slept very little on Saturday night when I received the call saying that he was safe. Just before I drifted off, though, I had a sense of peace from the Lord that he was going to be OK. I almost never trust that "sense" that I get sometimes (from the Lord?) - indeed, I am often not even sure about what I am thinking/feeling - but I often marvel as I look back and see how frequently such impressions turn out to be accurate.

That does not mean I have become an advocate of employing/analyzing "feelings" as a means of determining God's will. God's Word is always the best place to start when someone is seeking what God would have him or her to do. Since there are many specific instances that are not spoken to in Scripture, it is crucial that we understand principles for godly living. Then, when one's world is turned upside down, he or she will still trust God.

Well, Linda has had a very good day. She moved more easily today than she usually has in the past month or so. We also received an exciting phone call from Duke - she will have an appointment for evaluation for treatment during the second week of July. Experimental programs may be limited because she is having to take Coumadin for blood clots. We will see. Please pray.

Speaking of blood levels, we are still on the roller coaster, though the highs and lows are not as dramatic as in the past. Please pray that her INR levels (which measure the clotting factor in the blood) get to normal ASAP.

More in the not too distant future!