What a Difference a Week Makes!

So judging by the last post I had things pretty well planned out. Things never go like you plan them. I am sitting here in my living room at 7:50 on Thursday morning as my friends leave town to go to Chicago. I have three holes in my stomach and I'm not sure what happened at that Gospel Meeting last week.

How did I get here? Well it all started last Thursday when we went to Lepanto to prepare for the meeting. Things were all set for Mel to come on Friday with his family and things were of to a great start. Friday morning I awoke with some slight stomach discomfort. A couple of hours later it went away and I thought nothing of my morning indigestion. Saturday morning I had it again...this time it hung around. By 5 p.m. I had severe discomfort and had thrown up nine times. Off the the emergency room we went.

One CAT scan later and I learned that I had appendicitis. My dad jokes that he didn't need a $500 scan to tell him I was full of crap but that's my dad for ya. So on Sunday (yes, my birthday) I had my appendix removed. Recovery went fairly well and I was home by Tuesday. Now it was time to decide about that trip. I wanted to go of course but I felt like it was a bit inappropriate to go running off on my wife and kid after they just spend 4 days worrying and caring for me. After MUCH deliberation and last second flip-flopping I decided to stay.

Am I disappointed? Yes. Is this the right call....without a doubt.

Sometimes I wish like nothing else that I could do the right thing and have no second thoughts about it. It feels like it's more altruistic that way. But I am human and I guess it just reinforces the idea that doing the right thing is hard but still right. I know they need me here and yet I feel bad being disappointed about missing the trip.

I remember my father passing up at least two job promotions (there were certainly more I don't know about) to keep my family in Searcy. When I think about how much he has sacrificed for me I have no choice when it comes to my family. If he can pass on his career, a stupid baseball game can certainly wait.

I hope the guys have fun. As for me, I'll catch the game on TV...with my family by my side.