Message from my mom

The following is a message from my mom. I think it is a great example of God showing up when we search for Him and when we need Him:

"Everyday, when I wake up and go to bed, the reality that your dad is not here enters my conscious. He is always with me but sometimes the thoughts of him are more frequent because of so many memories and years of being together. I am sure it is the same for you. Anyway, when I got up to make my coffee this morning and the water did not funnel through to the pot I started thinking about how I'd go buy another Bun. It reminded me of how excited dad would be purchasing a new coffee pot. As soon as we'd get home with a new pot, he would be the one taking it out of the box, setting it up, cleaning it (according to instructions he would read) and making preparations for the first pot of coffee. It will be a first for me.

Then I read your blog. I really didn't expect it to end the way it did. That memory of your dads lecture has meant so much to you. It was one of those highlights in his walk that I will always remember too.

I was getting ready to run to the store and post office when I saw one of your dad’s students getting ready to clean my driveway. I would have had no idea who had cleaned the drive if I had been gone. I would have thought it was the neighbor. It was Chris Logan's son. Chris worked security at Indian Hills Community College and still does. His son was in the Criminal Justice program and came to the house after dad passed away.

Finally, in the mail there was a letter from the Iowa Donor Network. It stated that in a separate sealed envelope was information on Roger's donations that were received. It said please feel free to open and read it at a time that is right for you.

I did not think it would be a big deal, so I opened it in the car at the post office. I couldn't finish it. Sixty-seven bone grafts have been created from Roger's gift! It said the grafts would be used for reconstructive surgery, spinal fusions and oral surgery. It actually lists 13 individuals’ names, ages ranging from 19 years of age to 65, and where they live, that have already benefited.

What really moved me was when it said "In the case of Roger's gift a pulmonary graft has been transplanted in a 3 month old baby boy at a hospital in New York."

It was worth the process, although I questioned it at the time.

It has been an emotional day but a B-E-A utiful day to praise God and keep on looking for him in those unexpected places and at unpredictable times. I have been blessed today in ways I cannot begin to explain, and I wasn't at church."

My mom is the best person I know at finding God in her everyday life, so for her to act like my blog had anything to do with it is probably an exaggeration. She understands that Heaven isn't a distant place in another dimension, but a place that, if you look close enough, is right in front of your eyes. Without getting too theological and out of my league, I believe Heaven is where God resides, and I believe God resides in all of His creation. So, take a look around, and then take another look, because if you search for Him you will find Him, and you might find a little piece of Heaven as well.

Thanks Mom for your note, and for your constant inspiration in my life.