Day 6 of 30 Things

Day 6: What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

It's interesting that this question came up today, because I've done a lot of reflecting this past week on the hardest thing I have ever had to experience.

This coming Thursday marks the 10 year anniversary of my Dad's stroke. I've written a few times on this blog about that experience, so I won't go through much detail now. But It was the scariest, hardest, faith-shaking moment of my life. It's so hard to see someone you love so much suffer so badly. It affected how my entire life afterwords played out. 

But 10 years later and my family is stronger than ever. 

It was the hardest thing I ever experienced, but it was also one of the biggest blessings. How can you not love and appreciate your parents more after you almost lose one of them? I witnessed the power of prayer as my dad got stronger and healed. I watched him accomplish things that we never thought he would be able to do again. I watched my Mother as she stood by his side, taking him to numerous doctors appointments, specialists, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers, all while taking care of 4 kids and staying so strong.

What an inspiration. 

I love you both Mom and Dad.

(I wrote a detailed post about the day my dad had his stroke 2 years ago, if you want to read it, click HERE. For warning signs of a stroke, please click HERE. Knowledge is power and time is key. The sooner they can get a diagnosis, the less damage will be done. And remember, it can happen to anyone, anytime. My dad was only 39 with no previous health problems. It took them 8 hours to diagnose because they just couldn't believe that someone like him could have a stroke. Please pass this information on to loved ones!)