A funny thing happened on our way to buy a new bed…
So, about a year ago Matt and I decided to get a new mattress. We’d had our old one for a number of years and while we had liked having a firm mattress, after months of therapy and physical changes to Matt’s body, he started having back issues again. We went out and bought a softer pillow top mattress, but after a few nights we both agreed it was way too soft, as we were both having back issues. So (feeling a little like Goldilocks) we went back and got a firmer plush model. We both tried to convince ourselves that it would be fine…that we’d adjust to the softer mattress, but unfortunately we both seem to wake up stiff and sore now. Of course, the entire time Matt was in China he practically slept on a board, and his back felt great…NO issues. As soon as he got home, however, his back troubles flared back up again. I started researching Sleep Number beds, thinking that the ability to adjust the firmness of each side would beneficial, and found they have a store in a mall here in Des Moines. So, Saturday afternoon we headed down there to try them out in person. We sprawled out on a couple of beds, playing around with the remotes, until a saleswoman was able to come and talk to us about them. She was quick to move us over to a more middle of road model (which was of course more expensive than the one we were originally looking at). While I was a little skeptical at first, it did not take long for me to appreciate the differences…and Matt was laying there pretty comfy the whole time we talked. Well, eventually she inquired about Matt’s condition…and was floored because her brother had just had a brain stem bleed last week. She was very inquisitive about our experiences and treatments and even asked if we’d heard about treatments in China! So, of course, we were happy to volunteer information about our trip to China, the treatments, and experiences over all with therapies here and there and the long road her brother will have ahead of him. It was just such a strange coincidence…that it just couldn’t have been a coincidence. She was so touched by our story and I could tell that having us there to talk to about her brother really meant a lot. She even told a co-worker that she thought God had brought us in there just to talk about our recovery story and give her the China Connection information for her brother. It was so neat…it really felt like we were supposed to be there on that day to reassure her and give her some advice and hope for her brother. I could tell her emotions were pretty raw, given that it had just happened, and our being there really lifted her spirits. She was so appreciative she was just tickled to give us extra freebies with the purchase. It really felt good to help someone else navigate the strange waters that we’ve come to know so well. We walked out of there touched as well. Isn’t it funny how people weave in and out of our lives? Now we can look forward to our new bed being delivered and hopefully ending our sore backs for good!!
Saturday night we went over to Blake and Amy’s new house in Polk City to hang out on the patio and sample their latest homemade ice cream flavor – coconut. It was a really nice evening and we had a good time laughing and talking out on their patio. It is so nice to have them close by again…I’m sure we’ll be popping over frequently!
Pastor’s message yesterday was another good one – very applicable to us and so many people right now. It was a good sermon on faith through the tough times. So many themes that he touched on were so familiar to me in our own experiences. I think of Scott and Julie and their baby Graham…and all the difficulties they’ve been through and continue to go through. You can’t make heads or tails of things like that. You can’t understand why it would happen…and why’d they’d have to go through it. I know questions like that popped in to other people’s mind about Matt and why this had to happen to him. We’ve all had thoughts like that at one point or another. But I never like to dwell in that frame of mind…it just isn’t helpful. Pastor reminded us that God will do one of two things during a difficult time…He will either carry you through it, or deliver you from it. And He may carry you through it to get you to be the person He designed you to be. It’s something to think about…something I try to remind myself…that there is a purpose here somewhere. And I think for me, all I can do is use the time to focus on the blessings and choose to live with faith that He will see us through. It’s tough, that’s for sure…but that is what faith is all about. We sang two songs which resonated with me…always have, and always do. ‘This is the Day’ and ‘Standing on the Promises’ – if you really listen to their words, they are quite moving. While I wish that I sprung out of bed thanking God for the day He has made, instead of stumbling out of bed wishing for more hours to sleep, I do try to set my attitude before leaving the house - to take in my many blessings and the beauty of our world around us so that I can glance upwards and be thankful for the day. It was a good reminder to look around and be thankful, even in the midst of tragedy and grief, and hold on to the many promises God has made to help guide us through the rough patches.
So, about a year ago Matt and I decided to get a new mattress. We’d had our old one for a number of years and while we had liked having a firm mattress, after months of therapy and physical changes to Matt’s body, he started having back issues again. We went out and bought a softer pillow top mattress, but after a few nights we both agreed it was way too soft, as we were both having back issues. So (feeling a little like Goldilocks) we went back and got a firmer plush model. We both tried to convince ourselves that it would be fine…that we’d adjust to the softer mattress, but unfortunately we both seem to wake up stiff and sore now. Of course, the entire time Matt was in China he practically slept on a board, and his back felt great…NO issues. As soon as he got home, however, his back troubles flared back up again. I started researching Sleep Number beds, thinking that the ability to adjust the firmness of each side would beneficial, and found they have a store in a mall here in Des Moines. So, Saturday afternoon we headed down there to try them out in person. We sprawled out on a couple of beds, playing around with the remotes, until a saleswoman was able to come and talk to us about them. She was quick to move us over to a more middle of road model (which was of course more expensive than the one we were originally looking at). While I was a little skeptical at first, it did not take long for me to appreciate the differences…and Matt was laying there pretty comfy the whole time we talked. Well, eventually she inquired about Matt’s condition…and was floored because her brother had just had a brain stem bleed last week. She was very inquisitive about our experiences and treatments and even asked if we’d heard about treatments in China! So, of course, we were happy to volunteer information about our trip to China, the treatments, and experiences over all with therapies here and there and the long road her brother will have ahead of him. It was just such a strange coincidence…that it just couldn’t have been a coincidence. She was so touched by our story and I could tell that having us there to talk to about her brother really meant a lot. She even told a co-worker that she thought God had brought us in there just to talk about our recovery story and give her the China Connection information for her brother. It was so neat…it really felt like we were supposed to be there on that day to reassure her and give her some advice and hope for her brother. I could tell her emotions were pretty raw, given that it had just happened, and our being there really lifted her spirits. She was so appreciative she was just tickled to give us extra freebies with the purchase. It really felt good to help someone else navigate the strange waters that we’ve come to know so well. We walked out of there touched as well. Isn’t it funny how people weave in and out of our lives? Now we can look forward to our new bed being delivered and hopefully ending our sore backs for good!!
Saturday night we went over to Blake and Amy’s new house in Polk City to hang out on the patio and sample their latest homemade ice cream flavor – coconut. It was a really nice evening and we had a good time laughing and talking out on their patio. It is so nice to have them close by again…I’m sure we’ll be popping over frequently!
Pastor’s message yesterday was another good one – very applicable to us and so many people right now. It was a good sermon on faith through the tough times. So many themes that he touched on were so familiar to me in our own experiences. I think of Scott and Julie and their baby Graham…and all the difficulties they’ve been through and continue to go through. You can’t make heads or tails of things like that. You can’t understand why it would happen…and why’d they’d have to go through it. I know questions like that popped in to other people’s mind about Matt and why this had to happen to him. We’ve all had thoughts like that at one point or another. But I never like to dwell in that frame of mind…it just isn’t helpful. Pastor reminded us that God will do one of two things during a difficult time…He will either carry you through it, or deliver you from it. And He may carry you through it to get you to be the person He designed you to be. It’s something to think about…something I try to remind myself…that there is a purpose here somewhere. And I think for me, all I can do is use the time to focus on the blessings and choose to live with faith that He will see us through. It’s tough, that’s for sure…but that is what faith is all about. We sang two songs which resonated with me…always have, and always do. ‘This is the Day’ and ‘Standing on the Promises’ – if you really listen to their words, they are quite moving. While I wish that I sprung out of bed thanking God for the day He has made, instead of stumbling out of bed wishing for more hours to sleep, I do try to set my attitude before leaving the house - to take in my many blessings and the beauty of our world around us so that I can glance upwards and be thankful for the day. It was a good reminder to look around and be thankful, even in the midst of tragedy and grief, and hold on to the many promises God has made to help guide us through the rough patches.
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