One of the Best Men EVER!

Howard M is truly a hero. He's been a pastor for a million years and was a seminary professor for a brief time when we had the privilege of meeting him and his wife Nancy. You know when you just "click" with someone? I came home from a small group meeting of seminary wives hosted by Nancy and told my husband, "I met a woman tonight I could be really good friends with. Funny thing is, she's old enough to be my mom!" Well, we did, thankfully, become really good friends. My family spent hours on their deck and in their kitchen. Nancy took care of my kids the night we found out that we couldn't bring my youngest home from the hospital because he had some breathing issues and had to go into the NICU. They hosted my husband's surprise 40th birthday party. She taught me how to garden and dry flowers and make pesto. I was able to visit them recently and I burst into tears upon entering their home.  Even though it's a different home than when we first knew each other, so many memories came flooding back. All sweet.

But back to Howard. You see, he has a lung condition that causes scar tissue to form every time he gets an infection or a cough. Something about a missing enzyme. He has been on oxygen for awhile now and was awaiting a lung transplant.  Funny thing, waiting for a transplant. You are, in reality, waiting for someone else to die. You don't wish them to die, of course. You just hope and pray that if they do, their dna will match yours closely enough so that you can use the organs they no longer need. And Howard needed an "extra long" lung. Who knew you could order sizes?

Well, Howard got his lung. He is doing well. In fact, he was breaking records right and left in ICU, getting off the ventilator quickly and blowing impressive scores on all his breathing tests. So this is just a shout out to Howard and most importantly a thank you to God for his tender mercies and for literally breathing new life into this incredible man.