You can't choose your family...

Hey Fam, Friends and New readers (if there are any of those, hello).

Okay! So it's officially or unofficially a new decade. 2010 is here and so say the Mayans we have only two more years "to make it work!" Ha,Ha,Ha!

It has been entirely too long since I've updated my blog and as such tons have transpired and so I will now return to fill you in on what's going on with D! I figured the best way for me to update you all is by compartmentalizing all the going-ons in a small series of blogs about the ending days of 2009.


Today I'll begin with Family.


Family

Dec 1st, seven days before my b-day (I turned the ripe age of 31 in 2-double 0 - 9), I received a call from my cousin Adrienne, informing me that my granny was deathly ill. First, let me say that, my granny is the fabric, no the thread, no the molecules that make up the thread, which make up the fabric, which hold my family together. She is an important woman not only to my family but her community and the very thought of her leaving this earthly place anytime soon is quite hard to fathom. So, when I learned that doctors thought her light was shortly to be extinguished I was in complete and total shock.

To be so far away home and have the threat of loosing a loved one, is unexplainable and inexplicably difficult.

Let me say, that I'm a big believer that God speaks to his people in many ways, and to me he speaks via my dreams. Months previous to the telephone call I had a reoccurring dream that I'd lost my granny. I would wake up after this horrible dream in tears and praying for the enemy to leave me alone and for God to take this dream away, because in my mind God surely, would not deliver such a message to me. Right? Wrong! In hindsight this dream was nothing but God attempting to prepare me for what was to come and I failed to take heed or notice. Therefore needless to say on the morning I received the telephone call I was completely unprepared for the news and spent two days literally in tears and distress. I had to put a plan of action into play and find a way to get back state side, which was not as easy task considering I was halfway around the globe and in the middle of the semester.But be it for the kindness and encouragement of strangers, co-workers, family and friends I was on a plane flying back to the USA in less than four days. I was going home to what I thought were going to be my farewells to my beloved.

BUT what I thought was to be and what actually took place is all but a B-L-E-S-S-I-N-G, BLESSING! When I arrived my granny was in such a state, she was in the intensive care unit, she had tubes and other medical apparatuses keeping her alive and comfortable. My granny is a trooper and though her state was sad, I could tell she was still present and holding on. I walked into her room, picked up her hand and said "Granny, ol' woman you had Dee (that's what she calls me) worried, I had to fly all the way from South Korea to check up on you" and in that moment, my granny opened her eyes for me (the only other time she had opened her eyes since she's had her heart attack and after returning to consciousness was for my cousin Adrienne), I'm certain she thought she was dreaming to have heard my voice but I was ecstatic that she just opened her eyes, it was as if to say Dee I'm still here, granny ain't gone nowhere!

Throughout the next couple of days life was simple and complex, amazing and frightening and any other descriptive word you can think of. It was long regimental visit to the ICU with relatives and family friends coming from near and far; we sat by my granny's bedside reflecting on how great and strong of a woman my granny is. We shared pleasant and often funny memories of her, we encouraged one another and mostly we sat not knowing if this was going to be the end of her life's journey or the beginning of a new chapter, and more importantly what would life be like for her after this ordeal.

Days turned into nights and nights into a week. There shortly on 31st birthday, I received the best birthday present ever my granny was removed from ICU and the tubes which were assisting her lungs with breathing were removed, she had made it through the worst. And was shortly thereafter moved to a regular wing of the hospital. It was seriously hard to bare witness to seeing my grandmother in such shape (and some days I could hardly bare it and didn't want to go to the hospital to see her in such pain) but she made it through. God granted her the gift of life for another day. What a birthday gift!

Those days after were hard and I know difficult for my granny. The road to recovery is still taking place, but my Granny is determined. And last news I received she was now home and taking it one step at a time.

You know family is an amazing institution, it is certainly not without its faults and imperfections - my family certainly is not, but then what family is?

I shared this with my mother and thus I will share it with you'll.

God give us opportunities to build a new; to make our wrongs, right. He puts us in situations were we have to rely upon one another and sometimes we have to rely upon those who we have the most contempt or difficulties with. In certain moments he will utilize those we love dearly to gain our attention. He is all about second chances. And a second chance is just that a chance. A chance to recollect and re-do what you didn't do right the first time.

He's definitely given my family a second chance and I hope we all recognize it.

As my mom always says "Derek, you can't choose your family..." And you know I wouldn't want to choose if I could. I'm a proud member of my family and I'm glad to have been blessed with them all.

PEACE!