April 2012 Articles

Archives by Months

Just Rambling, April 2012

Just Rambling: I sit here this morning, Tuesday, March 26, in the family waiting room of Willis Knighton Hospital in Shreveport. I am waiting on the results of my oldest daughter, Velvet’s, surgery. Just two weeks ago she was diagnosed with cancer. How fast things can change! Donnette and I were supposed to attend the Tenth District Farm Credit meeting in Fort Worth this week, and on Friday, Velvet, her husband, Johnny, and our eight year-old granddaughter, Savanah, had planned to bring our daughters, Dana and Blair, to Dallas to meet us. The purpose of this trip was two-fold. Velvet and Johnny wanted to bring Savanah to do some things in Dallas while Donnette, Dana, Blair and I boarded a flight to Germany to visit our son, Cody. The trip is still happening, but needless to say, Velvet and her family will not be able to make the trip to Dallas.
I take this trip to Germany now with very mixed emotions—of course, I want to see my son, who I miss very much, but at the same time, I don’t want to leave my daughter during her time of need. Of course, she and her brother have talked about their father on Facebook. Cody sent a message to Velvet about her surgery and about how he wished he could be there with her, and Velvet sent a message back asking Cody to make sure that “Daddy has a good time.” Cody’s reply to Velvet was that she was asking a lot of him—making sure Daddy has a good time. That is a pretty tough job, especially now. As my wife, Donnette, can attest, I am not the best traveler. I really enjoy staying at home, but I do very much want to see Cody. His mother, Donnette, feels the same way, but when it comes to traveling, all Donnette needs to do when she comes home is to catch her breath, wash some clothes, repack and she is ready to go again. Needless to say, she loves to travel. It’s about 1:30 now, and the doctor just came out to say the surgery went well and that Velvet has gone to recovery. I can feel my tension relaxing as the doctor gives us the news of a successful surgery, and I can see the relief on the faces around me. With this news, we can now eat lunch while Velvet is in recovery. As we move toward the cafeteria, I think how wonderful it is to have family and friends especially in times of need. With the news from the doctor, people immediately begin to call other family members and friends that are praying for Velvet and for our whole family. I reflect back to many years ago (Velvet wouldn’t want me to tell you the exact years), back when Velvet was just a toddler. I had gone to a horse sale and bought a saddle with a red padded seat. When I brought that new saddle, I put it in the floor of the living room. Velvet immediately climbed on to the saddle, pretending she was riding. She loved that saddle and has always loved horses and the Old West. She and Johnny’s new home is decorated in the Old West style, and she is always looking for Old West décor. She has always been a real outdoors girl.
It is 3:30 now, and we get news that Velvet has been moved to a room and that we can now go in to see her. As I walk in, I see Velvet, my little girl, and oh how little she looks in the bed. Then, I hear her speak in a scratchy voice caused by the tube that was down her throat. She is fussing about the recovery room-specifically about two old men that were in there. One couldn’t get enough drugs and the other wouldn’t stay in the bed. Both were very loud and demanding. Hearing this, I feel my girl must be on the mend if she feels like fussing. I know she has a long recovery, but I can see the sparkle in her eyes. Prayer is good and our prayers have been answered. I sit with Velvet awhile, saying very little, but listening to other family members talking to her. I can see and feel the love that others have for my daughter—my little girl no longer, but a young woman that I am so proud of, a tough young woman who will overcome this sickness. As I get ready to leave for home, I look for Cody’s flowers. Cody had called from Germany to order flowers for his sister– he had told the florist exactly what he wanted for Velvet. Earlier today, the florist had called Donnette to say she didn’t have any yellow lilies which Cody had specified he wanted in the arrangement for Velvet. I tell this to show how close and how important family is-even though Cody and Velvet are separated by thousands of miles, they are still connected through the love they have for one another. As the father of both, how wonderful this makes me feel. Needless to say, God knew what He was doing when He created the family. Lord willing, when you read this, Velvet will be home recovering, and we will be back home from Germany (our amazing race). I tell everyone this trip will be an amazing race for me, because I won’t get to slow down long enough to catch my breath. So, afterwards, I will be home recovering, as well. Oh yes, when I get home I will be at Velvet’s every beck and call—I told her that whatever she needs, she should just call me for it. That could force me into a lot of work –you know how daughters are— but I will enjoy every minute of it. Van Bennett