Preston.

You’re wondering how I can say that about my husband. Because I can, plain and simple.

Today, I recorded this video and came home and cried in the privacy of my bedroom. He is literally the strongest man I know. This isn’t a pity blog, I promise. Just hang tight.

About 2 years ago, we noticed a slight tremor in Preston’s right hand and spoke to his long time neurologist about it. It was so slight that it was something we would just need to “watch”. By the next visit 6 months later, it was worse and time to put him on a anti-seizure medication for it. 2 months ago, he reached the maximum safe dosage. Our options are narrowing. The tremors are worse than ever. He can no longer write. And his once beautiful painting talent suffers. Brain surgery may be in the near future. The doctor gave us 6 months to research and weigh the options.

In the meantime, Preston has been sent back to physical therapy in hopes to strengthen him because he’s also taken a few falls. After a series of events that could only have been orchestrated from God, Preston is back with his original therapist in her own private practice who worked with him for 9 months in 2016 after his aneurysm.

In the initial pt evaluation for this go round, the tremors were very strong (or hard, as I call them) and puzzling to the therapist. Again, I smiled at how God’s plan is perfect when she told me that tremors are a specialty of one of her other therapists. They also discovered that Preston has some serious balance issues going on. He couldn’t pass a roadside sobriety test for nothing!

He’s a sober drunk. This video proves it.

But let me tell you what else he is. He is a man after God’s own heart who also questions God every single day on his purpose in this life. This life has taken his job and made him disabled and dependent upon others. Like every person in a similar trial, it’s sent the fair weather friends scattering like roaches. Heck, even with family, nothing shocks us anymore. I’ve asked Preston many times how he can take the punches so dignified and elegantly. His reply is always the same….. God is with me. HE is enough and I trust Him.

Last night, our pastor painted an illustration something like this….. Most of us are employed with an employer who has expectations of us. If we miss work on a constant basis, chances are we will be fired. If God is the Lord of our lives and was in the firing business, how many of us would lose our job as a Christian becuase we aren’t fulfilling the duties He has asked of us? Thank God my God isn’t in firing business. He hires us for life.

Back to Preston, here’s a guy that doesn’t have nearly the capabilities that most of us do, YET God surely uses him. Preston wakes up every ready to spiritually serve. Preston serves with his heart.

I wish that I could accurately portray one day in the life of Preston. Just tonight, he told me that he has washed his hands 42 times for 45 seconds each this week. His phone asks him every morning how he slept to which he logs it. He’s recorded his blood sugar readings into charts that blow the doctor’s mind. He’s got alarms on his phone to tell him when to take his meds, when to walk his dogs, when to walk, and when to go to bed. He has meticulous bullet notes that even Pastor Trent can look back on 10 years from now and preach directly from. Yet, ask him who called him 5 minutes earlier, and he’ll swear nobody called him. It wears me out thinking about all the things he has to do just to be able to function to a comfortable degree each day. Whew!

My sober drunk was worn slam out by the end of this video session. He didn’t give up. He is determined to be the best that he can be…. in therapy, at home, or in church. He’s a stellar steward, for sure.

Y’all pray for him. Pray for me. Somedays I’m completely overwhelmed trying to wear so many hats. Today, God humbled me watching Prestons quiet strength and determination. He reminded me that this journey, like all the other journeys, is His. We are just along for the ride. We don’t know what the future holds, but we surely know who holds it.

And that will always be enough.

I hope this encouraged somebody somewhere. If you see Preston fall out of Pew 3, do the right thing and help him back up…. You’re sure to get a blessing from it.

The BeanCounter