babbling with bubba

So, as many of you (and some may not be) know, Jake doesn't speak the greatest.
He has been in speech therapy for 4 to5 months I guess???
After discussing his progress within the past few weeks i realized a litle something . . . for nearly the entire year last year, Jacob was in the house with Sarge (a full time student and not a man of many words) and Bradee (a 1 year old who isn't advanced in the land of speech as well) - all day, nearly every day. No wonder this poor little guy wasn't developing in his speech development!
Since Sarge has been deployed and I work full time - Bradee and Jake are at a baby sitter's house all day - interacting with other kids and adults as well! He has grown leaps and bounds . . . but still needs therapy to help him express the ends of words and some other various sounds . . .

This brings me to my "babbling with bubba" . . . .
Driving home from church the other day i told Jacob that he was so cute and I asked if i could eat his face.
His response was: "no mama! da wou ow me!" (translation: No mama! That would ow (hurt) me!"

(WOW! trying to spell fonetcially in Jake-speak is kinda hard!)

Until next time. . .

You never know. . . .

Nearly 15 years ago I was a freshman in college. I dediced to skip class one afternoon and just after I layed down on my all too small of a dorm room bed, I got a phone call. It was a step-mother telling me that my father had been hospitalized. He eventually became diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy. Basically this means that his lower left ventrical of his heart was 4 times the size it shoudl be and that his heart was working correctly. For the next year, dad was in and out of hospitals and nearly on a transplant list. His cardiologist had a look upon his/her face at a yearly (maybe a 6 month) check up that my dad described it as a look to say that that dr. was surprised to see him alive.
During this time, my father quit smoking and had to get on disability (which was a huge struggle). Another major thing that happened during this time was that my father got saved. By continued prayers from someone we may not even know . . . or possibly my step-mom??? . . . my dad's life was spared. 
He currently has a variety of health issues . . . but when you consider the life he led for so many years, he's doing ok.
He is literally a walking miracle. Less than 1% of those diagnosed with his specific heart condition live 10 years without open heart surgery . . . the worst my dad has had to endure is an angioplasty.
He's fine. His heart is nearly normal. He is a miracle. Jesus gave us that miracle.

This brings me to the title of this story . . . "you never know" . . .
Today I will be going to a funeral of a man who did everything right. He was healthy. Lived a life void of a lot of physical labor (which tends to shorten our life expectancy) and appeared to take care of himself quite well. What he didn't know for a long time was he had a congenital heart defect. After finding this out, he had to have surgery. While at home during his recovery, this particular man didn't get a miracle.

How is it that my father - who did nearly EVERYTHING wrong - has survived this long and someone who did what seems to be EVERYTHING right passes?

While I am only 33 years old at the time of this writing, I contemplate my own life. I thank God every day that my father is with us and saddened by those that lose their family members too soon.

In no way, shape, or form am I suggesting that God killed this man . . .
I AM stating that I know without a shadow of a doubt that God healed my father though.

You never know . . . .