Stewardship Drive

In 1997 my wife, Marsha, and I had the opportunity to visit Italy while our daughter was enrolled at the University in Florence for a semester. What an historic and beautiful place to visit! The day before we were to come home, I had the most excruciating abdominal pain I had ever experienced. Approximately four hours later, I was in a hospital with my wife locked outside. I was asked in English, where are you from and when are you going back. After four more hours of intervenes pain medication, I was released to Marsha and our daughter. The next morning we left our daughter on the sidewalk in front of her apartment, not knowing if I would ever see her again.

The pain medication lasted 4 hours, but our flight was 9 hours, during which I thought about our other daughter who was waiting at the airport in Chicago. Would I ever see her again? And how would I show my appreciation for everything Marsha had done for me. Surgery was performed in Chicago where we were told I would have had about 1 1/2 hours of time left. Spending a week in the hospital gave me time to reflect on a number of things, including what this second chance meant to me. There have been a number of changes and opportunities to be the best husband, father, and grandfather. You never pass up the opportunity to tell the people you care about that you love them, lend a helping hand where ever needed, and thank God for all your blessings.

                                                                                                                                  — Ron Squire