One of my sweet friends gave me a book called Hope in the Dark and the chapter titled Wait talked about the Hebrew word for “appointed time” or mow’ed. It means the right time, the affixed time, the divinely chosen time that God permits something to happen. There’s an old saying that God is rarely early, never late, and always right on time. That’s summed up by mow’ed. Today seems like the right time to provide an update on Tim and how things are progressing with him.

First though – we celebrated one of the best days of our lives with Sarah’s wedding on April 13. Even a downpour and whipping sidewinds didn’t dampen the spirits of those who gathered with us in Tulsa to bless the marriage of Sarah and Nathan Pigott. We were completely surrounded by love as friends and family came from Germany, Sri Lanka, Alaska, Hawaii, 12 other states and of course, Oklahoma.

Our plans for after the wedding to prepare for an April 29 surgery date were not to be. The good news is that we’ve had a number of friends and family members step up to see if they are a match and can donate. Two dear friends of ours matched. Number Two was declined early in the process. Number Three has made it through most of the testing. If she is cleared by a cardiologist and passes the renal function study (the test where I was declined because of an imbalance in kidney function), we could be looking at surgery for mid-August.

More good news is that between mid-March and now, Tim’s kidney function has improved slightly and seems to be holding steady for now. He had a doctor’s appointment this morning. His nephrologist was upbeat and optimistic about his kidney function based on his most recent lab results. We won’t begin the discussion about dialysis because she, and we, believe a donor kidney will happen before that time is necessary.

My husband might have an extra pep in his step the next time you see him. This time of the year is especially a happy one for Tim. He is an Indy car racing fan. Big Time!!! In 1993, after stuffing the entry box at the Target store in Norman, he was selected as the winner of a trip to the race in Indianapolis. In 2016, our PrOUd Crowd friends – 16 of us – attended the 100th running of the race. And this year we will also be attending because my husband again won a trip to the race. Gainbridge, the title sponsor for the racing league, gave away 10 VIP trips for two and he won his second trip to the Indy 500. There is no more deserving fan than Timothy V. Hartley. He loves it! And I’ll tag along, finding a way to enjoy our VIP tickets for Kool and the Gang, Foreigner and Zac Brown Band concerts as well as the race. Go Pippa! (The only female driver in the race who drives the car sponsored by an organ donation nonprofit – Driven2SaveLives.org. You can register there to be an organ or tissue donor.)

Back to the book and the title of this blog post. The author said, “when it’s the mow’ed, there’s nothing you or anyone else can do to speed it up or slow it down. It’s going to happen, and happen on God’s timetable. Until then there’s nothing you can do but wait and be ready.” I also happen to believe we can pray and focus on living life to the fullest, which is exactly what we’re doing.

Our faith is being strengthened. We continue to ask for your prayers. Specifically, please pray Tim’s kidney function will stay strong and steady until the perfect kidney for him is matched and ready for transplant. We believe God is going to bring us through this and create the totally unexpected out of the ashes of our loss, grief and heartache.

“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.” – William Barclay, Scottish minister