We were all in a state of shock I know to learn the severity of their injuries. Shane was a mess, his face badly damaged and a leg broken, they were even talking partial amputation of his leg and plastic surgery on his face. Travis’s back was broken, taking 2 to 3 inches of his spine, and would require surgery to place a steel rod and pins in his back. I can’t possibly tell you everything here, except to say, that God was indeed in control. We witnessed one miracle after another in that hospital, all in God’s time.

While I still find that I wonder sometimes about some things that have happened, I trust God that He is in charge of our lives and He alone knows the time for His will to be completed in our lives. You should have been there the day they brought in the psychiatrist to deal with me. He said, "Mrs. Roark, you have to face the reality that your son Travis is never going to walk again, and that he will never be able to have a family." Well, I had already had just about all of those devil doctors I was going have. Not long before this, I had threatened to throw one of them out the window, and we were on the third floor at the time. I looked him in the face, and with all the faith I could muster, I said “Dr. I am dealing with reality. God’s reality."

Our son will walk again, and will live to marry, have a family, and lead a normal, productive life”. After that, they pretty much left me alone. I thank God everyday for our children and grandchildren. Paul and I know that our sons are both walking miracles, and that He held them in the very palm of His hand that terrible night near Knoxville, TN.

The scripture tells in Ecclesiastes that to everything there is a season, to everything a time under God’s heaven. There have been many joyous times in our family the past few years and a few sad ones too. We must learn to take them all together and see God’s hand in each event. As I have said, the boys have both married and have children of their own.

These are some of the wonderful times. Paul has had to give up both his parents, and I my daddy, not so long ago. These are some of the sad times. While we all know that these dear saints of God have gone on to a better place in the arms of their Lord, it still leaves the hearts of those left behind saddened, and a little empty. But then just as winter gives way to spring, God in His marvelous time, replaces the rags of mourning with the garment of praise, and indeed, life does go on. We rejoice, and hold close to those we love and thank God that He is in the lead.

After Paul and I had been married a few years and the boys were growing up,we felt God leading us to move from our home in Ohio to Tennessee. We bought an old run down farm house on the banks of Norris Lake, in East Tennessee. Now let me tell you, that was an adventure. The place had no running water, and it looked for all the world like the place the Clampetts left when they moved to Beverly Hills. Ask the boys sometime about the bathtub out on the hill or the old outhouse. When my parents came to visit the first time, Mom was just dumbstruck, and Dad, well let’s just say that Dad thought Paul and I had both lost all sense, and nearly packed me and the boys back off to Ohio.

However, over the years, with a lot of hard work and patience, we have turned the old place into a lovely, comfortable home. Sometimes I sit and look down through the valley towards the lake and think how God’s timing was at work in our lives yet again. We are right where we need to be. The boys and their families each have homes on the property, so we are close enough to be together when we want, with enough distance to maintain peace and privacy.

Besides, with them this close, we get to see those grand daughters everyday. Paul and I are very careful not to indulge the girls or spoil them, and we never contradict their parents in any way. You believe that one, don’t you? If you do, you’ve never been acquainted with a grandparent.

Sometimes God leads Paul to do things that I’m not always sure of at first. In fact, sometimes, I just flat out think “he’s lost it.” The Lord has been very good to us as a group. He has blessed us with a new bus: a beautiful Silver Eagle that is larger than the standard size, and therefore, a welcome addition to our ever growing family. When we found that we were going to get the new bus, Paul promptly announces that the Lord had directed him to give our old bus away. Now let me tell you, the old bus, a Silver Eagle also, was still a fine vehicle, and worth several thousand dollars. This had been no small investment. Nevertheless, Paul said he had heard from the Lord, and that we were to give our old bus to another ministry. Sometimes I think, "Paul, what are you doing?” But God has blessed us, and will continue to, because my husband is in tune with the Holy Spirit. I thank God for that.