column for local newspaper edited

Prairie Hen Scratching
By: Clarice Roghair

The fact that I serve an awesome God was made so plain to me once again this past week. God does answer prayer. His answer is sometimes “no”, sometimes “yes”, and sometimes “wait”. This time it was yes, and in response, my heart and mouth are filled with praise to Him.
This drama began to unfold with a phone call for help Wednesday night. Our daughter-in-law, Shawna, was severely burned by boiling water and steam in a freak accident where two pans sealed together and exploded just as she was reaching to move them off the burner. Approximately two gallons of scalding water spewed all over her kitchen, catching her in blistering burns to face, neck, shoulders, hands, wrists.
Brad rushed her to Murdo where she was met by the Jones County Ambulance and taken to Pierre. People began to pray as they heard the news. Pierre doctors said “Second degree burns.”
By the time she was taken to Sioux Falls on Thursday, again by Jones County Ambulance, multiple people had been alerted. Folks from Indiana to California, Tennessee to Washington, were praying for healing and comfort as well as strength, not only for Shawna, but also for Brad and the family. And the burns were beginning to fade.
In Sioux Falls, a burn specialist comforted Shawna with the words, “There is nothing here that will not heal up fine without surgery.” He said she had severe first degree burns.
Shawna was able to return home a few days later. Anyone who has ever had any kind of burn knows how they hurt. Anyone who knows Shawna will say she is a tough little cookie, but she is the first to offer thanks to her Lord,

...........Note… when I submitted my regular column to our local paper, they refused to print this last part because it was a "thank you" and thank yous need to be paid for. For the cost of printing the following as a "thank you", I could copy this total story and mail it to everyone I mentioned, plus others.................to see how I changed the story, see the last few paragraphs..............

to the many family members, neighbors and other friends who prayed and continue to pray.
The outreach of love in this situation continues to astonish me--the tender care of my next-to-youngest son for his wife and the prayers of their little girls for “Mama” and the baby (expected in October)--the faithfulness of an ambulance crew including paramedic Kathy Chesney who came from Philip to make the trip with Shawna to Sioux Falls, our youngest son for taking over the care of four little blonde girls, daughter Laurel for being at the Sioux Falls Hospital when Shawna arrived, Shawna’s mom, siblings, and other family members for visiting, calling and reminding her how much she is loved, daughters-in-law who were willing to come be “Shawna’s hands” for as long as it takes, another daughter-in-law and her friend who made the house sparkle for Shawna’s homecoming, neighbors who continue to bring in food for the family and the countless phone calls, e-mails, cards and Facebook entries. You all know who you are. May you be blessed as you have blessed.

..........This is what I inserted into the letter and then omitted the last paragraphs........the "Thank you". ........Note….and this is where this column ends. The rest of the story mentioned a few of the people who helped us all deal with this situation…..because it was basically a giving of thanks and you have to pay to print thanks in this newspaper, it will NOT appear……I hope they don’t send me a bill for the thanks that has been said to the Lord.
It you enjoy Prairie Hen Scratching, let the editor know. If there is no response, I will do my scratching elsewhere. Remember to sign your letters to the Editor or they won’t be printed.