It's been several days in between posts - sorry about that. Just life as usual, I suppose. Painting the bathroom. Preparing for our trip to Bolivia. Schoolwork with the boys. And (insert very loud squeals), packing for several days at the beach.
Some friends graciously offered us their timeshare in Hilton Head and after about two miliseconds of thought and discussion, Grady and I gave an enthusiastic
yes! Pfsh, is there ever a reason to say no to sun, sand, and waves?!
I want to be sure and say thanks to so many of you who gave tender words of encouragement and offered precious prayers for my mom. Your simple words brightened my day and, somehow, even made my ready-to-explode-because-there-is-so-much-congestion-in-my-head feel much better, too.
The trashcans around the house are full of used tissues, but I'm actually feeling so much better. And, I confess, I stuck my boys in front a DVD for an hour and half the other day so I could nap while Annalyse was napping. Sshhh, don't tell.
My mom had surgery at 10:00 this morning and my dad called a couple of hours after to report that things went wonderful! The doctor cleaned and adjusted everything that was necessary and without any complication. She is expected to go home tomorrow and has a few weeks of rest and therapy ahead of her.
I talked to her for a few minutes this evening, and even in her groggy and highly-medicated state, the first thin g out of her mouth was, "How are you feeling? Is your cold better? What about the kids, have they gotten sick?" This, friends, is a reflection of a tender and compassionate and gracious mom. As she lays in bed just hours after surgery, she is more concerned with how her kids and grand kids are than she is about herself.
And guess what else? I'm 90% sure I have all the childcare needs arranged for my kids while Grady and I leave the country. To say that I am relieved would be an understatement. To say I'm overwhelmed with the kindness of friends to step in and help would be understatement. I knew it. I knew these unexpected challenges would offer unique ways to watch God work in the details.
So thanks for caring. Thanks for asking questions. Thanks for checking in. And thanks mostly for praying.
Please don't ever apologize for not writing here. It's always so nice to see a new post, but you have to live the life to have something to post about :).
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I am pretending that these adorable pictures don't involve warm weather fun. I'll come back and look at them again when we have some more consistent warm weather (yes, a little Christian envy does creep up in late-April/early-May in 40 degree Chicago!)
So thankful your mom's surgery went well and that you are feeling better. I hope this vacation is rejuvenating and that you go home ready to tackle day-to-day again.
And hooray for God working things out for your Bolivia trip!