Blessed

I had an education board meeting at church tonight - we meet monthly. It is a great group and I've enjoyed getting to know these wonderful women. At the end they threw a surprise shower to welcome Grace into our family as well as the Bethlehem faith family. It was so special and awesome. Thank you!!!

Today was a day of a lot of 'thoughtfulness'. Along with many others around the world, my mind drifted back to seven years ago today and the events of that day. I thought about all that has happened in this world since that time...all of the loss of lives. It made me sad.

I thought about all that has happened in OUR lives during that time and even though we've had tears and grief, I thought of the wonderful and special things and I was filled with joy and a lot of happiness. As Carson's bus driver commented the other day "You look like the proudest and happiest Mom in the world", to which I responded "I AM!"

I know that 9/11 has such strong significance for our country and the world. So many things are still measured as 'pre' or 'post' 9/11.

September 11 is also significant for us on a very personal level. That was the beginning of the end of Carson's original liver.

We were actually in an ultrasound room that morning of September 11 (the same one we had our prenatal scan on and saw a baby waving at us - we didn't want to know a gender but we saw a cute hand!). Carson's liver function blood work was getting worse and the few days prior to that he had been having white poops. For all of the liver connoisseurs out there, you know that white poop = big, big trouble. No bile is getting through if there is white poop. Not a good thing at all. (Liver folks are poop experts!). It was while we were watching the scans of his sick little liver that a tech came in an announced a plane had crashed into one of the Trade Center buildings. Certainly tragic, but I envisioned a small plane. When a short time later she came in again and announced a second plane had crashed into the second tower, we knew this was bad.

As we arrived back home we raced around the house making plans for an emergency trip to the Cities. Carson needed a radioactive scan on his liver and we wanted to be closer to his GI to interpret results. We spent a lot of time on the phone and packing. It was mid-afternoon before we bothered to turn our TV on. We watched in horror as we learned about all that had and was happening. I'll never forget how little we slept that night - for so many reasons. Wondering what was going to happen to Carson as well as concern about Travis' brother and sister-in-law in Pakistan and prayers for all of the people around the world affected by the events of the day. We left town early, early, early the next morning and we were still numb. We knew Carson's liver was barely holding on.

Many days have dawned since that day. Carson's liver was indeed failing. We needed to get his heart fixed before he could be listed for a liver transplant. We got his heart fixed and his liver instantly failed. We waited. He received his precious gift of lift - a new liver - just in time. He later had a second open heart surgery. He's thrived. He's started school. He's in the second grade. He's in multiple activities. And now he is the proudest (and very doting) big brother. We didn't know it but a little over 18 months ago our daughter was born. For 17 months she was cared for by two of the most amazing angels here on Earth. They poured so much love and care into her. She is a thriving and happy kid. Though God's grace, we found her and she found us. And now we are complete. Our wonderful family of four.

I'll close with a quote we have hanging in our office. I've read and re-read it many times.

Sometimes God calms the storm and Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child. by Jan Holter

God has calmed us many times and He has carried us through some very long and difficult days (storms). As we celebrate Grace's Affirmation of Baptism this weekend we are reminded of God's eternal love for all of us and that if we'd only have the faith of a child we'd see God's hand as He guides us through the storms.