Okay my first post was filled with all the sad news we've gotten over the past few months. Now it"s time to focus on the blessings because there truly are hundreds. We've learned that even during our lowest days, we are surrounded by blessings. Probably our lowest day so far was the day I went into the ER. Both Darryl and I (and my mom who was at home with our girls) were really scared that night. At one point, Darryl looked at me through glassy eyes and said, "I think we need to start looking at all the blessings we have amongst all the bad news in order to cope". I feel like that was a key moment in shifting our thinking. Now we end every single day listing the blessings that God has given us that day as a family, and there are so many:
We have the best friends and family members in the world. Many friends check in on us daily to make sure we're okay. Our parents drop everything to help out, or they move in when we need. I haven't made a meal in almost a month! The flowers, the cards, the texts, the e-mails, the treats for us and our girls, the phone calls, the visits, offers to help us and our kids have all meant so much to us. What truly amazes us is how the people around us put love into action. So often when I hear about someone going through a hard time, I feel bad for them, but don't always do something for them. But from now on I will! Even my Bunko friends sacrificed their November winnings to buy me an amazing care package! I wish we didn't have to go through a crisis to feel the love we feel from hundreds of people right now. But it certainly makes going through a crisis easier. It is truly amazing!
We also see God taking care of us. Some might question "How can God let so much happen to one family at the same time?" And it's a fair question that we will probably never know the answer to, but we can't get stuck dwelling on "why me." Instead we ask, "why not me?" Even though it's hard to be living with medical complications, we do know God is still taking care of us through our situations. We feel Him giving us strength and care: providing amazing medical teams, providing perfect timng for phone calls (I was never alone when bad news came), taking care of logistics that are out of our hands, giving us a peace that we can't explain. So many people have told us they are praying for us - and we are certain these prayers are carrying us through each day. Our problems are huge, but our blessings are just as huge!!!
As a result we have hope! So much hope that we get up each morning ready to face our day. Hope that our surgeries will go well, hope that our girls will build character not bitterness through all of this, hope that we will all be at home for Christmas, hope that we will be a happy healthy family again soon.
Thanks for taking the time to join in our hope adventure! Thank you for all the e-mails you have sent since my first post. We read them all and love hearing from all of you. We can't respond to everyone, but please keep sending them.
We have had many people share Bibke verses with us to encourage us. I'd like to share some on my posts: "Ever good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17
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