Thursday, August 6, 2015

My Story


I don't know why anniversaries hold such importance in our lives. Some are great and fun to remember and celebrate, birthdays, anniversaries, 1st day of a new adventure, memories of a great trip. Some anniversaries are bittersweet, the birthday of a loved one who had died. Some anniversaries are downright painful, memory of a tragedy.

6 years ago, was the start of a journey that was so life changing. A tree fell, a surreal ambulance ride, trying frantically to reach my husband, learning what trauma team activation (TTA) meant, small empty private waiting room. 

But really that day was not the start of the story. That summer we had already been through a minor concussion and a broken wrist, and general business of the summer trying to get kids to various summer schools  and activities. And one blessed book club about Susie Larson's book The Uncommon Woman.

The small group I met with, following the large group discussion of the book, became so close and supportive of each other. At the end, mere days before the tree, we had a time of prayer and foot washing. When asked what I wanted prayer for, I answered strength. Melissa prophetically heard "More Jesus". God knew what was coming. Strength was for me to do what I needed and rejoice in what I accomplished.  It was a selfish request that was focused on me. I wasn't supposed to do it. Jesus was. Little did I know how I would repeat that phrase "More Jesus", in the coming days, weeks, months and years. How much time I would be spending in waiting rooms. How much Jesus would meet me there in those waiting rooms, and in the dark nights spent in uncomfortable hospital beds.


(click for music)

If I told you my story
You would hear Hope that wouldn't let go
And If I told you my story
You would hear Love that never gave up
And if I told you my story
You would hear Life, but it wasn't mine

If I should speak, then let it be
Of the Grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when Justice was served and where Mercy wins
Of the Kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him

If I told you my story
You would hear Victory over the enemy
And if I told you my story
You would hear Freedom that was won for me
And if I told you my story
You would hear Life overcome the grave

If I should speak, then let it be
Of the Grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when Justice was served and where Mercy wins
Of the Kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long

For the Grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when Justice was served and where Mercy wins
Of the Kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell
For the Grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when Justice was served and where Mercy wins
Of the Kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long


Now I can go look at my TimeHop and see those pictures and see Hope that wouldn't let go, see Love that never gave up, and see LIFE. 


Monday, January 12, 2015

Hope

I am learning more and more each day how valuable hope is.  It is so easy as a parent to look at your child and feel like he or she will never learn x, or do y. It must start as an infant and the quest to get sleep and snowballs from there. When you add in special needs, it is easy to get stuck in the day to day needs and feel like it is never going to improve and your child will never live an independent life, or have life long struggles. In my last post I shared some of the hope I saw after Sam's last surgery. That aggressive treatment can have valuable lifelong benefits.

Hope is defined by Merriam-Webster as "to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true," or " to expect with confidence." The Bible speaks much of hope. I found a wonderful page listing what the Bible says of hope on BibleStudyTools dot com. Two things that jumped out at me was that suffering leads to hope (Romans 5:3-4). Hope is something we are to practice with patience. (Romans 8:25)

I have learned how encouraging hope is through a fundraiser that provided us with a new van organized by a friend at church. I now have a reliable vehicle that starts on these cold days. Next time Sam ends up in a large bulky cast, we have room to fit him into the vehicle (not only interior with easy to configure seating, but through the large sliding doors) and the rest of the family too! Thank you is such an inadequate word for the depths of my gratitude. This hope is giving me strength to keep going.

After Sam's last surgery, I saw first hand how much hope helps. We were able to attend a Globetrotter game not long afterwards. I was amazed at how this simple activity for many, lifted my son's spirits and gave him hope. The reason we were able to do this was an organization called HopeKids. They provided tickets for us.

HopeKids provides ongoing events & activities and a powerful, unique support community for families who have a child with cancer or some other life-threatening medical condition.  They surround these remarkable children and their families with the message that hope can be a powerful medicine. These events and activities take money. One of their annual fundraisers is Relentless.  Relentless is a Powerlifting meet held once a year in Rosemount, MN, where a select few people from all over the world are granted the opportunity to fund raise and compete. These funds help support HopeKids.

Sam has been paired together on Team Hope with a lifter named Jerry. We were able to meet Jerry this weekend and are so excited for this opportunity. Please take a moment to look at Jerry's Relentless 2015 Page, and consider a donation. 

As a quick update Sam is doing fantastic. He has been dismissed from physical therapy for now. We are looking at an outpatient surgery in a couple of weeks to remove the nails put in his ankles to correct the ankle valgus deformity. Compares to the last one this should be easy-peasy!