OH my………

Too many things happening lately and I am falling dreadfully behind in my blogging and keeping you all up on Spring slowly creeping in on the Welcoming House Homestead. 🙂

Mainly my time lately has been just trying to keep all the balls in the air and juggling without dropping one.

juggling balls

My Big Kid was doing fabulous and improving, and then this last week started to go backwards. We noticed all of a sudden she was walking more intentionally again, having headaches and nosebleeds again, etc. Had a huge scare on Monday where we rushed her to the ER with heart or clot symptoms, only to be sent home after hours of tests with that dreaded “inconclusive results” label that every parent of a medically fragile kids hate. (You know,the label that makes you not sleep at night because you aren’t really sure if what they went through is a serious issue underlying that is going to poke it’s ugly head out again…or if it was just a small weird “blip” that will fade into oblivion….)

By Wednesday her head incision was definitely not looking normal and next thing we know we are heading as quick as possible to the big hospital hours away to run a ton of tests. Then she is admitted with a localized infection that has not reached the shunt. Scary times. It reaches the shunt, we start this whole roller coaster all over again, from the beginning of replacing the whole shebang. If not, and they stop it, we go home in a couple days, weary but thankful.

And here we are, two days later, eating hospital food, blogging from a Ronald McDonald house, snagging cups of ice water and praying for everything to just keep getting better so we can go home again. We learned just how tough our kid is when she simply allows them to put a couple stitches into a freshly cleaned scalp incision without a tear. Hard to watch someone you love so much go through so much…again.

But you know, there are so many things that keep you focused. Nurses who break happy news with a little dance and shuffle step just to make her smile. Doctors who visit you first because they know you have been up all night wondering what the morning will bring. Sweet food service workers who slip you a brownie with a wink because they remember you from the last time and are dismayed to know you are back, but determined to encourage you anyway.

Honestly, I want to share with you something I have learned. A hospital, and trauma, can unite people as easily as isolating them. Everyone you meet, everyone who hears and prays, parents you run into whose children or loved ones are also waiting to hear the next step…..you can spread love and kindness, or you can isolate and withdraw.

We have been blessed to encourage and be encouraged. It is in times like these that you see how blessed you are to be surrounded by people who want to help, want to give you something because it helps them as well.

SO if I can encourage you in anything today, its to ignore the circumstances and begin to focus on someone else. Pray for someone. Call someone. Reach out and start a conversation with someone who looks like they just need a warm word or two to make their day a little brighter. Words like that……….well, you will never see the end of their impact because it is like ripples on the water.

Pass it on.

Blessings to you and yours,

~Heather <3

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