Showers of Blessings

The last few updates have been a bit..bleak which is not intentional. But after ten at night, I tend to feel overwhelmed with all that is facing us, and that is when I generally have time to update, so that is what you here.

So, for tonight, here are some of the positive things you may not have heard...

The visit with the orthopedic today went well. The bones are fusing; progress is being made. When we return for surgery in early November, they may choose to allow Will to sleep without the brace and wear it only for activity. So we have hope that it may get easier.

Will and I did catch the stomach virus working its way through the family, but Will avoided the ER. It was close...I had my shoes on and was packing the bag when he begged me to not go. His bp was holding, but not his heart rate, so I gave him 30 minutes. He held his own, so I let him sleep and today he awakened vastly improved. Not spending the night in the ER is a huge blessing.

The hotel we are in is perfectly located for the situation in which we found ourselves. It is north of the city (the hospital is about half an hour away), but any shop or restaurant (including Jersey Mike's, one of Will's favorites!) is literally around the corner. We have a kitchen, so we were able to survive being ill and we didn't have to get in the car to find food. One quick trip through Walmart was all that we needed. We saved money AND survived the stomach virus. :)

Someone recently asked how finances were, especially since the kids were in school. Sometimes it is easy for me to focus on that bottom line and have no idea how we are going to do all of this. But, at the same time, I recognize that by all rights, we should be in foreclosure. The amount of money that has been required to handle all of the travel, the school expenses, and the medical bills is such that we should have already lost our house. But we have not missed a payment. We may pay it on the last possible day without it being late, but we have not been late with a payment. The Lord has totally provided everything we have needed each step of the way. This trip, I had no clue how we were going to do this. But the hotel points we have earned totally paid for the hotel (the hotel that has a kitchen!), and a church here in Ohio actually helped cover the rest of the expenses.

Let's not forget Angel Flight. We have not had to make the drive to Ohio since the infamous trip in May when we toured the hospitals between Cincinnati and home. Angel Flight has been a HUGE blessing. I truly have no idea how we would have managed this if we had had to drive Will each time.

We have friends here in Ohio who are determined to let us know that we are not alone. Every time we are in Cincinnati, we are invited for lunch, dinner, or even a cup of coffee and reminded that, while we may be far from home, we have a home away from home. We never feel alone. To feel so welcome in a distant city and to know that you can call someone if you have a crisis is a gift beyond measure.

Guest services at CCHMC is amazing. We walked in today and Kim came from around her desk and gave us a hug because she remembers us. We asked for information on the Freedom Museum, and she gave us tickets. I expected them to be discount tickets, but alas, no. We can visit this museum for no cost. I have had William read Uncle Tom's Cabin just so we could visit this museum and he would grasp the importance of it. But to visit it for free when our budget is so tight is a HUGE gift. And to be welcomed back to the hospital, while it may seem odd, is also a huge gift.

So yes, I do occasionally want to stomp my foot and yell, "Seriously?!", but I recognize that we are indeed blessed beyond meausre. Yeah, I sometimes want to ask to be let off of this hurtling train, but at the same time, it is amazing to stand by and watch the Lord work out all of the details that seem insurmountable to me.

So thanks for bearing with my bleakness, and thanks for sharing in the joy we have had in this journey.