It's a new day! It couldn't come fast enough for me.
First, I would like to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the virtual hugs and encouragement yesterday. I was certainly not 'fishing' for anything like that, but all of your kind words of love and support definitely lifted my spirits and helped me to remember how many WONDERFUL friends I have!
Today has been a much better day. A dear friend, whom I have not seen all summer, met me for coffee this morning. She has been such a great friend to me for years, but certainly through all of this with Clara. She has two sons with life threatening conditions, and although different from Clara's condition, she totally 'gets' what it is like to grieve the loss of your child's health and all the hopes and dreams you had for their lives. She also 'gets' what it is like to have others not take it seriously and she has learned the hard way who her friends really are. Of course, we know that God always gives us new hopes and dreams, but it can be so hard to let go of the old ones. She has been to doctor visits with me when no one else could go, she has known what to say to me in my valleys, and today, she did such a sweet thing. When I arrived at the place we met, there was a big, hot pink bag with green polka-dots hanging on my chair, and it had a big "J" monogrammed on it. First of all, can I just mention that I have wanted a pink and green bag for as long as I can remember? So, I was already excited. Then she said, "Jeannie, this may seem a little corny, but when I saw that 'J', I thought you could certainly let it stand for "Jeannie", but you could also let it stand for "Jesus". I thought you might want to use it to put all of Clara's medical records and supplies in, and know you are leaving it all with Jesus when you do that." How precious is that? I cried again, but these were not sad tears. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness. Clara's records and supplies have already been put in our new special bag, and left with Jesus. Maybe that means I can sleep tonight, since it has all been left in good hands. :-).
The day was not all that was "new" today. We had some events around here!
New....
TEETH!
Alyssa got her braces off today, and she keeps referring to her "new teeth". (It kind of sounds like she got dentures....anyway, I digress).
New...
WEBKIN.
Emilie has been saving for a long time for a new Webkin. She loves 'em!
New...
HAIRCUT!
Clara and I went to Ms. Diana's tonight to get our summer cut. Better late than never, I guess. :-)
And some plain old fun!
Silly girl.
Do you think these two love each other a little?Oh, and sorry for the blurry pictures. I took my camera from the icebox of a house, straight to the humid outdoors. It never did un-fog. Whoops.
Also, Clara had a great day today. She woke up feeling the best I have seen her since her crash. That makes this Mama's heart very happy. :-)
Also, Clara had a great day today. She woke up feeling the best I have seen her since her crash. That makes this Mama's heart very happy. :-)
Many blessings, friends! Have a great night!
Love,
Jeannie
Love,
Jeannie
SOOOOOO happy to see this post!!! And the Jesus bag....I cried too!!!!
ReplyDeleteBlessing to you and your beautiful flock, and prayers for another WONDERFUL day!! You deserve it!!!
Love,
Clara-Leigh
HI Jeannie,
ReplyDeleteI have been reading your blog again, and crying with you again. My 2 year old and 3 year old were looking at your pictures and I tried to give them an age appropriate version of what your family is facing. There is no age appropriate version, I've discovered. They promised to pray for Clara every night.
I will continue to pray for you, for strength when you're alone, for a clear mind, for deep, refreshing rest, for the ability to concentrate and be in the moment with your other children, for time and energy to really connect with Jeff, for forgiveness for yourself when you don't handle a situation the way you wished you had, for some extra silliness and lightness at just the right times, and for an extra strong sense of God's presence in your day to day life.
When I went into my last c-section, knowing that I might not make it, I wrote on my hand with a permanent marker, "God is sovereign. God is good." I had to keep reminding myself (not day by day, but minute by minute) that God was in control and could handle things, regardless of the outcome. Fear is a big stumbling block for me and can crowd out pretty much everything else. I totally get how other people's comments that minimize the situation are so maddening and deflating. I pray that you won't have many of those to deal with. I pray that God will protect you physically and that the battle you are fighting for Clara won't take a physical toll on your health. I pray for good, clear, helpful information that you can categorize and organize in your mind. I pray for you to have more and more encouraging supporters around you who know when to play cheerleader and when to be silent. I pray God will take all of these scary, disappointing and confusing times and make them into something you can look back on and see His faithfulness, grace and guidance. You have such a load to carry right now. I so admire the way you are handling things. I am rooting for you and your beautiful family!!
Amy Smith Wheeler