I Had a Moment

So I’m sure all my ministry and counseling friends are going to analyze my coping processes when I tell you all this, and all of the CHD parents are going to probably have a "been there" moment – I experienced the most unexpected thing Friday.

After I put Pierson down for his nap and cleaned up the living room, it happened. It was like all of a sudden out of nowhere it hit me: What the heck just happened? I think that now the "storm" has cleared and we’ve had some time to relax and reflect, it all of a sudden dawned on me, everything that has happened. Yesterday marked exactly one month from the date P was diagnosed with Coarctation of the Aorta. I think that ever since then I have been so involved in the "now" of the situation that I never had time to really realize/internalize the enormity of what was happening. I mean, I understood it, I was living it; but now it’s on a reflective level. I don’t know if it was prompted by the unprecedented half hour cuddle session Pierson allowed me before his nap or just a time of calm or what, but it happened. I got to have a moment with me and my emotions. I think it was healthy.

We are beginning to really do life again. We are going out to eat, socializing, going grocery shopping, playing basketball (P’s shot and accuracy is no worse for the wear by the way) and assuming our normal every day duties and activities. Next week will be our busiest, most alive week we have had since the surgery. We may even get to swim next week! Woohoo! Pierson finally has a scabbed over chest tube site so putting this fish back in the water is on the agenda. It’s an extreme honor when we run in to people who have been praying for P while we’re out and they get to see Pierson thriving for themselves. It’s an honor to know how many people from all over, some who we have never met have been praying for Pierson. We are so humbled and so grateful. Rest assured, God has heard your cries.

It is so nice to look forward to things we have in front of us now. We appreciate each day, each moment, each milestone more now than ever. We fell in love with Disney World last year and we’re going back soon. We had no idea how special this trip would be to us when we booked it in December. This trip will be more of a celebration now than ever. P starting in the 3 year old class at school, Rangers games, UT games, UNT games and homecoming, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas…. It’s not that far away! Every event like that should be celebrated. I think it may just be that we get so lost in the every day and the expected that we forget how precious every moment is. We really shouldn’t do that. Sometimes it takes something like this to open our eyes to the gift that is each day. Each "play with me" is special, each sweet little conversation is a precious blessing -- I pray that we will be able to continue looking at P’s life, and life in general with that same perspective. It’s important to live in "get to" instead of "got to".

Oh! I also wanted to pass this along. I had a friend share the website to this organization called Preemptive Love. It’s an organization bringing life saving surgery to kids with Congenital Heart Defects in Iraq. Before, these kids would just die. End of story. No hope. That’s what would have happened to Pierson. We’re blessed enough to live in the DFW area near three fantastic hospitals that care for kiddos with CHDs. (Pretty sure we were at the best of the three!) We’re lucky enough not to be living in a war zone too. The blog on the Preemptive Love site is pretty amazing too! If you’re looking to tithe creatively this might be something to look in to.

I leave you with a picture of Pierson thoroughly enjoying a bowl of spaghetti with sauce that we (P and I) made ourselves. It has all kinds of veggies in it and flax seed. Gotta get as many nutrients in this kid as possible. He has some kid-hood to live to the fullest.