Three Magical Words

(Author warning: Kelvin)

To clarify, this is not my original saying, but I have borrowed it from a wise friend. My friend has endured the mental and physical struggles of suffering a brain injury while in his 30’s. Mentally, he is 110%, but physically he is in a constant state of rehab and takes meds to help with fine motor skills. A while back he went deer hunting with me. One evening after a couple of beers and too little sleep his meds were not very effective. He had bad tremors and needed help getting to bed. While I was helping him walk across the travel trailer, he poured out the Three Magical Words of wisdom and insight to me. They were simple words. When taken in the context of what all he has been through and goes through daily, I found them profound. He had managed to sum up volumes of doctors ledgers, numerous pharmaceutical journals, dozens of surgeries and thousands of hours of rehab in three words; Genius!

Sometimes we tend to over-analyze our situation and get buried in the details. We all do it. We look at Emma’s situation and wonder: what is the root cause of the genetic misalignment? Where did it start? Why did it develop? Why Emma? Our frustration builds. We find faith and strength. We lose it. We find it again. We wonder about the future. We feel guilty for wondering about the future. We celebrate the great friends who care of us. We hate that they need to help us. It’s a vicious cycle. So, we have found solace in sometimes just saying the Three Magic Words. It is a multi-vitamin for your emotions. It purges just as well as tears. It answers all those questions that you can’t find answers for. I think it is healthy.

So, friends, I offer to you the Three Magical Words, a phrase which transcends generation, race, gender and socio-economic status, the one that answers everything short of E=mc2, the saying which was no doubt developed by those who really knew what they were saying…


...


...


...

...This is bullsh!t.

The world keeps turning

How is it that even though I feel like our world has come to a standstill, it keeps humming along at its normal pace as if nothing is wrong? How can we still be driving places, buying things, going to soccer and gymnastics, planning the next WOW(Worship on Wednesday for kids) activity, cooking dinner or ordering pizza because both babies are crying or one is balled up in pain, grocery shopping, doing homework, taking tests online, getting donations for the school festival, working, doing charity work, worshipping the God who knows our pain intimately and sees each tear but seems silent, watching another baby flourish, and continue to do all the other things everyone does every day while our sweet angel is suffering so? I feel like I am standing on a busy sidewalk and the world around me is going by so fast it's just a blur.

Please Pray for Emma

Emma is in a lot of pain. Please pray for her.

Even though she is in the late innings of the game our faith is strong in God's ability to heal. We have not stopped praising His Almighty Power and we recognize His ability to heal anyone. We also lift a prayer of relief for Emma. Please join us in prayer that she be free of pain, totally free.

Kelvin

Something funny

So, I'm reading an article the other day about Obama getting the Peace Prize, and said something to that effect out loud. Luke says, "Yay! I voted for Obama. Is he a him or a her?" at which Kelvin and I about fell on the floor laughing. So innocent!

Happy Monday!

Just Emma

Some of Emma's favorite spots to catch a nap...



About this time last year...


This year


Oh yeah, the boppy pillow is much better


Emma's having a pretty good day today. She got up really early, around 4:30, and had a dirty diaper. After I changed her she was extrememly restless and shaky, so I gave her some of her sedative. She settled a little bit, but got up around 6:45. I was afraid it was going to by a sad day because she began to cry at one point. I think she needed a little Mommy touch, because she settled pretty quickly after I gave her some attention and went right to sleep in one of her favorite spots...the big bean bag chair. After her short morning nap, she ate well, and was pretty sprightly, so I thought I would try her in the cool bouncy activity thing.



I think she liked it. She was lifting her head some and turning it back and forth. She was still content there when her PT came, so the PT session was in the cool bouncy thing. She gave a few little grins, so I think she liked it. Afterward, she crashed out again in her favorite chair. I think it's time for a late afternoon lunch, so off we go to the high chair! The best part of the day so far was the huge toothy smile I got when I was changing her clothes this morning! Talk about make a mommy's day! She knows just the way to do it! Emma ate like a champ at lunch and after her belly was full, the nurse aid showed up to give the little darling a massage. She really enjoys those, but then, who doesn't?

Raindrops keep fallin on my head

We had a most lovely time at the lake this weekend. It rained and rained, but we were able to get in a boat ride and some fishing along with some rope swings off the deck. (Man, do I ever need to brush up on my rope swing skills!) Some very dear friends of ours gave us the keys to their adorable family lake house for the weekend, so we packed up and headed out. Friday night was beautiful sitting on the porch, watching the moon on the water and listening to the wind blow through the crunchy leaves on the huge trees which surrounded us. I felt like we were in a tree house. The next day brought rain, but we got some fun in before it came, and it didn't slow us down much, really. What's a little rain anyway? We're sweet, but we won't melt. Saturday afternoon was relaxing as I again enjoyed sitting on the porch watching the rain and listening to all the sounds it brought with it. Emma liked it too. She enjoys being outside. A screened in porch is just the way to go! The mosquitoes have been a little worse than terrible lately, so screen is good. I think the funniest part of the weekend was yesterday when I was packing up. Emma was lying on the floor on her pallet, and I put Cora down near her. Cora made her way over to the closet thing she could find to suck on, because everything goes in her mouth these days, and you'll never guess what she found...




Emma's big toe! Apparently, not only does Cora like sucking on her own toes, Emma's seem equally tasty!

The Long-Awaited Website is Here

You heard it here first, folks. The long-awaited Emma's Hugs website is now up and running and looks marvelous, I might add. In case you're new to the blog or don't remember what Emma's Hugs is, let me catch you up to speed...

Kelvin, my best friend and fabulous husband, is a thinker. Some of you are probably aware that he spent many days and nights in the Texas Medical Center when his dad was battling cancer. Many dollars were given to the parking machines during this time. It's amazing how quickly $12/day parking adds up and begins to put a strain on one's budget. Kelvin had the thought then of how nice it would be to have an organization that would help people cover the costs associated with spending any significant amount of time in the med center. Well, after Emma was diagnosed, Kelvin begin thinking again. He found a productive way to channel all of the negative energy that comes with grieving the terminal diagnosis of one's child into something wonderful. Additionally, he noticed the incredibly positive impact that Emma was having on everyone who heard her story. That influence needed an environment to thrive, and thus Emma's Hugs was born. Emma's Hugs exists to help pay for parking and food expenses for those who find themselves in the medical center for any length of time. So far during 2009 Emma's Hugs has paid for over 1,000 days of parking in the medical center. Please stop by and visit our new website for information, buy merchandise and to donate if you so choose. You can click here or go to www.emmashugs.com