Thankful

I took Leo to the O.T. again this morning. We missed a few weeks and his therapist was amazed with how much progress he's made just in those few weeks! He is doing well, and she even bragged about him to the receptionist (who was helping me schedule out more appointments) about how he'd gone from basically no movement in that arm at all to really moving it! He's still weak in a few areas, but I hope those too will be overcome soon.

Coming and going to and from Childrens' Hospital week in and week out, you start to become aware of just HOW MUCH can go wrong with the health and development of a child. A brachial plexus injury just doesn't seem that bad all of a sudden, when, as I saw today, a mom walks in supporting her weak and bald pre-teen, who has tubes attached, obviously in a lot of discomfort from her battle with some type of cancer. And I think back to Barbara's friend Frankie from playgroup years ago. I'll never forget the day her mom was at my house for playgroup, telling us other moms that she was worried about Frankie's lethargy and limping around for no apparent reason. She had been googling the symptoms and leukemia was one of the things that came up. We reassured her that we were sure it was not that, but to just talk to her pediatrician to calm her fears. Well, several days later, after some blood tests, Frankie was rushed to Childrens- she had leukemia. She was 2 and a half at the time. For several years she went through treatments, and as of now, at age 7 remains in remission. I remember going to visit her at Children's Hospital and every time I take Leo I think of those visits to the children's cancer ward.

Why am I thinking of all this? I am just thinking today of all my blessings. Of how I could have four so very healthy children. And of how easily things could be different. God didn't want parents to have to watch their children suffer, but he allowed us to choose it when he loved us enough to give us free will. But the one thing that is certain is that He is ALWAYS, ALWAYS there to walk us through any trials in our lives, He's just waiting for us to choose Him. To turn to him to make things right in a broader sense, in a spiritual sense. Because ultimately, we were not made for this world, we were made for Him.