Our youngest, Emma had the 'pleasure' of making a visit to our Children's Hospital yesterday to have her tonsils an adenoids removed. We have been preparing for this wonderful event for several weeks. As the day approached her anticipation turned to worry, fear and tears! As I laid in her bed with her Wednesday night we were reading a story about a family where the son was fearful of his father contracting a deadly disease and they were reminded to give their fear to the Lord. Asking Him to be in control of the situation and trusting Him to take care of the father. We finished our reading for the evening and put the book away.
I looked at Emma as tears began to fall and asked her what was wrong. She said, "I am scared something will go wrong tomorrow during the surgery." It was so neat to be able to immediately refer back to the story we had just read. I asked her, "Emma what did the boy in the story do when he was scared and fearful?" "He prayed and asked God to take care of it," she said. So right there we stopped and prayed that God would take care of her and that He would give her a PEACE that was beyond all understanding, so that when she felt it... she would KNOW it was from HIM.
I woke up early yesterday morning with a song immediately running through my mind, "Peace be still, peace be still, please be still... and know that I am God." A word from the Lord to start my day.
As we were waiting in her room at the hospital for the procedure to take place, Emma was watching a movie. All of a sudden she sat up in her bed looked right at me and said, "I'm not scared anymore mom", then laid right back down. I asked her, "Emma do you know why?" She responded with a little smile, "because God has given me PEACE."
How awesome to see your 9 year old - GET IT! How awesome to call on the power of an almighty God who moves mountains and parts the seas ... and yet cares about the fear and worry of a 9 year old. God made Himself KNOWN to Emma in that hospital room. She honestly was fine... no tears or anxiety even as they rolled her out of the room to surgery.
There was much humor throughout the day as she started to come out of her anesthesia. She has been VERY emotional to say the least. On the way home, she told me she felt "trapped in her body" because she isn't allowed to blow her nose or cough for some time. She was met by special gifts when she arrived home and when I returned from picking up her meds and brought her a balloon and small Valentine snow-globe, she looked at it and started sobbing!! Oh my, I asked her what was wrong and between sobs she said, "is this all for me, thank you mom... I feel SO loved!" Her aunt sent her a video message e-mail and she broke down again. Her class at school sent home cards they had made, which brought a HUGE smile to her face!!
We are thankful....the procedure went well with no complications. All of her nurses and doctors were wonderful. Emma responded very well and had a good day. The evening even went smoothly with very little pain, but I knew that night was coming and the full affects of the IV meds would wear off and we might be in for some rough waters. Emma ended up on a make-shift bed on my floor.... snoring so loud it sounded like a freight train going through my room! At 4:00am - it came to a screeching halt! Her throat was dry and killing her... I started in with liquids, ice chips and a popsicle. Anything to get something cold in there so I could get her to swallow her pain medicine. When I returned to the room from the kitchen and sat down beside her as she was whimpering... I quietly said, "why don't we ask Jesus to help take the pain away?" With big tears in her eyes, she looked up and said, "mom, I just did that." Again, I was humbled and thankful. That my little girl, in the middle of her pain, knew exactly WHERE to go for help!
This journey of recovery is just beginning. We have already had a rough morning. As I type this post, she is finally asleep on the couch after some very good meds taking effect. I am thankful beyond words for the ways God has made himself known over the past 24 hours for my little girl. Friends and family have called, texted, e-mailed and stopped by. Emma has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and concern, and I am overwhelmed and privileged to be able to watch as God has seen fit to extend His love, grace, protection and PEACE to this family in very tangible ways... especially to one little 9 year old girl!
I looked at Emma as tears began to fall and asked her what was wrong. She said, "I am scared something will go wrong tomorrow during the surgery." It was so neat to be able to immediately refer back to the story we had just read. I asked her, "Emma what did the boy in the story do when he was scared and fearful?" "He prayed and asked God to take care of it," she said. So right there we stopped and prayed that God would take care of her and that He would give her a PEACE that was beyond all understanding, so that when she felt it... she would KNOW it was from HIM.
I woke up early yesterday morning with a song immediately running through my mind, "Peace be still, peace be still, please be still... and know that I am God." A word from the Lord to start my day.
As we were waiting in her room at the hospital for the procedure to take place, Emma was watching a movie. All of a sudden she sat up in her bed looked right at me and said, "I'm not scared anymore mom", then laid right back down. I asked her, "Emma do you know why?" She responded with a little smile, "because God has given me PEACE."
How awesome to see your 9 year old - GET IT! How awesome to call on the power of an almighty God who moves mountains and parts the seas ... and yet cares about the fear and worry of a 9 year old. God made Himself KNOWN to Emma in that hospital room. She honestly was fine... no tears or anxiety even as they rolled her out of the room to surgery.
There was much humor throughout the day as she started to come out of her anesthesia. She has been VERY emotional to say the least. On the way home, she told me she felt "trapped in her body" because she isn't allowed to blow her nose or cough for some time. She was met by special gifts when she arrived home and when I returned from picking up her meds and brought her a balloon and small Valentine snow-globe, she looked at it and started sobbing!! Oh my, I asked her what was wrong and between sobs she said, "is this all for me, thank you mom... I feel SO loved!" Her aunt sent her a video message e-mail and she broke down again. Her class at school sent home cards they had made, which brought a HUGE smile to her face!!
We are thankful....the procedure went well with no complications. All of her nurses and doctors were wonderful. Emma responded very well and had a good day. The evening even went smoothly with very little pain, but I knew that night was coming and the full affects of the IV meds would wear off and we might be in for some rough waters. Emma ended up on a make-shift bed on my floor.... snoring so loud it sounded like a freight train going through my room! At 4:00am - it came to a screeching halt! Her throat was dry and killing her... I started in with liquids, ice chips and a popsicle. Anything to get something cold in there so I could get her to swallow her pain medicine. When I returned to the room from the kitchen and sat down beside her as she was whimpering... I quietly said, "why don't we ask Jesus to help take the pain away?" With big tears in her eyes, she looked up and said, "mom, I just did that." Again, I was humbled and thankful. That my little girl, in the middle of her pain, knew exactly WHERE to go for help!
This journey of recovery is just beginning. We have already had a rough morning. As I type this post, she is finally asleep on the couch after some very good meds taking effect. I am thankful beyond words for the ways God has made himself known over the past 24 hours for my little girl. Friends and family have called, texted, e-mailed and stopped by. Emma has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and concern, and I am overwhelmed and privileged to be able to watch as God has seen fit to extend His love, grace, protection and PEACE to this family in very tangible ways... especially to one little 9 year old girl!
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