Prayer Warriors,
Lindsey convinced
me to fill our quiet, plan-free evening with a trip to the park. We were out on
the playground as the sun was setting over the Rockies; Simon made a mess of
those chow mien noodles we brought to eat at the park’s shelter. We had the
place to ourselves for a while; I caught myself grumbling when the
after-dinner-rush of kids showed up. They come with those random shouts and
exaggerated screams as they go about their play. All of which can startle Anna.
By God’s grace, I focused instead on our play, we jumped right in and got busy
having fun. Simon was delighting so much he even let out a couple of squeals of
laughter brimming over. Lindsey and I took turns rolling Anna around in
circles, over the bridges, and down the corridors of the play structures.
There were
these two boys maybe 7 years old that stopped to tell Lindsey something as they
observed her running around with Anna. Sweet Anna pie couldn’t hide her smiles,
drool, and her very unique sounds of laughter. Those boys told Lindsey: “I can
tell she’s having fun!” That comment made a good night golden as we treasured it
up into our hearts.
Those were kind
words, words of perspective to us parents that try so often to please and
comfort our daughter. We are often tempted to think either that our efforts are
never enough, or that our efforts are too much. But those kids let us know that
that night everything was just right.
There are
many lessons and guides in the Bible about parenting. One that is most dear to
me is a simple detail in Jesus’ birth narrative about a parent’s heart. In Luke
2:18 and similarly again in verse 51, Mary is “Treasuring all these things in
her heart and meditating on them.” Contextually in verse 18 Mary was treasuring
comments that the Shepherds made when they ran from the hillside after seeing
the heavenly hosts of angels announcing the Savior’s birth and how “the glory
of the Lord shone”. In verse 51 what Mary was treasuring up in her heart is a
bit broader. Like the experience of parenting itself was of great worth to
recall and to store in her heart. I read a comment about this verse speculating
that Luke may not only have been inspired by the Holy Spirit to write it, but
that he may have gotten the chance to talk to Mary and hear her account. So potentially
those were Mary’s words to describe her rich joy through her Son. Phew, what gracious
and challenging point of view to see your kid from.
So what am I
treasuring up in my heart about Anna? It is when people speak life about her,
when people offer a godly perspective about her condition, or perhaps a
prophetic word, or a benediction. Or in this case its two young boys saying “I
can tell she’s having fun.” This aspect
of parenting has become a vital source of joy overriding many hardships.
Please Pray:
-Tomorrow,
(Wednesday) Anna has her sleep study. We have never done this before because
she used to sleep through the night. Two of her specialists anticipate seeing
sleep apnea. Regardless its no surprise to God who we trust in and lean on. We
ask God for an accurate test, for good health going into the test, for Lindsey
to aid Anna to rest. Anna will sleep in a room hooked up to a bunch of
monitors.
-We had a
pre-surgery meeting with the GI surgeon to talk about the Nissin Fundoplication
surgery. It reminds us of our stem cells crossroads. The door is open, but is
it what God wants for her. We have found a huge reduction in reflux by doing continuous
feeds into the intestine. But that means she is hooked up all day. It seems to
be a quality of life thing, but the side effects of the surgery still spook. We
are waiting, and need guidance and wisdom.
-We have
been looking into ramp vans that can anchor Anna in her wheel chair. They are
complicated and more expensive. This is not an immediate need but it could make
things so much easier in winter. We are
trying to decide what is the best for our family. It is a huge financial
mountain as we still want to keep ourselves from debt. Please pray for creative
solutions and a plan.
-Pray for
Anna’s schooling. We have decided to take her out of her school because of her
persistent illnesses. We can reenroll anytime. The school will send a teacher once
a week to our home. We enrolled Anna in a communication device program through
Children’s hospital also to replace some of what she was doing at the school. We
are looking for more social stuff too. We are shifting from a vision priority
to a speech/communication priority in her learning.
Thankful to
God for you! Y’all are MVP’s in the spirit world!
Nic, Lindsey,
Anna, and Simon
