GRATEFUL

Last Tuesday I got the call from the school that no parent ever wants to hear... Come quickly.  Your daughter is hurt.  Unconscious.   EMS has been called.  That was the longest two minutes to the school ever.  Caleb and I prayed all the way there.  We heard the ambulance coming as we ran in the front door.

The fourth grade had been on the stage preparing their upcoming music program.  Emily was standing on the next to the top riser.  Apparently it was really hot up there with the stage lights on, and she fainted.  No one was on the riser behind her, so she fell over the back and hit her head on the stage floor.  The teacher who ran to help her had to call her name several times before she roused.  When I arrived, she was awake but still lying still until the paramedics arrived.  They evaluated her and checked all of her vitals.  They gave us the all clear to take her home if we wished, but advised us to observe her closely through the evening.  Many thanks to the principal and wonderful staff at our school.  They gave Emily loving and cosiderate care until I could be there.   

My attention and perspective made an about face that afternoon.  Before the call, I was busy.  I had important things to do.  Preparations for a party to attend to.  Dinner to make.  Pillows to sew.  A chair to strip down.  Gifts to wrap.  Grocery lists to prepare.  Photos to edit.  A post to write. 

That huge, important (or so I thought) to-do list melted away when we arrived home and walked through the door with Emily-praise the Lord!  We spent the next few hours just sitting. And snuggling on the couch.  And reading together.  She was soon asking to go out and play basketball (a request that was denied for the evening).

After returning home from school the next afternoon, she said all of her sweet friends were concerned about her and wanting to know if she was o.k.  A few even brought her a little something to show they cared.   That warmed this Mom's heart to hear how all of them were so concerned for her well-being.

So today, during this season of Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for good health.  For dedicated teachers and school administrators.  For caring friends.  For a supportive and loving husband.  For an almost 12 year old boy who still laughs his head off at kids' movies.  For having plenty.  For a Saviour.  I'm humbled at how good He is to me and how much I don't deserve one bit of the blessings He pours out in my life.

And, I'm mindful of those who are not so blessed in all the ways I am.  Heavy on my heart this season is our friend Xander, who you all have met in a previous post.  Thank you ever so much for those of you joining me in prayer for him and his family.  Just to update you, it has been almost 2 weeks since his stem cell transplant.  He began the first of 15 radiation treatments yesterday.  In the mean time he is resting and waiting for his body to accept his Mom's stem cells.  This precious family still has a long road ahead-will you continue to join me in praying for peace, comfort, healing, and God's will to be done for Xander? And, if you feel led to help, there is a fundraiser set up for the family that you can take part in.  Thank you.  It's amazing what can be accomplished when we all pitch in together!