Our Miracle is Five!

Elijah (our third) is turning five today! Four years ago today, Elijah weighed 10 lbs on his one year birthday. In fact he was two ounces shy, but the nurse fudged it so he could have surgery. Four years ago today, we didn't know if Elijah would walk, talk, or even make it to today. Four years ago today, we were very scared, but afraid to say how scared we were, because we didn't want to admit that it was bad. We were even afraid to pray. The elders at our church asked if they could pray over him, we told them it wasn't that bad; we let them do it anyway (and I'm glad we did!) My parents called everyday, most days I told them only the good things, so I wouldn't have to remember anything bad.

They cut his spinal cord in surgery that day, because it was tied in a knot around his spine. They weren't sure how much it would help, if at all, but God knew. We were in the one city, at the one hospital, with the one surgeon, who knew exactly what was happening and how to fix it. And she did because God placed us there so that He could be glorified!

Three long hours after they took him back, the surgeon came to tell us that all had gone well. And that Elijah should lay on his back as much as possible for the next five days, and we would stay with him at the children's hospital while he rested for several days. Two hours after getting out of surgery, he stood up and threw himself over the railing of his crib, landed on the IV stand and needed steri-strips above his eye. We were so excited! He used his legs, and his arms! He did great for two weeks.

But then we had setback after setback, as he would improve in the hospital and as soon as we went home, he'd regress. His immune system was shot and he had an infection that went undetected for nine months, resulting in nine months of in and out hospitalizations. And Elijah was sleeping for 22 hours each day. He was a different child than before the surgery, than before he'd been sick. Eventually, they figured out the right combination of antibiotics and he slowly got stronger.

Then we realized that his bladder and bowels were not functioning properly. He had in a catheter for several months starting just last summer, but God once again provided the right doctor just at the right time. One hour before he would have had a colostomy, the surgeon made a phone call and we walked across the hospital to a gastro doctor that we'd called before and were told he didn't have any opening until July (it was April). And the surgery we thought was inevitable and was the opposite of what we wanted was cancelled. A long weekend and many months later and it is today.

Elijah is turning five today! He is a wealthy weight and height and in the 50th percentile for his age! He can walk, run, jump and play like every other child his age. He can talk, and play games, and tell jokes. He can stay awake for an entire day and fall asleep exhausted at night from all the fun he's had. He has been using the potty successfully for four whole months and never has accidents and doesn't have any extra bags or tubes to make it happen!

So more than usual, we have a lot to celebrate today. And a lot to praise God for! So, today, as I watch Elijah swim in the pool, run across the not so freshly mowed yard, and hear him shout with excitement over his cake and presents, I will be praising God for every moment that He has given us to enjoy our n0t-so-little-anymore Miracle!

Witness to Tragedy

Yesterday, the warmest Saturday that the area has seen all summer and the first Saturday in several weeks that my husband hasn't had to work, our entire family was loaded in the truck and headed up the gorge to put the boat in the water. Suddenly, we became witness to a tragic accident. We were several cars behind the accident, so didn't see everything clearly. But what was clear is that a man, partying with his friends had fallen out of a moving convertible. By the time Scott and I pulled over and ran to help (we were both trained EMT's and firefighters), it was obvious that the man wasn't going to make it. Despite this fact, we attempted chest compressions, not quite willing to concede hope.

But it's really what we saw next that shocked everyone the most and has bothered me since. The driver of the vehicle he was in, and one other passenger, turned the car around, came back and looked at their "friend" and then drove off back towards town. I understand they likely panicked and didn't know how to respond. They had likely been drinking and were scared. But it still seems especially callous, and even more so that it is the next morning and they haven't come forward even to give a name to the victim.

I'm not sure why this has stuck with me for so long, I mean while working with the fire department, I saw my share of trauma and it didn't really bother me. I think the best way I can put it is that it somehow it bothers me and makes me wonder, would my friends do the same to me or would I do the same to them. Obviously I don't expect to find myself either driving or being the person standing while driving at excessive speeds on a highway, but in life, we often see someone fall in other ways. And I'm certain there have been times that my fear of getting involved in the mess or just not caring enough has caused me to leave my friends on the side of the road when they needed help. I can remember one conversation with a friend that I'd grown up with who was visiting from across the country; she was telling me that she was considering a divorce and although I talked her through it that night and discouraged her, I never followed up. She was across the country and I didn't have time to take care of the problems she was facing and become involved. I've now lost contact with her and always regret the way I handled it.

Sticking around someone that's been hurt or had a bad fall is hard. You have to say difficult things, you can't be in a cozy spot pretending all is right, you have to get caught up in the messiness of someone else's life. And it isn't usually the choice that going to gain you popularity points either. I find it a lot easier to stand at a distance and gossip with others about how I would never be caught in that situation or what I would have done differently. Maybe this is a challenge to me to stop and look around, to be willing to be there when someone falls, to be willing to stop what I'm busy with and put others first.

And it's also a picture of what Christ did for us - we were all fallen, unable to get up and unable to do anything for ourselves and Christ was willing to die for us, to give us his name, his identity, so that we may have real life.

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