MRI

Naomi's MRI went well. I think we are all emotionally spent. She was fine until she got into the pre-op room. She had streams of quiet tears rolling down her face as we waited. She just didn't know what was going to happen and so she was afraid. the anesthesiologist was a very nice young man. Sweet and yet steady with Naomi. Did you know that they flavor the mask now? There was bubble gum, cotton, candy, strawberry and other such flavors for the kids to enjoy. When it was time to go in, Dustin carried her into the room and laid her on the MRI table and he was able to give her the mask himself. Dustin said she had a firm grip on his hand and he had to hold the mask with the other one and count to 10. After she fell asleep, he released her hand to leave but she was still grasping tightly onto one of his fingers. He actually had to pry her hand open and leave the room. (I would have been a sobbing wreck)

Since only one parent can go with the child, I walked to the waiting room and it was the worse feeling I have ever had. To walk into that room without Naomi or Dustin and sit by myself was slightly excruciating. I didn't know what to do with myself. About the time I sat down and started to pray, Dustin walked in and sat beside me. He was visible "touched" by the scene that I had described earlier. We just sat there in quiet and let out a sigh of relief. That part was over, now it was time to wait.

One thing of note is that the waiting room had some really great music playing. It was all modern Christian music and I was shocked to hear it. When I walked into the room by myself, Indescribable was playing by Chris Tomlin. That is a special song for Naomi and I and I was so thankful to God to have ordained that to be playing in the background when I entered the room. The second cool thing was that when I listened to my iPod, another family favorite song was playing. It is a children's song to Psalm 86:17 " You, Oh Lord, have helped me and comforted me."

We couldn't believe the music being played and I wondered if Dustin and I were the only ones who could hear it. It was such a comfort to us. Naomi came out the anesthesia really well and we have strict orders to relax, watch movies and vegg out till tomorrow. Hopefully we will get answers tonight.

MRI Eve

Tomorrow morning Naomi goes in for her MRI. A friend of mine was asking what to pray for and I went through a verbal list. Pray for Naomi to handle the fasting okay, that she would be brave and courageous, and handle the anesthesia well. Those are the things that have preoccupied my mind today. My friend looked at me and then said, "And for good results too." I hadn't even thought about the results! I was just taking the next step in front of me and I figure we would worry about the results after we actually got the MRI done with.

Being born with a clef palette and having Multiple Sclerosis, I am no stranger to hospitals and medical procedures. Shoot, I have lost count of the amount of MRIs I have done, yet this one is a bit unnerving to me. Something about seeing my tiny daughter asleep in the MRI chamber stirs my heart uncomfortably. I would really like to skip the whole thing altogether. After all, we think we have solved the problems with visits to the chiropractor but just in case.... just incase there is something terribly wrong, we need to have a look. So no matter how much I try to weasel out of this, there is no way around it.

I was feeling confident about the whole thing and then Dustin started to get a stomach ache and is feeling miserable. Oh, geez. I really need him to be well so he can drive us to Santa Barbara. (My fatigue does not allow me to be able to drive there and back in one day.) And it dawned on me that I am relying so much on my husband when what I really need is to rely on the Lord. So on the eve of Naomi's MRI, I will sit quietly with my God and ask Him to work everything out according to His will and His glory.

Eavesdropping gone awry

Josiah: Daddy, why is Mommy going to make copies with Jessica?

Daddy: huh?

Naomi: (from the other room) COFFEE! Not copies! She is going to have COFFEE with Jessica!!

Mommy: You don't need to be listening to my phone conversations.

Josiah: Oh! Coffee. I just couldn't figure out why you wanted to make copies with her.

Currently off the shelf....

Excerpt taken from page 1:

" There has never been a generation whose general view of marriage is high enough. The chasm between the biblical vision of marriage and the human vision is now, and has always been, gargantuan. Some cultures in history respect the importance and the permanence of marriage more than others. Some, like our own, have such low, casual, take-it-or-leave-it attitudes toward marriage as to make the biblical vision seem ludicrous to most people."

This is just page 1 people! The first paragraph! I can already tell God is going to do some serious paradigm shifting in my brain.

Advent Fast Complete

Our fast for the Advent season this year has ended. Dustin gave up coffee and I gave up cheese and we both gave up our weekly date night. We thought that we would find relief from the restrictions of the fast and feel a sense of reprieve when it was over. The truth is that we do not have that sense of relief because nothing compares to Jesus. There is no greater indulgence than knowing our Savior; all else pales in comparison. So while we are able to "indulge," we have found that our true indulgence was time in the Word and in prayer. Coffee and cheese can wait, we have a God to get to know better.

Advent Day 24

On the eve of the end of our fast I have come to one conclusion. Fasting needs to be a regular part of my walk with Jesus. I hunger for the presence of my God and long to be intimate with Him. Why would I not be demonstrating that to Him by fasting?

I am reminded of the longing of the Jewish people who went without hearing from God for 400 years until that glorious night when the angels put on a magnificent show before lowly shepherds to announce the birth of the son of God. How the hearts of the shepherds must have soared! I am sure they ran, and I mean ran, back to Bethlehem. Their minds racing, trying to capture everything they saw, heard, smelled, felt..... and then to find a small baby wrapped in swaddling clothes just as the angels said. Confirmation. Did they feel pride that they were the first to know? Or did they want to bury their faces in the dirt and bow low before the King of Kings? I bet they stayed up all night discussing these events. One might have said to the other, "Did you see the look on Ham's face when the angels began to sing?" "Ham? I couldn't take my eyes off the angel before me with the trumpet! I have never heard such a sound before. "

That same excitement has permeated our house. Although we have not been visited by angels, we have been touched by the Spirit of God. And we are able to join with the angels in praising God. Not only has God showed Himself as Emmanuel (God With Us) 2000 years ago, God is today in us for those who believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the Lamb who has taken away the sins of the world.

What a glorious Christmas season this is for our family.

Geek

I am such a dork. Somehow I signed up to follow my on blog. ROTFLOL!!