Well, it's Saturday evening, and there's plenty I could write about. Watching Mary leave was exceptionally difficult. (Did a son-in-law just write that about his mother-in-law? Of course, those of you who know Mary are not surprised in the least!) In spite of her absence, we are feeling somewhat strengthened in our spirits. Our mindset at this point is to prepare to be in the hospital another two weeks. Then when my parents come the weekend before Thanksgiving, they can help bring him home. (Obviously, we're half kidding here...but only half.)
Isaac is a very funny little boy--funny (for now, that is) in a way that is driving his parents crazy. For virtually this entire day, Isaac has been surviving on .05 liters of oxygen. That's right, .05; five one-hundredths; less than one-tenth of a liter. At one point this afternoon, we (being the wise caregivers we are) decided to see what would happen if we took him off. Any guesses? That's right, a dive right down to 88%. We left him off for about five minutes, and he just stayed 87-89%. At one point, he was smiling. Seriously?!?!
Well, the good news is, you can't go much lower than .05 liters without resigning yourself to plain old room air. I'm not sure whether to interpret Isaac's behavior as unmotivated or stubborn. Either way, I figured it required some disciplinary action so I went ahead and talked with him about the birds and bees. A nice long speech from dad ought to serve him right. (Besides, it's nice to have that conversation out of the way.)
Ok, ok, I'm getting loopy.
I keep saying this, but it can't be said too much: We are blown away by the love and support we are receiving from literally all around the world. Our seminary community has absolutely stepped it up in preparation for Mary's departure; yesterday, I think we got five or six cards in the mail from Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma. We've gotten e-mails and blog comments from as far away as China, and as close as across the street. I could easily dive into some thoughts on the Church, but I'll save it for later. Thanks for being part of the Body!
2 weeks ago
5 comments:
Wow, sweet friends, I am constantly amazed keeping up with this road you are traveling right now...you are not alone! You have a Heavenly Father who knows ALL your needs and His body who continues to act on His Spirit's prompting to meet those needs! I am SO encouraged by YOU GUYS, persevering with humility and dependence on HIS strength! MUCH love and prayers from us...
We love you guys and pray that you can all be home together very soon. Thankful that you have the seminary community (among others) supporting you right now!
Wow...it's so great you could have the "talk." Most parents wait until their child has been married about 5 years...you are so in the 99 percentile!
A little humor is great...and yet, we know there is plenty of apprehension to go around too.
Our prayers are with you, holding you, and longing for the day when you can load the little guy up and take him home!
And then...he can have the "talk" with Joshua & Jenna. You are now off the hook!
Hugs...
You have a special little guy there! He is not going to be coerced into anyone else's sense of normality. What a wonderful and sometimes annoying characteristic....that is so familial..I mean, familiar to me.
He's getting there on his own time. You might as well practice some other parenting speeches a while. It seems that he is a good listener.
You and Janel should go out in the sunshine for just a little while today. Love you!
Isaac...you had the whole entire Kairos School praying for you and your family this weekend with one special "pray-er" lifting you up in prayer ALL WEEKEND LONG!! I hope you learn someday how special you are to sooo many people; some who don't even know you and have never seen you. To your mom & dad and Joshua & Jenna; you also were lifted up in prayer...many people are praying for you...hang in there until once again you are all together at home.
Love & Prayers, Jan
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