It has been one week since Kennady went into the hospital and today she goes back to school!  She was admitted into Dell Children’s hospital because of severe vomiting.  The source of the nausea was low sodium levels.  It took eliminating all food and drink to get her levels correct again.  It was a drastic step.  The doctors telling you that your child can not eat or drink anything for the next 36 hours is intense.  Erica actually asked them, “Would you treat a normal child like this.” The answer was yes.

It only took a few more hours and she was doing better.  We were sent home on Friday night.

During that time, life goes on.  Our other two boys are doing their 6yr and 8yr old thing.    I have to pastor a church.  Erica balances life, school, mothering, being a wife.  The rest of the world doesn’t stop.  It takes the GRACE of GOD to maneuver through.  We decide several things:

1. We need help.  When people ask what they can do, we have learned to tell them.  It is so difficult.  Our natural response is to say “Thank you” and then not use their help.  However, we have learned that people are blessed when they help and we need the help.  It is a double blessing. Every time we go through a challenge at this level, we have a huge outpouring of prayers and people calling to support.  We had people buying breakfast, visiting, helping with our kids, and more. Here is a clip that “Grana” took when she went to field day with Jude.

2. We need to connect.  Before the storm comes we need to connect with people.  We make the conscious decision and effort to connect to a local church body.  I don’t know what we would do without our church family.

3. We need to focus on the need.  We need to be there for our daughter.  God has put us in her life to raise her, provide, and protect.  We need to research the conditions. We need to TAKE INITIATIVE with the doctors and nurses.

4.  We need to keep moving.  We must have balance and continue to walk through the rest of our life with as much normalcy as possible.  One day, I took the boys to my parents house and we worked on a new playhouse.  Or should I say play mansion??

All of the movement is a dance with life.  We take a step and then life takes a step.  We move and then conditions change.  The only way we are able to smoothly move is through the Grace of God.  His power enables us.  He has endued us with the ability to move through challenges and valleys.

Thank you, Jesus.