I (Erica) am sure I am not the first person to have this revelation.

However, it did occur to me after the last “attempted” surgery, that life is like UNO.

You know how it goes.  You have an awesome hand, you are down to the last 2 cards, your on the right color (red), and you are playing your way to victory.

Then, you lay your card down and proudly declare “UNO”!

The player beside you puts down their card, and then, to your shock and despair, the next player lays down the dreaded WILD card.  And to add injury to insult, they call out that the color has changed to blue!

Did they not realize I only had ONE MORE RED CARD!!!  Seriously, this was the hand of all hands, game of all games, played…almost perfectly.

Then, just when you think the insult is over…oh no, the player before you lays down the most dreaded, draw 4.  UUUUUGGGGHHHH!

At this point you might as well just throw a skip, reverse and draw 2 while your at it.

A couple of weeks, Kennady’s surgery surgery didn’t go as planned.

We had done all the prep to get ready for the surgery.  We had checked every box, made sure we did all the treatments, got all the scans, checked in early (which is a miracle).  It was the right hand, played well and ready to lay down the final card on this scoliosis, and declare the game won.

But life threw us a WILD card and changed the game up a bit.

We were disappointed to say the least.  The build up emotionally and physically to this type of surgery takes a toll on us.

These are the times life feels like a game of UNO.

You do everything you can to prepare, only to have your plans thwarted.

We are so busy planning out how the game will be played, we forget that the most important moment is here and now.  It’s really all we have.  We can’t change the past or predict the future.

We may go back tomorrow morning and have a different card thrown at us.  But today, I have my girl with me, happy and smiling.  I want to make a choice to be in this moment, being fully present with her and the ones I love.  So that all that God has for me is able to sink in deep to my soul.  Washing away the anxiety, the “what if’s”.

The problem we face daily is learning to be in this moment.

Not treating life as a game that has to be conquered, but learning to live in the moment.

As Ann Voskamp says in her One Thousand Gifts Devotional, “I weigh the moment down with full attention here”.

What if being present, in body, mind and spirit is all that is required of us to live this life fully?  Removing the fear of the “WILD” card.  The fear of the unknown that we think may sabotage our great victory.

It’s often that lesson that we are learning, if we are open to it.

God is so good in all of this.  He holds my every moment, faithful to strengthen my heart when I don’t understand.

Tomorrow morning will come, and we will trust that his grace is enough.

UPDATE (5/25/15)
The day after this blog post, May 21st, Kennady had a successful back surgery.  She is currently recovering very well.  We really appreciate all of your prayers.