Last week, as most of you know, we had some devastating storms come through our part of this world. Having lived in Texas most of my life, I am hardly new to tornados and bad weather. In fact, I have been through a couple of very hairy experiences in my time, all of which very thankfully never resulted in anything more than property damage. I will admit though that the storms last week were a little too close for comfort, and for the first time in a long, long time I actually got everything ready for us to take cover and pray.
Thankfully, things stayed just far enough away that Chance and I never did have to actually go to our safe space. The girls were with my mom in East Texas, so at least I was not worrying about them at the time, and Michael was at work where they spent more time than he liked standing in the stair wells. When all was said and done, we were safe and had no damage.
As the danger passed for us, my attentions turned to our friends & family who were still in the line of fire. It is in these moments that you sometimes realize that you have far too many people you love in one area, something I realized as I texted each one to make sure they were okay. One by one I was hearing back from these precious people that they were okay and the danger had passed, each time sighing with relief. But as time passed and I realized some of our family had not responded, my concern grew.
After what seemed like an eternity, some news started to trickle through. Most importantly, our family was all okay, but the neighborhood where both my Great Aunt & Uncle, and their daughter and her husband live had taken a direct hit and there was devastation. My great aunt & uncle’s house is completely torn apart….but they are okay. Miraculously!!! My cousin’s house is one of the few still standing, and they were right there to help when it was needed most. Thankfully the rest of our family in the area escaped the wrath of this devastating tornado.
Please keep our family, and all the others affected by the storms, in your thoughts and prayers as they attempt to rebuild their lives.
Sometimes, life feels a bit like springtime weather in Texas.
You have sunny, beautiful days where all you want to do is revel in the moment, feeling the warmth of the sun on your face and the perfect breezes. Then, sometimes without much warning, you suddenly see something brewing in the sky and feel the winds shift as a storm starts to blow in. It might blow over quickly, might just provide some needed rain, could be a gully washer, and sometimes it’s something much more.
You can see the signs, just cannot know exactly what your in for.
This place, where you see something brewing but just cannot say for sure what it’s going to turn into, is where we have been with Miss Madison (medically) for a little while now. Like last week, I haven’t wanted to say we were “okay” till the storm had passed, so I have been waiting for some sign from Madison that we have either seen the worst of this, or whether there is more to come. It’s STILL not clear at this point. She is not in crises, but keeps flirting with the edges of that place far more than I would like to see.
Last week, I lost a whole afternoon, watching the news and listening for signs that we should take cover. Likewise, our days the last month have included gathering all kinds of medical information in an attempt to watch for signs of needing to do more to support our girl. Much like a tornado, where you have just enough information to know that one might form, but cannot know where or when till moments before, we have been watching her like a hawk, looking for the signs that we might be seeing something that we need to take action to avoid. Like a tornado, her body is sending signals, but we are (thankfully) still waiting to see if there is going to be a touch down and whether it will be a little tornado with no damage, or something bigger and more ominous.
At the same time, there has been a storm brewing regarding the kids care, who we are seeing, and between some of the physicians on our team. This has not helped the general uneasy feeling I have, however, I truly believe some streamlining is in order and may make a positive difference for us all in the long run. The stress of it all though has been intense. I loathe making changes in the kids care team, in part because I have pretty carefully and meticulously built the team to where it is now, but also because it means new doctors and the process it takes to get them to the point where they have a vested interest in my children and our family. It’s never easy, always takes time, and doesn’t always work the way we would like for it to. The reality is though, while what we have in place has worked for us thus far, there are gaps that we have no choice but to get filled at this point.
In the midst of all of this, there HAVE been many sunny days (or at least moments), literally and figuratively, and for those I am so very grateful. We are attempting to adjust to this new normal in some way, and with that is coming all kinds of changes. In general, changes can be good, but they almost always come with some trepidation as I move out of my comfort zone.
Thank you all for the continued prayers…..please keep them coming!!!
