Well we survived our first graduation party. He graduated a month ago and we just had his party on Saturday. It was a ton of work to get ready. There was family and friends who came to celebrate. For me, I was so happy to see each and every person who showed up. So many of my church family came and that was beyond amazing.
You see about four years ago, Adam stopped going to church. He has struggled with belief and has stopped believing in God. I do not push, I only pray. Those who loved his beliefs when he did believe, still pray for him. I was hoping he would see how loved he is, even with him not being around. I hope that was accomplished with all who did show up. I can’t say for certain if that was accomplished or not but it made me so proud of those who I have chosen to have in my life!
We were able to get a couple family photos. I love my family. I love when we are all light hearted, happy and silly. After all of the work the weeks and days before, even the day of to be able to relax and have fun was what was needed.
Sunday was a day of clean up and some of the cousins spending the day at the zoo. It was really needed since Monday was Jackie’s surgery day. He needed to be able to have fun, enjoy life and not be focused on what was to come on Monday. He was very nervous and anxious about the surgery. I was so happy my sister took the kids to the zoo.
Something pretty amazing happened twice in the past few days. I have been doing the devotional Jesus Calling by Sarah Young in 
the mornings. I knew Saturday was going to be crazy busy and I knew Monday was going to be crazy busy. Not only were those two days going to be crazy busy, I was going to sleep very late, having to get up very early and I knew there was no way, on my own I was getting up to spend time with God. I wanted to spend time with Him. I wanted to do my devotional but I knew with how late it was, how little sleep I was getting, how exhausted I was, that there’s as zero way I was getting up.
So as I was falling asleep I asked God to wake me up prior to my alarm going off so I could have time with Him. Both nights I prayed that, both nights I asked, I woke up prior to my alarm going off. I at first didn’t think about what I had asked and I was ready to dose back to sleep. Then my thoughts turned to just before I had fallen asleep and what I had asked from Him. I got up, made my chocolate veggies and coffee, sat down, opened my devotional, prayed, read and spent time with Him.
I took time to focus on Him. I took time to be with Him. I took time to remind myself during the day what I had read. I took time to focus on Him during the day when stress was over taking me. Plus, the devotional for both Saturday and Monday were exactly 
what I needed to hear for the day that was about to come. That is one thing I love about the Jesus Calling devotional, no matter how many times you read the same entry it speaks to you in just the way you need. God has spoken through Sarah Young like no other devotional I have ever read in my life (that is saying a lot considering I am 42).
Today started with my time with Him! It was glorious. Then it was time to wake up Jackie and get us to the hospital. I was expecting it to be a quick in and out surgery It was planned to be an outpatient surgery. I didn’t plan well for the day. We got to the hospital, got into the room and he got prepared for his surgery. It was supposed to be quick and we were going to be heading home around noon. Apparently that isn’t how God had planned this day to go!
When I was taken back to the recovery room, he was on oxygen and not doing that great. When he was moved from stage 1 recovery to pre and post operation room he still wasn’t doing the greatest. Then he turned a corner and I was so excited and thinking we would be going home. However each time he heard the machine beep, he would wake himself up and then he would not allow himself to go back to sleep.
So after he finally started to get into a deep sleep and his stats dropped again, they required a hospital stay. There are a couple things I am beyond grateful for here. We live in a town (Grand Rapids, Michigan) that has the finest health care around. We have a children’s hospital 10 minutes from my home. We have pediatric specialists in just about area you could need. It really is a pretty amazing community to live in. This is not something that everyone has in their town. Not everyone is a 30 minute drive from the “medical mile” in their town. Some people travel a long distance to come to this amazing hospital community for treatment.
The other thing is that I am blessed to have such amazing and caring people in my life. God has placed some people in my life 
that I never would have guessed would be here. He has placed people who changed our lives. One family in particular introduced both essential oils and the whole food based nutrition into our life. For Jackie, prior to surgery we had been doubling up praying it would help speed up the healing process and boost his immunity.
Out of my four children, three have had their tonsils and adenoids removed. So far, he has been the easiest recovery. Even with us being admitted to the hospital, he has been the easiest recovery. As crazy as that may sound, it is the truth. He has been drinking liquids. He has been eating jell-o and pudding. He has been eating popsicles. He has pain but he is doing so well compared to the others during the first day. It has been a complete blessing!
Not only that but because I am a stay at home mom who works from home, we are not losing out on a paycheck with all of this going on! I may be here in the hospital but I didn’t take time off from work today and I am not having to take time off from work tomorrow. Add to that, we are also still earning a paycheck while all of this is doing on!
God has truly blessed us, there is no other way to explain it! We are blessed.
Life has been crazy for the past three weeks since school got out. It doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all but we are certainly taking time to enjoy life! We are getting out in the sun. We are enjoying family. We are living and we are blessed.
Life Synergy 