It is well

Annabelle is sleeping on her belly in her crib. I put Pandora on my phone on the Michael W Smith channel, so she is sleeping to some praise and worship music.

A minute ago, “It is well with my Soul” played. Ahhhhhh, what a song. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and sigh happily.

It really IS well with my soul. And I love the preamble to it too. “Even so, it is well, with my soul.”

That “even so” says a LOT.

This last year has been harder than I could have ever imagined, but even so, it is well with my soul.

My faith has been tested, I’ve seen little babies (including my own daughter) suffer pain when did nothing to deserve it, but even so, it is well with my soul.

Every time I think everything is starting to get better, another curveball is hurled at us, but even so, it is well with my soul.

I obviously have bad days. I have days I want to scream and cry and vent and just throw something. But even so, it is well with my soul.

Ah, and how appropriate that the song just came on… “All to Jesus, I surrender… humbly at his feet I bow.” I guess that’s part of it, a lot of it actually. Surrendering EVERYTHING to our Jesus no matter what. Humbling bowing at his feet.

I look back at my life, and I’m reminded of the parable of the sower. Forgive me for being a bit preachy today…

But anyway, you can read it in the first few verses of Matthew chapter 13, but it talks about where seeds are planted. The ones on the path were quickly eaten up by birds and never did anything. Others were on the rocks, and the sun scorched them so they didn’t last long because there was no root. Still others were planted among the thrones, and the thorns choked the plants. Then others were on good soil, and they grew up and thrived.

I’ve heard a billion and one sermons in my lifetime on this chapter. Depending on the denomination depends on the interpretation.

I’m thinking today about the good soil. I can see in my past the people who have touched my life to help cultivate that soil in my life. My parents, the churches I’ve attended/groups I’ve been a part of, my husband, and even my kids at time. Other things like reading my Bible and praying and going beyond just surface religion and getting to know the heart of Jesus are things that *I* have done to keep my soil free of thorns (many times these were feeble attempts, but I believe God honors and blesses us even in our weakness) Oh, weeds still sprout up at times, but I really think having this “good” soil  has helped me to grow in spite of wind, rain, and storms that raged this past year.

Cause if you think about it, the rain will help you grow… right? But if your soil has a bunch of weeds, even if they are little… when it rains, those weeds grow CRAZY. Or at least in my little garden at home they do:-)

So anyway, I’m thinking that how well we handle the rain depends directly on how many weeds are in our garden when the rain starts, and how well we pluck those weeds that spring up during the rain.

My point is this: Start weeding! Get some fertilizer, add healthy soil, cultivate, because the storms WILL come. They might be light, or they might be tornado force. We won’t ever know before hand.

I’m not saying I’m great. I’m NOT. And I have plenty of weeds that I have to keep plucking, Lord knows that for SURE. But I work on it, I try, and that’s what counts.

Okay, enough of my rambling thoughts and on to Annabelle update!

She is doing GREAT! According to the nurse, she slept MUCH better last night. We are bed-boarded today, however a little glitch in one of her lab levels have temporarily delayed that. We might still go today, but it might be tomorrow now. We believe the level was falsely elevated, but still waiting to see for sure.

We have a repeat echo on Monday, and as long as that is good and we have no new issues, we should be able to go HOME! (Either later on Monday or on Tuesday, Momma is pushing for Monday!)

We had her weaned to 1/4th of a liter of oxygen and doing great, but pulmonology asked us to go back to 1/2 just to see if that helps ease the pressures in her lungs. It may be that we stay there and not try to wean for a while as she grows and gets better instead of trying to constantly wean oxygen. While this is a pain, if it helps her remain stable, Momma is okay with it.

In other news, Scott and I had a great time on our date! We went and saw Midnight in Paris, checked into our hotel (we stayed at a really nice one downtown and got a special hospital rate of $55 for the night!) then ate dinner at the hotel restaurant. It felt SO nice to sleep in a bed again after three nights sleeping in the pull-out-chair in Annabelle’s room! (Especially when said bed was about 100x nicer than my bed at home too, HA!)

We also took the kiddos bowling and to the mall to eat yesterday during the day, then came back to the hospital to visit with Annabelle. It was some MUCH needed family time!!!

I am so thankful today, for all of God’s blessings, for Him seeing us through this week, and for all the prayers you all have offered up for us. We are so greatly thankful for them!


Prayer requests:

• That the echo on Monday looks even better with normal right-sided pressures.
• That we can go up to the floor by tomorrow and HOME on Monday!
• That we can get off oxygen at the perfect time. 
• NO MORE REJECTION!
• Prayers for adjusting back to home again, but for Annabelle and the rest of my kiddos. I love home, but it IS hard work too. SO worth it though!

All I can think of today… I LOVE having a shorter list than usual!

Cutie-pie Annabelle today! She’s supposed to be taking a nap… but as you can see, she is not obeying:-)

 Daddy and Lacy, waiting for their turn!

Gabby chillin’ at the lanes…

Karalynn going for the spare!