Update on my Little Bear

Jan 21, 2011

Bear had his surgery on Jan 21 of this year. His left eye was removed and replaced with a tiny nodule at the end of the nerve covered with donor eye tissue.

The wait was long because they were waiting on the donor tissue to arrive. But, as always, God was faithful and provided a calm atmosphere and reassurance from all sides. Even though Bear had not eaten, he was in a good mood and played and napped while they waited. One of my friends was a scrub nurse for the surgery and neither of us knew until right before. :) God's providence is so cool when you watch it unfold before your eyes.

He is such a brave Little Bear

The surgery was successful and Bear was a little swollen around the eye for the next week.

The weeks that followed were harder for us as caregivers than for him, I think. You could tell he was not in pain anymore. :) He was laughing and playing better than he had in months. He had medicines that had to be anministered to the area and he was not fond of that at first but as the swelling went down, that too became less of an issue. He had a lens that covered the opening in his eye. Because the lid had something to move over, he was opening his left eye more than ever before.

Jan 21 after the surgery and a week or so after the surgery having hotdogs and applesauce.

On March 16, Bear got a prosthetic eye! It looks amazing!

This journey is not over, but where we are now is really nice. ;-)

Little Bear

We have recently learned that what we feared most is coming to be.

My nephew, Grayson will turn two years old this week. He was born with a defect in his left eye (his mom knows the technical term). He is one of the most precious children you could ever know. He is loving and funny and laughs a lot! He is so special and we have known that from the beginning. Bless his heart, he has had several procedures and a surgery to reattach the retina of his eye which was unsuccessful.

A couple of weeks ago we found out that his left eye is causing him pain. They are going to have to remove the eye. I am so sad for my sister. She knows this is the best thing. She understands that he is pain and needs the eye removed and that now is better than later because of his young age. But, still, as a mother she hurts because they are taking her baby's eye out. I have no doubt that this road they are on will be long but in the end it will be very meaningful.

God is perfect and Grayson was made perfectly.

Through all this I have come to see my mortality a bit clearer. I take so much for granted...not that I am condemning myself for that. When you have something that has never been taken from you then you do take it for granted...it is natural. But to be so close to my nephew who has limited vision makes me appreciate so many things.

I can see him and he can see me.

I can hear him laugh, he can hear me call him Bear. :)

I can hold him, push him on the swings, play blocks with him and run with him.

Nothing stops us from loving each other.

Life challenges us often. That is part of why we are here. The way we rise to the challenges of life is what makes us who we are. God wants us to rise up in Him and meet our challenges in a way that glorifies all He is. I believe that is what my sister is doing. I cannot imagine what she is feeling or thinking. I just know that she shows me nothing but courage in the midst of the unknown and faithfulness in the face of challenge.

Please be in prayer for my little Bear. His surgery is Jan 21.

Tenacious!

This year instead of making New Year's resolutions (which I forget by the middle of February) I am picking a word to define my year.
Tenacious is the word I have chosen.

te·na·cious/təˈnāSHəs/Adjective
1. Not readily letting go of, giving up, or separated from an object that one holds, a position, or a principle: "a tenacious grip".
2. Not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course of action: "a tenacious legend".

This is the word I want to describe my year. I have not thought too much of this word until our new preacher taught on it the Sunday he first came. It was an incredible sermon that has chewed on me for over 5 months now.

I want to have a "tenacious grip" and leave a "tenacious legend."

Can you imagine if all Christians were tenacious about their relationship with Christ?
I want to be so close to my Saviour that the lost see me as having tenacity for Him. I want it to be evident that I will not readily let go of Him just as He is tenacious for me. :)
It really makes me smile to think of God being tenacious for his people. But that is what the Old Testament is all about, if you think about it. He chases and pursues the Israelites. He won't give up on them and He refuses to turn back on His promises. But they continue with their idolatry, they separate themselves from Him, they follow their foolish desires right into exile. Then God sends the prophets to start telling them "there will be a time when My tenacity comes in the fullness of righteousness in the body of Christ to save us from the sin that so easily entangles."

Isn't tenacity a beautiful thing? God's tenacity bled and died for me. I want it to bleed over into all areas of my life; everything I attempt. I pray this year is full of a zeal for the Lord that cannot be stopped. A zeal so overwhelming that I am compelled to do things that I would not normally do.

I am starting with the study by Max Lucado "Outlive Your Life." Then I will move right into reading the Bible again in 90 days. (If you havent done this, you should. It is amazing.)
That is MY starting point, but there is not telling where My Maker will take me.

Organized--NOT!

I have come to realize that I will never be Organized!
I just dont think I have it in me. I have the more dominant Messy Gene. I try and try, but organization continues to elude me. Alas, the gene has been passed down to my children. I fuss, chase, and follow behind the little tornadoes but it is to no avail.
The mess remains.
It reminds me of the book, "Mooch, the Messy." I loved that book growing up. Probably because I could relate to it. I think though, that Organized and messy are two different things. I can be organized and still be a little messy. Thank Goodness! I can know where everything is even if it doesnt look like I could possibly know where ANYTHING is. Organized does not have to mean clean lines and folders with tabs on them. Even though, this is exactly how my husband would like for organized to look. Bless his little OCD heart. :)
I honestly think if I could reduce the shoes, clothes, and paper in my life....I just might be on to something...

New Year's Resolution

The new year is always so exciting because it is pregnant with possibilities. It brings with it an opportunity to start fresh; to begin anew. We often take this time to create lists of things we want to change about ourselves and our lives. i.e. lose a few pounds, exercise daily, read the Bible every day...and so on. But arent these things just a rearranging of priorities that rarely last?
I am challenging myself that while I have things I would like to change (lose a few pounds, exercise daily, read the Bible every day...) what I really want to change is my perspective. I want to change my focus. I want to FOCUS on God and then and only then be mindful of me and my habits and my extra poundage. :)
I am convinced that when my FOCUS is on my Creator, He will change in me the things that truly matter. He will mold from me the child He views me to be. Isn't that what I really want anyway. Why yes, it is indeed!
2010 was full of wonderful things and incredible challenges that have changed me on levels I could never have imagined on Dec 31, 2009. But here I am, living proof of a living God who is engaged in the lives of his children. I want to embrace that everyday. I want to be purposeful in my decisions for my self, my marriage, my children, my home and my homeschool.
May His blessings be upon all you in the new year.