Be Still...

When I was in the shower this morning a few words from a bible verse kept rolling through my head.  It was one I came across when I sat down to a little personal study time a couple Sunday mornings ago. I think it was more than coincidence that I happened to sit down to that verse on that particular day.  It was Be Still.  And know that I am God.  In the shower I just kept hearing it in my head.  So I kept repeating it.  Be Still Jess. Be Still.  God has got this.  In this phrase, there was peace for me.  I guess I took a cue from my Grandpa.  He heard words from Psalm 25...it calmed his heart and he let go of this life.  If he could find peace facing death...certainly I could find peace to face this appointment today.  After all, though it was very serious, there was still hope that we could walk away with terrific news.  So I made myself stop the what-if's and do what the verse said. Be Still.

That was this morning.  Now I will admit, that I spent most of the weekend this past weekend thinking and praying about what we would face today.  I prayed selfishly at times for exactly what I wanted. Then I stopped and remembered that God doesn't always give us what we want.  I prayed that this upcoming road wasn't necessarily one I wanted to learn travel on (AT ALL).  But if something serious was in the cards, I was going to need Him.  So yeah. I prayed.  Because whenever I was alone with my thoughts, dark dreadful thoughts creeped in.  A lot.  I took comfort b/c I know we also had a lot of other people in our corner...praying for us as a family, praying for Owen, and praying for the outcome that awaited us.  Praying for Owen's fever to just disappear.  I believe in the power of prayer.  This weekend, that prayer was sent from people's hearts to Him and then on over to us.  It gave us great strength!

Today...whether you believe it was prayer that changed our fate or not...the appointment went unbelievably well!

We met with Infectious Disease doctors at Children's at noon. The doctors were amazing. They were smart. They were kind. And they made us feel 100% ok with what has been happening with Owen.  Based on all his lab results, his tests and how well he seemed to be doing today, they believe Owen came down with a serious sinus infection that was just hard to beat. One that he needed the right antibiotics to really get over it...and we finally found the right ones.

Thank the good Lord!  We couldn't have asked for a better outcome. We are blessed, loved and so very relieved that at this point we were sent home with a clean bill of health.  We are going to pray that this is not something that ever happens again...and also that our ENT appointment on Friday will shed some light on getting his congestion cleared up after colds a little more efficiently!

For everyone who prayed, checked on us, thought of us and offered help of any kind...thank you so very much!!  I believe without those prayers, thoughts and help we survived a weekend of fearful gut-wrenching what-if's, and made it through today's appointment with more grace and peace that we ever thought we could!  We are blessed with wonderful support systems in so many areas of our lives! So thank you all and thank you God!

After some very elated parents left Children's hospital today, we decided that cupcakes for lunch sounded delightful :)

Who need utensils right?!? Owen certainly doesn't!!

Tight Rope

Ever hear a song and feel like it's exactly the song you want to hear, exactly when you need to hear it?? Even if you didn't know you needed to hear it? A lot of times this happens to me at church.  But sometimes it's a random afternoon, a few songs into a relatively new album and bam!  Meaningful words smack me in the face!

Check out the song on You Tube. If you enjoy this, his whole album is pretty amazing! As a side note, we listened to a lot of this album while on vacation. I think I will always have this vision of Jer and I driving, windows down, fresh ocean air blowing through the car, holding hands across the console, sun shining, exploring a new place and knowing at that moment there was no where else in the world that I wanted to be. So not only did this song smack me with meaning...the whole album also was a vacation sound track of sorts!  I love that and I think because of that it has and will probably always have a special place for me.

Anyway, back to point of this post!

Ever been on the precipice of something big or a new adventure?  Or simply looked around at your life and felt like you were standing still waiting for the next big drop?  Or maybe even been through something devastating that left you wondering what this life is really all about??  This song just might hit you in a place that makes sense. For me in particular its the line about "The only thing I'm sure of is to have have no fear at all. Just go, keep on going on." Maybe it's the year we had.  Maybe it's because we lost a parent. Or maybe it's simply because I know our family is in for some changes in the coming year with our home that means a big leap of faith for us. Regardless, this song makes a lot of sense. Hope you enjoy and maybe find some new inspiration!

Tight Rope by Alex Clare

Life's a tightrope, and you're standing on one toe.
Don't let the fear take hold of you,
You're bound to fall to the ground below.

Pick yourself up again,
Over the edge again,
Hold on to your hopes and dreams.
When all seems to be lost,
Don't start to count the costs,
Just go and begin again.

Tight rope walker, tight rope walker.

The only thing I'm sure of is, to have no fear at all,
Just go, keep on going on.
And the only thing that's certain is sometimes you're bound to fall,
Just go, keep on going on.

When all you work for,
Comes tumbling to the ground.
Don't let the sadness fill your heart,
Tomorrow may be a better day.

Lift your head up again,
You know you'll start again,
No matter what may come of it.
You know there's more to life,
I'm sure that you'll survive,
You know what you have to do.

Tight rope walker, tight rope walker.

The only thing I'm sure of is, to have no fear at all,

Just go, keep on going on.