Greetings Readers! I have a special treat for you - my husband, Maurice, will be my guest writer for today! Two months ago I embarked upon a journey of declaring daily gratitude for 30 days. I also involved my family in this experience. I hope that you are inspired by what Maurice had to share and that these writings cause you to reflect upon what you have to be most grateful for in your own personal life. As always, be divinely inspired! ~ Dena :)
One day last summer Josh & I sat in the living room
watching a ballgame together, while Dena and the evening nurse were in the
kitchen. Malachi was resting in his room
after a long day. The monitor which
measured his heart rate and oxygen levels was replaced a day or two earlier,
and as with most technology, the upgraded model took some adjusting before we
could set the volume to a reasonable setting.
Over the prior two days, Dena and other nurses were constantly modifying
the various parameters, so when I heard the alarm I figured either Dena or the
nurse was attending to Mal. But after a
few minutes, my spirit was troubled and I finally got up to check on him.
As I approached his room I was shocked to see Dena in the
kitchen chatting on the phone and cooking, while the nurse was at the sink
cleaning his assorted tubes, connectors, and feeding devices. I shouted “Did anyone hear the alarm???” I turned on his light and his face was pale
gray, and his lips were blue. I
immediately grabbed the bag to manually ventilate my child. As I squeezed and squeezed, my heart raced,
and my worst fears were upon me. This is
NOT the way we were supposed
to lose our child! Malachi was
unconscious and totally unresponsive. His
heart rate (HR) was in the 50’s and his “sats” were in the 40’s! “Call 911!” I demanded, while tears welled up
in my eyes. My heart was sinking, as it
appeared that we were unable to revive Mal.
In a sudden moment of desperate resignation, I cried, “JESUS”, and
simultaneously Malachi opened his eyes and looked around at us as if to say,
“Why all the commotion”?
After he regained normal vitals, (HR~120, O2 saturation
levels~ 98-100%) I gathered Dena, Josh & the nurse for a brief word of
prayer to thank God for His Mercy and Grace.
I then encouraged them to acknowledge the moment and witness what just
happened. It was a point of clarity and
re-assurance for me, for I was convinced at that moment that NOTHING was going
to happen to Mal unless it was of God’s will.
Through the years we’ve had many scares and worries. We’ve been worn down and worn out by the
physical, mental and spiritual demands of caring for a totally dependent
child. We often neglected ourselves and
each other due to fatigue, stress and overwhelm.
But God! Through it
all, He has been there. He promised to
never leave us or forsake us, and I can honestly say we have NEVER felt alone
in this journey. We are fortunate to
live in the midst of God’s miracles each and every day.
2 comments:
How did I miss this post, who knows. Very moving report of events, I felt an array of emotions while reading. When you walked into that room I was scared, but when you came out I felt uplifted. There is something about the name "Jesus!!!!" Thanks for sharing something so emotional.
Twana
Twana,
(singing)Something about the name Jesus, Something about the name Jesus, it is the sweetest name, I know.
Oh, how I love the name, Jesus,
Oh, how I love the name, Jesus, it is the sweetest name, Iknow! Amen! Too many times we walk into rooms (situations) with fear in our hearts. I think most times, we are walking without faith, we are walking without calling on Jesus. we know that his name carries omnipotent POWER! So thankful for His limitless power and for His amazing grace! Thank you for reading and sharing :)
Dena
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