This is Bugg filling in for Heather, because her blogging skills are being put on hold for a little bit. She is, however, sitting right next to me approving every word, so I promise it's going to be just as much her blog as always ;) (We like to call her Leann Touy Jr.- If you've never seen the movie "The Blind Side" that won't make any sense to you....) Anyhow, so as many of you know we had a little adventure into the ER last night because Heather had to have a cyst removed, and an adventure it was. We went in around 6:15p.m. As always, we started with the routine check in, of course the woman sitting behind the counter must have been there awhile and was tired because she had to ask 3 times over what Heather's name was again. Quite comical if you ask me. That was just getting started. They took us back pretty quickly into one of the rooms. It was a small room, probably a little smaller than an average sized bedroom, depending on what your idea of average is. The walls were blue and the lights were dim. The best I can say is it was a hospital room. We sat back there for awhile and did our best to entertain ourselves by taking pictures and playing with all the equipment.
Eventually they came back and got her in a gown and set up the oxygen. The nurse helping us out went through all the questions and the doctors came in and did the same. By 10 o'clock they had finally begun the process of sedating her and we had to leave the room. Although it was 10 o'clock, it felt as if it were mid noon, and even though it was only 10 minutes, it felt like 10 hours that we had to wait outside. After a little pacing and praying the doctor came back to get us and we got to go back there, and thankfully after about an hour and a half we got to take her home. She was pretty loopy from all the meds but other than that was doing fantastic.
The night was long. I finally got to bed around 3, but we were up and down all night. Anytime she would stir, we would too. I prayed before I went to bed that if she even shifted in her sleep God would prompt me to wake up to make sure everything was okay and He sure did. I woke up at least 15 times from her shifting, or sitting up, or something of the sort. Of course one of the more hysterical moments of my night was when I woke up, Heather was laying on the couch, still dead asleep, but making funny noises and talking. I giggled to myself and eventually just dozed back off.
We all got up around 7:30 this morning, and I must tell you I had one of the biggest adrenaline rushes that I've ever had. Heather had to go to the restroom, so she did. Then all of a sudden we hear this big "BANG!" - I jumped up off the floor faster than you can say pancakes and was at the bathroom door. It was locked. My heart was racing and all I could keep thinking about was Jeremiah 45 and Psalm 121. Heather somehow got the door, unlocked it, and we got in and helped her up. She blacked out while she was in there and had trouble seeing and hearing for awhile after that. Needless to say, someone is now with her at ALL times no matter what.
So that was our last 24 hours. We are now sitting on the couch, enjoying some of her wonderful mother's potato soup and watching movies. She is resting and doing well, headed on the road to a quick recovery. She sends her thanks out to all of you who have, are, and will be praying. It means the world to her, and all of the rest of us as well! You guys rock!
Before I close this I want to share with you one thing God has shown me through this. There is something extremely special about the bond that Christians have. It's more than just friendships. It's funny how in moments like these we are all brought closer together and our true colors shine. Life has a way of playing tricks on us and we can get caught up in the mumbo-jumbo of it all, but at the end of the day we are brothers and sisters in Christ...we are family. God allowed me to experience the true depths of what it means to live that out. Our relationship is unique. We take care of each other. We protect each other. We do whatever we can to make sure the person sitting beside us is at their best and if not we do whatever it takes to make sure they get there. It's love. It's fighting hand in hand against all the attacks of the enemy. We stand with and for each other, take each moment as it comes, and cross every ditch together and seek God in EVERY situation. We don't make excuses. We are simply with each other, fully present together in each moment, standing for the one thing that is keeping our hearts beating- Jesus Christ. It's more than just a team, it's deeper than soldiers on a squad, it's stronger than just a normal family...We are a family of Christ, and we beat Satan back last night in that hospital and did it all in the name of Jesus. We didn't back down, we showed no fear. We simply believed with each other for God to show up, and He did.
I know this is a simple situation compared to other ones, but all that we go through is preparation, growth in our faith, and growth with each other, and that is exactly what happened last night. The funny part about all of it is that I know none of it was me. I thought maybe the millions of times I've shoved 1 Corinthians 13 in my head that I would have the whole love and faith thing right, and that maybe out of the billions of the times I've gotten it wrong that this was the one time I got it right but the truth is, I didn't get it right. I never will if I'm trying to do it on my own, but when I let God do it through me, when I die to my flesh and give myself up as an empty void for God to flow through, moments like these happen, and God shows up. We can't get it right by ourselves, we never will...but the best part about it all is this: Even in our imperfect nature, we have a perfect God on our side, working for us and through us and allowing us to be apart of His amazing plan and to be completely alive and present in these moments with each other, to love, to serve, and to learn what the true meaning of faith is.
