My mom called me in the middle of the night a week ago and told me she had called the squad. She thought she was having a heart attack. It ended up being her gall bladder. She spent four days in the hospital being tested, monitored, operated on, observed..... She had 10 gumball-sized stones in her gall bladder, including one that was blocking a duct. Yikes!
Thanks be to God, she is recovering well at home now. It's been a wild week of helping mom, spending long nights at the hospital, re-arranging schedules, etc. But that's what life is all about, right? What a privilege it is to share such times with those we love and to help one another through life's challenges. My mom has been there for me through EVERYTHING and I was honored to be able to be there for her. And I am so thankful for Jon, my dad and Mary, and my sisters. Everybody was so helpful.
The only other thing I'll post about my mom's ordeal is that there are some really awesome medical personnel out there. Kudos to John the ambulance guy, Hebrit the nursing assistant, and all of those who really care for their patients and go beyond the call of duty to help. And then there's the other side of the coin. We really need to pray for kind, compassionate people to go into nursing. I know that the whole health care system is in need of change and that these people often work very long hours under less than ideal conditions. But it sure does make a difference when they are attentive, pleasant, and caring. Lastly, no one should be awakened at 3:00am for a weight check. Ever. No one.
Before the "Great Gallbladder Escapade of 2012" (GGE12) I was busy getting ready for the new school year. My intention was to begin school this week. Oh well. :) Actually, my dad and Mary have been here with the boys quite a bit. They have completed an entire insect study already! They all had a great time and I'll post a bunch of pictures of that soon. Here's Adam with an insect he made out of a pop bottle with glow sticks inside.
While I was in and out to the hospital, Adam lost a tooth.....
He has also been having some kind of a growth spurt, sleeping in every morning and eating a TON of food. He actually lost the tooth while biting down on a french fry.
The other complicating factor of GGE12 was that I was part of a committee leading a retreat for 50 Catholic homeschooling mothers this weekend. It was really difficult for me to fulfill my responsibilities there while also worrying about my mom and tending to her needs. Fortunately, the hospital and the retreat center are literally a mile apart. The retreat went very well. I am disappointed that I was only there for brief parts of it, but I know I was where I needed to be.
The theme for the retreat was, "Fanning the Flame." We used the quote: "This light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly." (From the Rite of Baptism) We asked the Holy Spirit to enliven our own faith lives so that we can embrace the vocation of helping our husbands and children grow in faith. (Kind of like securing your own oxygen mask before helping your child.)
The weekend began on Friday evening with a Holy Hour with Adoration, Confession, and Benediction. After some social time we had a candlelight procession along a path of luminaries. We prayed night prayer and offered the candles as symbols of our intentions, asking for the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary. (Unfortunately my pictures of this beautiful night prayer did not turn out.)
On Saturday we were blessed by Mrs. Nancy Madrid, who spoke to us about "Fanning the Flames of Faith." She spoke about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. One of the most memorable images for me was that of birds soaring in circles. Nancy talked about "soaring in the current of the Holy Spirit." So often I'm flapping my arms and trying to make my own path.... but I definitely learned more this weekend about soaring and being guided by the Holy Spirit.
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| Mrs. Nancy Madrid |
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| Lovely ladies enjoying the retreat. So Catholic --- nobody in the front row! |
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For morning prayer on Saturday we placed our candles by one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit for which we particularly wanted to pray. The "fortitude" table was quite popular!
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| The candle wraps were designed by one of the talented moms. They are beautiful keepsakes from the retreat. |
This afternoon we celebrated the beginning of a new school year with our homeschool friends. We gathered for a fun pool party. It was a beautiful day and we had tons of fun!
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| Ignore my crazy friend Sara! ;) I was trying to get a picture of Adam and his best buddy Ryan, who are both missing the same tooth! |
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| Look at these lovely ladies! I could not / would not homeschool without their friendship and support. Love them all! |
So, that's what we've been up to! I hope to post pictures of our new schoolroom arrangement and the insect study in the next few days. Please say a prayer for my mom... that she will continue to recover smoothly and enjoy many more years of good health.
Katie, so glad your mom is doing well! How scary to have initially thought it was a heart attack. I know the pain is intense. My mom was to the doctor or ER a handful of times before hers was removed and she has a high level of pain tolerance. Praying for a quick recovery for your mom!
ReplyDeleteGlad you were able to experience some of the retreat. Those candles are so pretty. It was a good thing I couldn't come as we all got sick last week. The kids took forever to bounce back and are just now starting to eat better and play without resting. Thankfully I only had a bit of the cold, just enough to be annoying. :)
Have a good day!/