God is Good All the Time!

God is Good All the Time!

     I am sure by now you know that I am Christian and I love God.  I am not ashamed to call out to Him and reach out to those who I know will pray for me.  Without my faith in the Lord, I don't know how I could have gotten through these past two weeks.  Our son, Cole, has been quite the trooper and had to have surgery, without truly understanding why he was in the hospital.  My husband and I have gone through so many emotions this past week, but because of our strength and trust in God, we have been surrounded by so many blessings.  You may ask yourself at times, "Why God?  Why did this happen to me?" and that would be totally normal.  However, instead of asking why, replace it with thank you.  I asked God for so many prayers and blessings this week, that I knew when our Cole went into surgery he was going to be better than ever, but that didn't take the worry away.  I followed up with, "Thank you God for chasing me down and returning 100% health back to Cole".  My mom instinct was kicked into high gear on Tuesday, November 8th, because that is when our Cole lost his coloring and was violently ill.

     I think I have told many parents and families do not check your brain at the door when your child is sick.  I feel I should have listened even more to that maternal instinct when we first took Cole to the ER on November 8th. My husband and I both questioned the doctor and asked him if he thought Cole was having an appendicitis.  Little did I know that we would be sent home with some medicine and watch our son throw up for 12 hours straight.  I knew it was more than a stomach bug, but I too came down with this awful illness, so I checked my brain at the door the next day.  However, by Thursday evening, we knew Cole was not getting better, so we took him back to the after-hours care facility and they just sent us home with Z-Pak and a note to return to school on Monday, November 14th.  My husband and I are still filled with guilt, as we took Cole to the doctor twice before being admitted to the Children's ER at Medical City.  Within 6 hours of being seen by his amazing pediatrician on Monday, November 14th, Cole was undergoing surgery and was going to be released from his constant pain.  Do I feel guilty for not asking more questions when we were at the ER on Tuesday, November 8th?  Yes.  However, because of my faith in God, we were surrounded by angels the day of Cole's surgery and still are.  Cole is a gift from God.  He has changed so many people's lives because he loves unconditionally.  Many of his friends called us, texted us, stopped in to say hello, and brought us food.  I knew in my heart my son was going to live to see his 15th birthday on November 28th because how could God take away so much joy from so many people on this Earth?  Truly, Cole has this amazing gift of looking people in the eye, asking them their name, and then follow it up with, "How old are you?"  How could you not love someone like this?

     I have been incredibly blessed by our church family at Highland Park United Methodist Church, as well as our family at Highland Park High School.  I am overwhelmed by the generosity, kindness, and care our friends have given us these past two weeks.  I am in awe of our son, Cole, because he absolutely hates needles and shots.  We were able to walk Cole through what was going to happen next because of the amazing staff at Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas.  I am not a nurse, so I applaud those in this field.  I have never been cut out to be a nurse or a doctor (no pun intended) because of my fear of blood and needles, but because of my son, I have been able to take care of him like a nurse.  Sure, I have wanted to throw up a few times after seeing his stitches and other things, but God chose me to be Cole's mom.  

     The reason I am writing this blog post today is because it is cathartic for me.  I am healed mentally because of my strength in God, but I am also spiritually alive because of His love for me and my family.  I never knew the strength I could muster when it came to being strong for my family, but I truly believe because of God's amazing grace, I have a clear mind and healed heart.  I thank my parents, my nanny Comp. and granddaddy for giving me the tools to succeed as a Christian, mom, and wife.  My family gave me an incredible education in life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.  My family also gave me a firm foundation built on God's word and His love for us.  You do not have to live in fear because of how our world has become.  Become a steward of faith, plant your feet firmly in the ground, and declare God's word.  The only way I can live life each and every day, even when it's full of chaos and heartache, is because of my love for God.  Everyone, have a blessed Thanksgiving!  I know we will.