more pictures!

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Just thought I'd add a few post-Christmas pictures for your viewing pleasure! They are all from my cell phone camera, so they aren't the best quality, but I have to take advantage of the moments when I can! Ethan's appointment on Monday went very well, by the way! His potassium and sodium levels have really responded to the new medicine and are both in a very stable position right now - praise the Lord! For the past four months, he's been seen weekly by both Boston Childrens and Connecticut Childrens (alternating weeks). However, due to how well he has been doing, he will now have a week off in between visits, soooo this means next week NO hospital visit. Wow.
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See, I've grown quite accustomed to these weekly visits and have found a sort of peace knowing that he was being watched so carefully every week, but soon these visits will become more and more spread out. And I'm quite sure my nerves will take a little bit of a beating during those moments of opportunity to be "normal", but, at the same time, it's all still a huge testament to the miracle our little boy is. His amazing health, after such a life-threatening diagnosis, is truly truly truly an example to all of us of the power, mercy and love of God.

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Now, I know not all families get the miracle they are looking for. I indirectly meet such families often and my heart breaks each time. And I certainly do not have the wisdom needed to answer such "why" questions, in which I ask myself all of the time. But I believe there is a time for us to learn through loss - and through that loss, a time to encourage and love each other because some have traveled the same road. But I also believe there is a time for us to learn through blessing - an opportunity to have the chance of a personal & sweet taste of God's mercy.

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Yet, in either case, He's the same loving God.

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And foolish is the judgemental person who seeks to analyze why some miracles are given and some are not - why some prayers are answered in the way we hoped, and some are not. Because no family or person is any more or less deserving than another. The truth is, each one of us has been created by God for a particular purpose (His purpose!), to set out and (hopefully) accomplish in this life. Circumstances and situations are allowed to enter our lives to grow us... to change us... for the fulfillment of that calling. And I believe that in the most joyous of occasions, Jesus rejoices with us. And I honestly believe that in the most heart-breaking or disappointing of situations, Jesus is likewise broken with us. But the amazing reality is that in the broken times, He is ready to provide comfort, strength and peace. And He will. He does.

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Phillippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

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Hmmm.... I didn't even mean to go down this rabbit trail today. That being said, what's my point, you may be asking? I guess it's that regardless of the curve balls we encounter during our lifetime, at the end of it all, I have to believe what Scripture tells us in Romans 8:28 - the promise we can cling to - that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose...