Calvin Crewless

Ode To A Cat

I think that I shall never see
A cat that sheds as much as thee
Thy fur that sticks is all around
On chairs, on mats in little mounds
I sweep the floor, you shed some more
I wash the rug and you just shrug
You should give thanks I tolerate that
Or you would be a crew cut cat.
Author: Marea Needle

Optimim Stability

I remember having a four legged stool at the kitchen table in my parents’ kitchen.  I remember Dad sawing the legs to make the stool more kid size.  I also remember rocking back and forth on that four legged stool.  It illustrates the point that the supports work in harmony to be stable.

We also have a unicycle in our garage.  No one in our household has yet mastered that machine!

Do you see where this is going?  A single support cannot offer very much in stability.  Two legs are little better.  But three is the optimum number. 

The three pillars of civilization are the family, the church, and the civil government.  Each institution has its own jurisdiction and responsibilities.  Each one is responsible to protect and strengthen all three.

These three pillars don’t seem to be equally strong these days, or even understood. 

The family has relinquished many of its responsibilities to the church and to the civil government.

The church has relinquished many of its responsibilities to the civil government.

The result is weak churches, weaker families, a unicycle civil government, and a wobbly society.

“If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)

What can the righteous do?  Start where you are.

We all have influence over ourselves.  You may have influence over an entire family.  Everyone has influence somewhere.

Begin to reform the things we control by ordering our lives and homes to align with biblical principles. 

Start in your family.  Strong families can help restore strong churches. 

Strong churches will build families that understand the times.

Strong families and churches make strong communities.

From this will spring local civil governments that understand the synergistic relationship between all three jurisdictional pillars.

Some say things will get worse.  I’m convinced things miraculously improve with a return to the original design!

It’s a simple plan.  Get started.

MG

Praise: In the News...

Photo Credit: Joni B. Hannigan, Florida Baptist Witness

This summer, our three oldest children witnessed a little bit of legislative history by attending several City Council meetings to show their opposition to a controversial sexual orientation, gender identity & expression "non-discrimination" bill, otherwise known as "Ordinance 2012-296".  Supporters and Opponents alike came out in great numbers which made this issue a very personal matter of conviction and contention

One City Council member responded to an email I sent him w/this bit of information which I thought you'd find interesting...

 As you probably know, Ordinance 2012-296 was first introduced to the City Council on May 8, 2012.  Since then, the City Council has devoted countless hours listening to both proponents and opponents of the bill during both public comment and public hearing periods.  In addition, I have received telephone calls, letters and more than 5,000 emails on the subject - more communication than I have ever received before (on any single issue before the City Council) in my nearly twelve years of combined service.

I'm grateful to say, this ordinance was voted down last Wednesday night by a 10-9 slim margin of victory for the amended bill, and a 17-2 landslide victory for the the original bill. 

The article below summarizes what happened last week, and we couldn't be more relieved and thankful for the outcome.  However, we have since received additional information stating the council member who made the swing vote has come under intense pressure by supporters and members of the media to request a re-vote, because it was reported he was confused when he voted about some of the wording in the amended bill.  Many are committing this to prayer, and I ask that you join us.  Thank you.

http://gofbw.com/news.asp?ID=14286&fp=Y

Our Happy Spinybacked Orbweaver

 
The spider takes hold with its hands, and is in kings' palaces.  Proverbs 30:28

We have a happy, resident spider living outside our kitchen window.  Not surprising, she is hanging near our Satsuma tree, where many of her species of spiders are found in our state.
Being that my older brother is an expert in the study of bugs, I took this photo and sent it to him.  He sent the following link...

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/g_cancriformis.htm

I read a couple of additional articles about this spider, and I'm relieved to know this spider is very beneficial to our family.  Here's why...

A Spinybacked Orbweaver, or as some have nicknamed, The Crab Spider, is known to be a number of different colors...red, yellow, orange, black and white.   This is a tropical spider.  It is not known to have a serious bite, unless it is picked up!  It doesn't like to go indoors, but rather prefers the outdoors near a light at night so it can catch flies and mosquitoes.   In the event you find this spider in your home, it's likely you brought it in on a plant where it was hoping to attach her egg sac under a leaf.
Whew!  That's good to know!!   So, don't think you need to kill this spider.  Allow it to reproduce and you'll notice a decline in the number of flies and mosquitoes you see or hear flying around your house.  

The female spider spins a web and sits aside to welcome a visitor who dares to come her way.  Once she pounces on her victim, she will paralyze it by biting it. If the guest is small, she may make an immediate meal out of it.  Otherwise, she will wrap it with silk and save it for another day.

Her male companion usually hangs from a single silken thread under her web, which she's been known to create anew every evening, hanging anywhere from 1-8 feet off the ground. The female is noticeably larger than the male.  After mating, he dies, but she will go on to make an egg sac around this time of year or early fall.  Then while her egg sac grows, she will die, long before her spiderlings hatch in the spring.  

Just wanted to share one of the fun distractions we've enjoyed learning about lately.  : ))

PS-  If you click the photo above, you'll be able to see a larger photo which will give you a better view of the web and spider.  It's really awesome!

Update on Hannah: Blessings in a week, and a Special Prayer Request

Blooming Azalea plant in our backyard that Mark gave me 25 years ago!  : ))

"I was going to post about our apartment and city life today, but I just realized that one week ago today Hannah was heading into surgery……CRAZY~
It is amazing to me how far we have come in just a week!  Although, I guess I should not be surprised or amazed at all because God has answered our prayers and blessed us more exceedingly and more abundantly than I EVER imagined!  I am just amazed when I look at Hannah and see how far we have come since first seeing her after surgery on the ventilator and not moving.  Here she is now, dancing and laughing and singing with Dora on TV!  I did take pictures after surgery, but obviously I am not going to post them, but needless to say…..they are not pleasant pictures but I wanted to “remember” and “see” just how far the Lord brought us.  I finally was “allowed” to take a picture of her scar yesterday.  She has refused to let me prior to yesterday.  But as soon as I took the picture she told me “all done.”  The physical scar has bothered her more than I ever dreamed!  I know she is in pain still too, but mentally, it is just as difficult!  Bath-time has been a very different story than usual!  She usually loves getting a bath, not now!  She doesn’t want me to take her shirt off and as soon as we get out of the tub, she is grabbing her pajama top to put on!  I never dreamed that would be an issue, but she is much more aware and cognitive than she was 5 years ago.  My prayer is now that she won’t remember and of course I am already praying that the 30-40% chance of another open-heart surgery down the road decreases to 0% chance!  I certainly don’t want her to have to endure another one…..three is enough, don’t you think?
I have been blessed again today with a sweet visit from a new friend here in [B'ham] named Christa!  She brought us what looks to be a delicious meal for dinner along with garlic bread, brownies and cookies!  These people here know how to fatten a person up!  HA!  What a sweet blessing she was to me this morning, even staying awhile and chatting!  I truly have met the sweetest people here that are willing to stop their lives to bless mine!  So thankful for people who reach out to others going through a difficult time.  Made me think maybe when I get home it is time to start some kind-of church ministry to help those that feel alone and are either homebound or away from friends and family for any reason!
I will say it is very difficult being the “receiver” of gifts…….you have to swallow a little pride and let people help…..that has never been easy for me.  It is that Type A personality again…..the “I can do it myself” attitude.  I would never make a good boss or employer.  I cannot delegate!  I just tend to do everything myself, without ever asking for help because it is “easier.”  So, for all of those that have helped, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I also received a phone call from an old friend last night who lives in Birmingham.  I had already turned my phone off last night when he called so I am going to call him back tonight.  He, his wife and kids live like 2 minutes away from UAB, so I am hoping to catch up with them at some point.  He and his oldest son have just gotten back from a mission trip and he was touching base to see if I needed anything.  Again, just another blessing from God!

Now a very specific prayer request, but not for us……..
Several posts back, I talked about my friend Angie……if I knew how to put a link to that specific post, I would but I am clueless how to do anything on here…..it was a post prior to us coming here for surgery.  Sorry, I am not computer savvy!  Anyway, my sweet friend Angie has been battling cancer for 3 1/2 years and just found out that the new and really last possible chemo isn’t doing its job.  She is 40 years old with a wonderful family including 3 children and a husband.  She is a school teacher, a faithful child of the King and overall the sweetest, kindest, most generous person I know.  The doctors have not given much hope of recovery at this point, but we KNOW the great Physician and I am asking you to bombard Heaven on Angie Murray’s behalf and pray for a healing miracle for her.  I am bombarding Heaven continually, every time I think of her, which happens to be VERY OFTEN on a daily basis.  Please, please, please add her to your daily prayer list, your churches prayer list, tell your praying friends……let’s pray for a miracle for her and her family!  I know she would be grateful to have all the prayers she can possibly have.  I also know that she wants God’s will to be done…..just like we prayed for Hannah; pray for God’s will for her life and the life of her family.  I can’t even type this without tears falling down my face.  I cannot imagine what she is going through mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually.  I know she prays, not her will, but God’s, but sometimes that is truly a very difficult thing to pray.  We are human, we want to live our life to the fullest, watch our children grow, grow old with our spouse, live a life a happiness and contentment…..but, sometimes, and we don’t understand why, God chooses something different for us.  I certainly wouldn’t “have raised my hand” and said, “oooooo pick me, pick me” for this journey we have taken with Hannah, but it was God who picked me……so you accept it, you go with it and you make the most of it…..not a journey anyone would choose.  Just like with Angie……she would never have said…..”oooooo I want cancer,” but God chose her because He knew she would reflect His goodness, His faithfulness, His love and she would be a testimony of His grace, mercy and strength!  She has done all of that and I am so very proud of her.  She needs our prayers more than ever NOW!  Please bombard Heaven with me on her behalf!
Thank you for continuing to stick with us and pray for us as we continue this journey!  I am so ready to be home…..in my bed, with my sheets, with everything neat and orderly (living out of a suitcase is not for me)…..I am also ready for a shower in my shower…..long story and I will explain that one in the next post…..quite funny…..well for those that aren’t living it!  HA!"

Update on Hannah: A Day of Excitement, "Pain, Generosity of Strangers, and Fire"

Bridal Wreath Spirea in our backyard, 2012

As Hannah would say….”oh goodness”…..where do I begin?!?!
Hannah had a couple of rough days…..she didn’t sleep at all Sunday night and woke up coughing and crying on Monday morning.  Dennis flew out at 8:30am and I called Dr. Dabal’s office.  They had me come over and pick up a new prescription for Hannah for pain and then Hannah and I walked a total of about 5 blocks to get it filled and then back to the apartment.  Well, Hannah walked about 3 of those blocks…..I carried her the other 2!  Try walking outside at 11:30 am in the heat carrying a bag that weighs 20+ pounds, a 45 pound 7-year old and a bag of donuts from the bakery!  Let me just say…..I nearly collapsed when we got back to the apartment.  I was shocked Hannah did as well as she did.  But, I had to go one place to the bakery (I had promised Princess Hannah donuts, she is her father’s daughter, you know), then we had to walk to a different place to pick-up the script from the ARNP and then another place to have it filled!  Didn’t realize how much walking it would be so overall Hannah did well!   I was only given 6 doses of that narcotic medicine so we are using it sparingly, but I gave it to Hannah at 6:30 last night and she was asleep by 6:35 and slept until 6:30 this morning and woke up with the biggest smile on her face…..no crying!  YAY!  Thank you Lord!  On that note, I was asleep last night by 8:30 myself!  Woke up this morning so rested!  Thank you for all your prayers!  Oh, and Dennis did arrive safely back in [J'ville] and went back to work today!  I am jealous that he got to go home, but it was truly for the best!  No use in both of us being miserable!  HA!  Miserable is probably the wrong word….bored…..that is more like it!  UGH!  There is only so much you can do in a 450 square foot apartment with a 7-year-old!  I will save the apartment story and pictures for another post!

Saturday night and last night we were treated to delicious meals provided by ladies at David Platt’s church here in [B'ham]!  Saturday night, our new friend Amanda brought us delicious BBQ from a restaurant here in downtown [B'ham]!  Delicious……turkey, baked beans, spinach casserole and cheddar/garlic muffins.  She also brought brownies and other snacks!  What a blessing.  Last night, another new friend, Sheryl brought us homemade roast, potato, carrots, green beans and homemade bread that was heavenly!  Sheryl has arranged it that Hannah and I will receive meals every-other night for the next 2 weeks!  What a huge blessing not only with saving money but not having to take Hannah out walking to find a restaurant to get food to go and then come back to eat…..I do have my SUV here, but I am really trying not to do any driving; don’t want to put Hannah in and out of the truck (we can’t lift her under her arms for 8 weeks) and the seatbelt will be uncomfortable for her and I really don’t know where I am going and don’t want to lose my parking place…..ha!  With all of those factors, it is a blessing not to have to find food!  Before Dennis left I did run to Publix and bought breakfast and lunch items……so we are covered for food, thanks to the sweet ladies at David Platt’s church!  We also have had several other people that have family at FBC [J'ville] that have reached out to us and offered to help in any way that they can.  The family of God…….giving and blessing people like me who truly feel out-of-pocket and alone, but they are proving Hannah and I have “family” right here in Birmingham.  So grateful!
Hannah and I had some excitement today.  We took our walk and came back to the apartment.  I cooked Hannah a grilled cheese sandwich and got her plate and drink ready and the fire alarm started going off all over the building.  It told us to head to the nearest stairwell and exit the building as a fire was reported!  Okay, seriously…..we are on the 7th floor and Hannah doesn’t do stairs very well.  We put our shoes on and I grabbed my phone and purse and out the door we headed.  Not the way I thought we would spend lunch!  Anyway, someone was cooking in the apartment next to me and burnt something it turned out……no big deal, but not the kind of excitement I need!  HA!  The funny thing was, while we were walking all I could think of was I should have grabbed Lulu, Hannah’s stuffed monkey, because if the building burns down, she will be devastated!  Amazing I didn’t think about grabbing my shoes, my clothes or the laptop…..just Hannah’s stupid monkey!  Guess, I am truly a mom, aren’t I?
So, that is pretty much what the past 2 days have been like for us.  So thankful my dad sent me this wi-fi adapter so now I can at least log on the internet on the laptop and update the blog and it will help cut down on my boredom!  So, I will probably post something everyday now…..tomorrow I will blog about and post some pictures of our apartment and tell you what it is like to live in the city right across the street from a VERY busy hospital!
Thank you all for your continued prayers for Hannah, Dennis and me!  I posted on FB yesterday that if anyone runs into Dennis in [J'ville], give him a hug from his girls!  We miss him…..honey, if you are reading this……you truly were a BIG help when you were here…..I would say hurry back but Hannah and I might be home before you have a chance to come back!  HA!  We love you!
We are indeed grateful for all your prayers, thoughts, support and encouragement!  We never imagined this would be our life, but we have truly watched as the Lord has worked miracle after miracle in Hannah’s life and His provision for us!  I stand in awe of the Lord and the way He works through His people!  God is good all the time; all the time, God is good!

AWESOME GIFT!!!!

The front cover photo of our book, the first photo captured in our blog.

Today, I rec'd an AWESOME gift!  I could hardly wait to brag about it!
When Mark came and picked us up to go vote today, laying on the console between our seats was a few different items, but the item that captured my attention first was a big 8"x11"x1" yellow book.
When I turned it over to see what it was, I was shocked to see written on the front cover...
"Grace for...Grays"!!

I'm sure my mouth was wide open, so I grabbed it up and began thumbing through it.
I wanted to shout for JOY!  I've always wanted to put our blog in print, but just hadn't yet figured out how to go about doing it! 
Mark quickly said, "It's not from me, although I wish it were."
You can imagine...I wanted to know... "Then, who?"

"Alyson" ...a work partner of Mark's.
OH MY WORD!  Why?  We've never met!!
So Mark explained Alyson's interest in booking her own blog, so wanted to make sure we did the same. 
What a very GENEROUS and THOUGHTFUL gift!!

I am still reeling from this AWESOME surprise!  I'm sooo excited!
So, here it is...a glimpse of what our book looks like!!

Back cover w/John's photo, the second of our blog photos

You must visit the site from which Alyson had our book created...

www.blog2print.com

Alyson, Thank you seems hardly the adequate expression for my gratitude!
Your gift is a timeless treasure! 
All of us agree this is one of the most awesome gifts our family has ever received.

Now, I'm sure you've already imagined, ...soon to be added to the top of my 'To Do' list will be to
print year 2011, then eventually 2012.


I am smiling!!

Praise: Update on Hannah

Knock out Rose in my backyard

This is today's update on Hannah as posted by her Momma...
Thank you for joining us in prayer for Hannah's continued healing.  

"Yesterday was a whirlwind and before I knew it, it was 11pm CT and I couldn’t do anything but shower and crawl in bed.  The good news is we were RELEASED from the hospital yesterday!  Whoo-hoo!  The bad news is my sweet little girl is in SO MUCH pain and discomfort!  We can only give her tylenol and motrin (which I went out for at 9pm last night), and let me just say there are parts of [B'ham] that remind me of places in [J'ville] that you don’t go alone, especially at night!  Of course, those that know me, know I don’t go anywhere without a way to protect myself…..just glad that I didn’t need to!  HA!

Anyway, Hannah and I are here at the apartment for probably the next 2 weeks.  Dennis is flying home tomorrow so that he can get back to work and take care of things at home.  Hannah has an appointment to see Dr. Dabal a week from Tuesday and at that time we will know if we will have to stay longer or if he will be releasing us to travel.  The plan is that Dennis will fly back that following weekend to drive us home, but if I am sick of this place and can’t take it……Hannah and I might just load the car and head home ourselves!  Dennis doesn’t want me to do that, but it will just depend on how badly I am ready to get home.  I will say that I already am ready to be home, so it is a good possibility.
I have a couple specific prayer requests:
1)  Please pray that I can manage Hannah’s pain.  Her incision is really bothering her, not only with pain and discomfort but also mentally and emotionally.  Last night, after her bath she stood in front of the mirror just crying and saying “boo-boo, blood, boo-boo off,” it was heart wrenching!  It does look really bad and the  bad thing is she is so much older now than she was for her last surgery and it is really bothering her.  She woke up this morning in so much pain and just cried!  For those of you who know Hannah…..she has to be in pain to cry!  She never cries and never has!  I could probably count on one hand the number of times as an infant that she cried and it was all pain related!  So please pray that the pain and discomfort will soon subside.
2) Please pray for safety for Dennis as he flies home tomorrow.  A dear friend, who owns his own plane is coming to fly Dennis home.  What a blessing!  Even though Dennis is going home, I know he will be with us mentally and emotionally and that will be difficult on him.  But, we both know it is for the best as there is nothing he can do here and there is no point for him to stay and sit around when he could be working and taking care of things at home.
3)  Please pray for Hannah and me.  That the Lord will keep us both healthy and safe.  I feel pretty comfortable where we are.  Downtown [ B'ham] is nothing like Downtown [J'ville], so I feel relatively safe here.  But, please pray God’s protection around us as we go in and out and around downtown.  Dr. Dabal wants Hannah up and out and walking so each morning and evening we will be going out for a short time to do that.
4)  Please pray that we don’t have any setbacks with Hannah’s health and recovery.  It is very important over the next 6-8 weeks that she stays healthy.  Any sickness could be bad, not only with infection possibilities but also with pain and we don’t want her healing jeopardized!
Thank you for your willingness to pray specifically for us.  Thank you for loving us and supporting us through this.  Dennis and I both commented that there is no telling the number of people who have prayed for our little girl throughout this whole process, and we are eternally grateful!

I won’t be able to update the blog for a couple of days as I am waiting for my dad to ship me an internal modem (wi-fi) for my computer as I cannot hook up to the internet in our apartment.  So, when I receive that, I will update the blog daily again (if there is anything to say).  Of course, I am my father’s daughter, I ALWAYS have something to say!  HA!  Hugs and big thanks to you all!"

Hannah's Update: Momma says..."Sleep is Over-rated"!!

Resurrection Sunday, 04/11

Please pardon my pleasure in posting one of my favorite family memories!
Did you notice what day this photo was taken?
Resurrection Sunday!!  What are these people doing?
"Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light" (Ephesians 5:14).
     
I thought you'd appreciate Tamara's latest update on Hannah...posted today, Friday, 08/10/12.

"From the title of my post, I am sure you can imagine that there hasn’t been much sleep happening around here!  HA!  In fact, tonight I will do something I have never done in all of our hospital stays…..I am going back to the apartment to sleep and Dennis is going to stay with Hannah.
Yesterday was a very rough day, of course it was the day after surgery, so that was to be expected.  Hannah couldn’t keep anything down until the afternoon and her kidney’s just didn’t want to function.  Because of the kidney issue, she started to swell and of course that could cause problems.  But, fortunately, yesterday evening her kidney’s kicked in and with the help of some Lasix (a diuretic) the swelling is beginning to subside.  Hannah also had 2 chest tubes in (one for her heart and one for her lungs) which are extremely uncomfortable and somewhat painful especially when trying to walk.  So, every time we tried to get her up to walk, she would scream and cry in pain….absolutely heart-wrenching.  On top of the chest tubes, she also had a line in her main neck artery, which was really bothering her.  So, with all that going on yesterday with her, obviously I never was able to update the blog and both of our laptops were at the apartment and neither one of us had time to go get one of them.  Finally, last night around 6:30pm, we got Hannah to sleep and Dennis left to go back to the apartment and I settled in with Hannah.
Can I just say that if you want sleep, don’t fool yourself into thinking you will get any in a hospital.  Hannah and I both saw practically every hour last night.  Either the nurse was coming in to check her chest tubes or give medications or the tech was coming in to check vitals or a clown was knocking at the door!  No joke…..a man dressed as a clown knocked on the door at 9pm last night wanting to entertain Hannah.  I told him she was sleeping!  I guess Hannah is not the “norm” when it comes to bedtimes…..Hannah goes to bed every night at 6:30pm and frankly, I have no intention of changing that anytime soon!
Today has definitely been better.  This morning started out bad with lots of pain and crying.  Dr. Dabal came in around 9:30am to check on her and decided we could take one of her chest tubes out (the heart one) and also the main line in her neck.  What a difference in Hannah’s attitude when those were removed.  WOW, she was so much happier!  She even got up and walked around the nurses station and to the playroom two times!  We still have one more chest tube to come out and we are praying that will happen tomorrow.  Then all she will have attached to her is one IV in her foot and her heart monitor!  Praise the Lord!  Just 48 hours post op and she is doing fantastic!  She also ate yogurt for breakfast this morning and chicken noodle soup for lunch and she has held it all down.  So, we are on the road to recovery and we are thanking the Lord for His provision, grace and healing!
Our hope is that we will be discharged from the hospital by Monday or Tuesday and released to go back to the apartment (1 block away...) and at that time Dennis will fly home for a week or two.  Hopefully, if all continues to go well, Dennis will fly back the last week of August to drive us home.  I will definitely need help with Hannah on a trip, or I would drive us myself, but it will take 2 of us to help her.  Her sternum will take 6-8 weeks to heal completely and we cannot lift her up under her arms during that time, so getting in and out of the SUV will take both of us plus riding in the car with the seatbelt might be really uncomfortable and we will need to stop often.  So that is the plan as of right now.  We are praying that Hannah will continue to improve and that she will stay healthy and soon be released to go back to the apartment to recuperate.

As always, we so appreciate your thoughts and prayers!  As much as we hated that Hannah had to endure this again; it is your prayers and God’s grace that is getting us through it.  We have always said it could be so much worse and today we met a 3-year-old little girl here at [the hospital] that is awaiting a heart transplant….if that doesn’t make you count your blessings, nothing will.  Please keep ”M”  and her family in your prayers!  Until my next post……give your kids a hug and thank the Lord for them and their health!  Even in our situation, I have found many reasons to be so very grateful!"

A 'True Miracle' Unfolds

Satsuma Blossoms in our backyard


I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart;
     I will show forth all thy marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in thee:
     I will sing praise to thy name, O thou Most High.
Psalm 9:1-2

This is Tamara's report following Hannah's surgery yesterday...

"It is so hard to know where to begin.  First, Hannah did great in surgery.  None of the things that could have gone wrong did…..everything went perfect.  No problems with bleeding, she didn’t need any blood transfusions, she went on bypass perfectly and came off of it perfectly and the best news was that she never had heart block which could have required a pacemaker.  Dr. Dabal removed not only the sub-aortic membrane but also the muscle bar widening her left-ventricular outflow tract enough without having to do a more difficult procedure, PRAISE THE LORD!  He did say that there would be a 30-40% chance down the road that she would need a 4th open-heart surgery, but right now we are not dwelling on that as we are focusing on the miracles that happened today!
About 4-5 hours after surgery, I was with her and she finally started to wake up enough so the nurses took her off the ventilator!  She struggled a little with that, but if you have never seen a vent removed, anyone would have struggled!  She did fantastic!
She is struggling some with her blood pressure being too low and her heart rate being too low, as well, but the doctors and nurses are working on that.  We had to leave the CICU at 6:30pm CT while they do shift-change so we are fixing to head back over now to check on her.  Please pray that her blood pressure and heart rate will get in and stay in the normal range.  Also, please pray that she rests comfortably tonight.  She was very agitated at one point, which then made her blood pressure sky-rocket, which wasn’t good.  She isn’t happy, but who would be, right?
Her nurses, doctors, and of course her fabulous surgeon are wonderful and we feel so blessed that she is here receiving the care that she is.  If she does well tonight and the first of the day tomorrow, then the plan will be to remove most of the drainage tubes and move out of CICU and to a regular room where I can stay with her!  I will admit, I am struggling a little since I cannot stay and sleep with her in CICU…..I have NEVER been away from Hannah at night-time but I know she has one-on-one care around the clock and I really feel at ease with where she is.
Let me say, I could not update anything today…..the blog, FB, twitter, email or even respond to texts as I had no cell phone service where we were in the hospital and I would have had to leave the building to get it.  I was not willing to leave at all until they made me.  So, if you called, texted, FB’ed or emailed….please forgive me for not responding.  Please know how much Dennis and I appreciate your thoughts, prayers, calls, texts and messages and we are so thankful for praying friends and family.  Please also know, that we have received so many messages that there is no way we can respond to all of them.  Not because we don’t want to, but because there is just no time.  But, nothing goes unappreciated.
We were blessed today with several sweet visits from a few people from Jacksonville and Nashville and we were so thankful for their support.  We never expected anyone to be with us, as it was a long trip with expense involved, but we know the Lord worked it out for the ones that were there and we are so grateful!
Thank you all again for your prayers…..please keep them coming as Hannah has a few rough days/weeks of recovery ahead!  We serve a miracle-working God and if anyone EVER doubts that, please let me tell you Hannah’s story in detail and you will see a TRUE MIRACLE!"
  

Prayer for Hannah's Surgery Today

Photo credit: unknown
I am very mindful and prayerful for Hannah this morning, as she is undergoing surgery  today...at this hour, which began at 7:30 CT in [B'ham].
When I woke up this morning, and began praying for Hannah, and Dr. Dabal, I asked the LORD to govern and guide his hands today as he surgically repairs Hannah's heart.
I was awed when I went to Tamara's blog and found this photo on her latest update, Monday night.

For those who do not know Hannah, this is her story...(per her Momma's blog)

"Seven years ago today (July 27th) at 6:29am, weighing 6 pounds, 0.5 ounces, I gave birth to the most beautiful little girl who had a head-full of black hair and the most beautiful blue almond-shaped eyes!  Hannah made her grand entrance 3 weeks early, and this mama was so glad!
I look back at that day and remember every detail like it happened yesterday, but at the same time, because of all Hannah has been through, it seems like it was a million years ago.  One thing that I do remember is her sweet, quiet cry as soon as she was born.  The cry that the high-risk doctor said we would never hear.  The little girl who wasn’t supposed to live, much less survive birth is now 7 years old!  I remember getting a quick 10 second peak at her right before the nurses and doctors whisked her off to the NICU to check her heart.  We didn’t get to hold her or touch her and it would be 8 hours later that I actually got to see her again and touch her for the first time.  The joy I felt was also mixed with grief, sadness and unanswered questions.  We had prepared ourselves to tell her goodbye the moment we met her, but her story wasn’t finished and the Lord had big plans for her and her mama and dada also!...
She has brought us so much joy this last 7 years.  One thing Dennis and I will never regret is giving her life.  The high-risk doctor tried so hard to get us to abort her.  He told us we were thinking emotionally instead of logically, because we wouldn’t abort.  He told us she would have no quality of life and that if she survived birth, it wouldn’t be for long.  Oh, but the Great Physician had other plans for Hannah and yes, she has been through so much, more than any child should ever have to endure…..but, she has quality of life; she is happy, joyful, pleasant, full of laughter and personality.  She cares more about others than she does about herself and all she wants in life is for everybody to be as happy as she is!
Happy Birthday my little princess!  You are the best thing that ever happened to your dada and me! You are our greatest gift and our biggest blessing!  We are so thankful that the Lord chose us to be your mama and dada!  We are the blessed ones, you are our most precious and special gift from God!
Dennis and I don’t look forward to August 8th…..in fact, we are dreading it!  But, the Lord has a plan, and this is a journey He is asking us to take…..a journey of faith and trust in Him.  A journey that he already knows the outcome of; a journey that will bring us even closer to Him, to each other and a journey that I know will glorify Him and count for eternity!"

Thank you, Tamara, for sharing your story with us, and for allowing me to pass it along. 

Please join me in praying God's Word for Precious Hannah today...

“God be merciful unto [Hannah], and bless [her]; and cause His face to shine upon [her]; Selah. That Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee” (Psalm 67:1-3).


Photo credit: Hannah's Mommy, Tamara

I love the remaining verses in that chapter which say,
"O let the nations be glad and sing for joy : for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.  Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.  God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him (Psalm 67:4-7).

May the LORD be magnified through this precious child's surgery and life today, and that of her parents' who love her sooo deeply!!  He knew they'd be the perfect parents to love and care for her here on this earth!
What a beautiful life she lives, because He ordained it so!! 

K~