Heaven

I'm convinced that God brings some days into our lives that are so messed up they remind us to long for heaven and eternal rest. When things are great I don't think about it as much. Life seems pretty good so I think I'll just stay here for a while. Then some days I'm reminded of the curses of this world and I just get tired and long to be with my Savior.

The day started out great. We made some Nutella cookies (thank you, Jennifer for the super-easy recipe)


Then we were cleaning the house and listening to Christmas songs on the computer. Like some disney princess I'm dancing with the broom and singing along. Josie's jumping on our SUPER high bed (seriously there are stairs on either side of it just to get up and down) and THEN.....she flips over the footboard and dives headfirst into the tile floor. My heart stopped. She didn't cry right away and her eyes rolled back in her head. Not a good sign.

So my EMT brain tells me that panicking never helps a patient so I pick her up and try to get her to talk to me. She's just screaming and won't say anything. I know...first rule of thumb with people who fall straight on their head is not to move them because they could have a neck injury, but I'm just gonna tell you...when you're the mother you forget things. So She still won't talk to me. I finally talk her into following commands like wiggle your fingers and toes. Her pupils look equal. She starts kicking so that's a good thing. I put some ice on her head and try to give her Advil. She normally loves the taste of medicine and doesn't want any. Everytime I pick her up I notice that her head is wobbling like a bobblehead doll. I ask her to hold her head up and she won't. That's when I grabbed the phone and called our AWESOME neighbors Louis and Miranda. They happened to be just pulling out of their driveway and came right over. So Josie and I jump in the car and we head to the hospital. About the time we get there, Josie stops crying and is all smiling at Louis like nothing happened. We see a VERY nice British doctor who orders an X-Ray. Let me just say that, holding a screaming Josie's head down on an X-ray tray is not going to go into the "favorite memory" section of my brain. But we got through it, and she didn't have a fracture. We went back into the Dr. office and Josie tried to climb on her desk. The doctor said in her high British accent, "Oh she's a busy one. I can see how she toppled!" She got a good goose-egg out of it and some M&M's though.

The guy who was supposed to give our social worker the files for the kids was MIA today. Apparently he's going in tomorrow. Bleh.

So then other little random things stressed me out throughout the day, but at the end of it I thought back on my blessings.

1. I'm thankful my daughter is ok. She's a handful, but I like having her around:)
2. I'm thankful I have an understanding husband who has listened to my complaints today and still loves me.
3. I'm thankful for friends. All my friends, but especially today, Louis and Miranda who BARELY know me, who know I'm leaving in a few months, and who have been there for me since I got here. Everything from inviting me to Thanksgiving, taking care of the bills on the house, to fixing a light bulb, to making sure I have books and movies so I don't get bored...and rushing us to the hospital. I would like to think I would be that kind of friend to new people, but I know for a fact that we have military families all the time who come through Montgomery that I don't extend that kind of friendship to. Sometimes it's easier to keep them at arms' length and not invest time in people who won't be around to reciprocate. Today was a good lesson in other-centered friendship.
4. I'm thankful to be here. I had some ladies over for lunch today and we were talking about how it is easier to do an adoption where you just sign papers and pick up your children, but you never get to know the country and the people there. They said "There are many things that we can learn from you, and many things that you will learn from us." I'm finding that to be very true, and even though I'd rather be home with my husband in my own house, I know I will look back on this time and be thankful for what God is teaching me and that I will have a better understanding of where my two new daughters are coming from. Sometimes I just have to stop looking at this as wasted time waiting for this committal order and see it as a time set aside to learn.
5. I'm thankful for the hope of heaven. It makes days like this bearable.