Thankfulness

Brent did great on his surgery Monday! Everything went more smoothly than I had even hoped. He had lots of fun toys to play with in the pediatric waiting room, and they let him stay with us up until the doctor was ready for him. All said and done, he was only away from us for about 20 minutes, and then they brought him back to me safe and sound. A little cranky and disoriented for a few minutes, but that's about all. Within an hour or two, he was 100% his old self, and has been fine ever since. I'm just so grateful that things worked out well.

I'll write this here, even if it's a little mushy. But it has just been weighing on me lately just how lucky we are. There are too many other children that are so less fortunate...too many parents waiting in rooms just like the one we were in, only they may not have had good news at the end, or may have been waiting for surgeries far more complicated and dangerous. I can't even imagine what they must go through. I knew in my heart that this was simple and that he would be just fine, and yet when the moment came for them to carry him away, my heart just sank to the floor in an instant. You live outside of yourself for those minutes, where time passes with heavy feet, and sounds move through you without any life. Until they are back safe with you, it seems like anything is possible. Scenarios run through your head, skipping around senselessly. And then it's over, and life returns to normal. But every time I see a poster with a missing child on it, or read headlines of horrible situations, that feeling creeps up my throat just a little. It's my reminder of how lucky I am, and how precious every single moment is with the people you love.