thanks thing

We plan to gather the rascals and jump in Big Red tomorrow for a trek to our Cajun Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and yours and in the hubbub of it all- attempt with me to remember that God with us has come.

Ginny and Lena (and Ginny’s mom) are headed back from St. Louis today.  They traveled that increasingly familiar route for Lena’s e.e.g. (in layman’s terms this is wires on head, reading brain activity for 24 hours).  So, Gin and Lena hung out in a room for the entire day- one room.  This sounds like a really, really bad dream to me- cannot leave this room is right up there with naked speaking dreams, but all reports are that both did splendidly.

Lena’s brain injury puts her at high risk for seizures at some point, but as for now they saw nothing.  There’s an appointment with THE CP GURU today and so we’ll see what we learn from her.  Sorry, I went all special needs club lingo on you….CP is cerebral palsy- in layman’s terms….well, you’re gonna probably have to refer to the googles for that.

The St Louis hockey team’s mascot visited Lena during her time at the hospital.  So, I now have a hands-down favorite hockey team.  I’ll have to get back to you with their mascot….I saw a picture, but I have no idea what he was.  Thanks thing, you’ve made a fan out of me.

Seriously, the craziest feelings can derive from seeing your own child being in a wretched hospital hooked to a ROYGBIV array of colored wires when she should be home getting ready for Christmas.  I got the picture of Lena hugging thing and I committed to going to hospitals or old folks’ homes or somewhere where folks can’t leave and telling them Merry Christmas (I’m afraid to write that as I know I’m a coward and don’t have a plan and so have a mentality to avoid these very places).

The hurt of this world has been heavier than normal recently.  I think of those families in Newton just beginning to miss their children.  I scan facebook for updates on a friend of ours- she’s 34, has 3 beautiful kids and was placed into an induced coma in intensive care after multiple strokes this week.  We wait and pray and go on with our day.

And thing has got it right.  All we can do is choose to enter in with others.  Awkwardly waddling in with more hugs than words.  I hated hockey and might even have heard that the season is not happening.  But I’m a newfound fan.

Find someone this Christmas to come alongside of…the weight of the world grows lighter only as we bear under it together.