A Bloggy Shout: Annie

Howdy!

Time for another Bloggy Shout! Annie's Blog! This blog is perhaps closest to my heart because there would be no blog without the tragedy that occured on Jan. 21, 2006.

My friend Jean is a wonderful mother of s.e.v.e.n. children. And I can attest to the fact that her hair and makeup are fresh and fixed every time I see her. We won't speak of my personal appearance. Jean, and her husband Bill, a former pastor of ours, are members of our church, and up until 5.5 years ago, had 6 children. They also had witnessed a full-on miracle in their lives. You can read more about it here, but suffice to say, that Bill lived through a disease process which should have killed him, and almost did.

Fast forward a few year to a new baby. A new start. A fresh testimony of the Lord's abundant love.

Then, fast forward to an unknown (at the time) disease which caused massive seizures and respiratory arrest in a three year, nine month old princess. Princess Annie.

Bill and Jean, and their amazing family had to wait.and.see. for 52 days at Children's Hospital to see if Annie would live, and if she lived, how she would function--if at all. First phone calls and prayer requests were grave. Time at home, therapies at home, hospital visits, and new medical jargon overwhelmed and overtaxed these parents and siblings. But God was there. Experimental drugs and/or diets have been tried. And discarded. And God was there. Seizures have been many, many an hour, and none at all. And God was there.

At this point, Annie is still receiving therapies, and has a nurse at her school because she is medically fragile. She's relearning to eat and walk and talk. All things princesses should be able to do. Praise God, she's been seizure free for about 2 months. But...what happens when something like this strikes a family? And God is there? I'll tell you.

Pain.

Angst.

Sadness.

Weariness beyond measure.

and...

the most faith I've ever seen displayed in my life. Praise for Him whether good days or bad. Realizing that there may be new definitions of good days. And bad. Realizing that as they mourn the loss of the "old" Annie, God has given them a "new" Annie. The Annie that He always knew about. The one that He loves just as much as the old one.

Lest you think that Jean is some high and mighty "christian" writer, let me tell you that the other reason her blog touches my heart is that she's so authentic, so transparent, and so real. I'm blessed to call her, "friend."

Go now, and be blessed.