Redeemer of the Rain

Throughout this whole journey we’ve been encouraged to celebrate the small victories. Every day without a set back is a day to celebrate. Recently, the “set backs” have slowed down and Mom has started making leaps instead of just baby steps. Although we know the road ahead is still long, we feel encouraged by the progress she is making and we rejoice daily.

It has now been almost 10 weeks since Mom has had anything to eat or drink by mouth. On Monday of this week, they decided to have a swallow test done to see if she was strong enough to correctly swallow food and liquids. Praise the Lord! Mom completely passed the swallow test and was cleared for thin liquids and food. Today, for the first time in 10 weeks, she was able to drink a coke! Y’all, sometimes it’s the little things. The precious speech therapy staff came parading  in today with Mardi Gras decor, cokes, spaghetti, king cakes and gifts all for Mom. It was a special moment that this emotional, pregnant daughter cried over. We feel so blessed that the staff up here loves Mom almost as much as we do!

“Holla if you can Swalla!”

Mom’s kidney function has continued to improve. They have slowed her dialysis and are trying to find the appropriate balance between helping her kidneys filter her blood and letting them continue to work on their own. Please pray for the nephrology team as they study her lab work and continue to tweak her fluid input and output. Mom’s kidneys making a full recovery would be a huge “win” in her recovery process.

Mom still has her trach and we are working towards the day of having that removed. It is no longer breathing for her but does offer some oxygen support. Please pray that we can get the trach out soon and she will be breathing 100% on her own.

Everyday I find myself asking “Why did this happen?”... “Why was MY Mom the one who had to have complications?”. I have come to realize that I might not ever get the answer to those questions and if I do, I might not be pleased with the answer I get. Our family is slowly coming to accept that reality and we are beginning to be ok with that. We are choosing to believe that the Lord isn’t finished with Mom. We believe He is going to allow her and our family to use this experience to bless others. One of Mom’s favorite songs is “Redeemer of the Rain” by the Collingsworth family. We’ve listened to it in her hospital room over and over again and the more I listen to it the more I believe what the lyrics say. Our Lord is the Redeemer of the Rain. He’s our hope in a hopeless world. He brings beauty to the most awful situations and he restores the most broken hearts. Our Redeemer lives and His love sustains us. Today I pray, that no matter what brokenness you are experiencing, you allow the Redeemer of the rain to bring hope to your heartache. We love you and are blessed by each comment, hug and encouragement you give us.