Grateful

Today has been amazing in many ways. First of all, Tyler slept 8 hours last night with only a few brief interruptions!! Yay, Jesus! He also was able to get distracted by some activities here at the hospital for a little while, and the tics stopped for a short, but very significant, block of time. This was the very first time he has been able to experience a break in the unending tics since Tuesday afternoon, so this is great! It means that prayers and meds are starting to work. Also, a new med he started this afternoon seems to make him sleepy. It’s a side effect I’m grateful for right now. He needs it.

Secondly, today we have experienced refreshing in ways we didn’t know we needed. My parents arrived yesterday afternoon, and they took over being with Tyler at the hospital. Brian and I were able to both go out to eat dinner together, spend some time at home with the other five kids, and get a full night of sleep. We took our time this morning sleeping in, catching up on work that needed to get done, and then getting to the hospital in the early afternoon. It was a well-needed break. Also, we had several friends come visit us today, and that was very refreshing. We appreciated their love and prayers.

Also, we were so blessed by people’s practical and financial gifts. Our dryer broke last night, but then this afternoon I got a call from Lowe’s asking me when I wanted the new washer and dryer delivered. Someone had anonymously bought them for us. Also, we found some money in our hospital room and know someone must have left it for us. So, whomever you are, thank you very much. And thank you, Jesus, for loving on us through your body. Also, thank you to the people who are helping out at our house, bringing meals and helping with housework so my parents can focus on just loving on our other kids. They need the refreshing too. This is stressful on them as well—not being able to see Tyler, having their parents’ limited attention, and not knowing how to help.

The support we are receiving is overwhelming. I’m shocked by how many views my blog posts are getting. It’s way more people than I personally have contacted or know, so I realize there are all kinds of people out there praying for Tyler. Friends and strangers alike, thank you all so much for the prayer. This is the biggest component to both Tyler’s healing and the well-being of our whole family. Thank you so much.

I’m also thankful for my husband. He never gives up. He has never given up on me—even though I’ve tested his never-give-up-ness many times. He’s a great dad. And he has a strong conviction about the kingdom of God. When we had the triplets, he said, “I know we will be tired and worn out, but we can’t allow having three babies at once to pull our marriage apart or pull us from the calling of God.” He was right then, and he is right now. Today, on our way to the hospital when we stopped at a Burger King for lunch, he prayed for the lady in the drive-thru. In the 30 seconds we had there, she was healed of severe foot pain. As we drove away, I heard her shouting to her co-workers, “I just got a miracle! I just got a miracle!” Thank you, Brian, that I can always count on you to be who you are. I love you.

Also, thank you to all our Paul’s Valley friends who have chosen to “make the enemy take a toll for what he’s done to Tyler.” Their home group has chosen to spend tonight doing evangelism and praying for the sick, especially because Tyler is experiencing this terrible illness. That’s a kind of giving of yourself that I don’t know how to thank enough. I pray the enemy realizes that when he messes with one part of the body, the whole body fights back. Thank you.

A couple days ago, I said we were waiting on God to do something AMAZING.

He never disappoints.