Miracles

I haven't blogged in so long. We were out of town for a while and I sat down to write a post a few weeks ago, but never finished it. I think that I am like the summer: lazy. I have loads of pics to upload and post...one day. The kids start school two weeks from today. I can't believe I will have a second grader and a kindergartner!

So...onto my post about miracles. I have probably written about miracles before (a lot) and I know that I have mentioned that Luke got his miracle: a chance to be with God and free from pain. But over the past week, I was reminded of even more miracles...

Mother Teresa was an amazing woman. Her 100th birthday is coming up in August and as a celebration of her life, her relics are touring around the country. Our church was blessed enough to host the relics on Friday and we were able to see them. Luckily, our sweet Nana was in town and she was able to see them, too. It was a really wonderful experience. To see sandals that this angel on earth wore, to see the crucifix and rosary that she carried, to see (in pictures) the work that she had done during her life and the lives that she touched was very intense. Mother Teresa gave all of herself to those who were less fortunate. I am particularly touched by the way that Mother Teresa was with children and babies. There were a few Missionaries of Charity (the Society of Sisters started by Mother Teresa) at the veneration. Tommy and I told the sisters about James' issues and his diagnosis. They seemed very interested in his story and even gave us a special prayer card for Mother Teresa that was blessed in the Vatican. They told us that if we experience any miracles to call a special number. How cool is that? The sisters held James (although he was almost as big as one of the little nuns that held him--Tommy said that he almost knocked the tiny woman over!).

Of course, I already know what miracles each of our four children are. In their own little ways, they are such blessed miracles. Emily has been blessed with a kind heart and she is compassionate to all others, especially those who are hurting or sad. I am so proud when I see her and her gracious ways. Matthew has been blessed with a miraculously old soul. He asks the most thoughtful questions about God, heaven, and life. The strange thing is that I think he already knows all of the answers! Luke was blessed with a tough spirit, full of energy and wisdom. As I have said before, he lived more in his 5 1/2 weeks that most of us will live in 100 years! We all know that it is a miracle that James is even here with us. Not only did his fluid levels drop in half within two weeks, but after he was born it was discovered that he had two true knots in his cord. I have an ultrasound picture of James' foot. When I look closely at it, I see a tiny hand wrapped around his ankle. I know that it isn't James' hand and I believe that it is our Luke's hand, watching over his baby brother. One day, I will post the picture to the site to share what I see.

Below are some pictures from our visit to see the relics of Mother Teresa.

Matthew admiring a special relic with some of Mother Teresa's blood (the one on the left had a strand of her hair)

Emily touching her medal to the case which holds Mother Teresa's sandals

A few of the Missionaries of Charity holding James

I love that this sister took James to the altar and blessed him. What a treat! Emily was pretty impressed, too. :)

I was reminded of another miracle today. I have spoken ab0ut my dear friend, Jill, in the blog a few times. Jill and I have been friends since 6th grade. Jill had long, curly, blonde hair and we were all envious of it. She was smart and musically talented. Naturally, I wanted to be friends with her. We remained friends through high school, through my move to Argentina, and even managed to share a room during all four years of college. Jill is also very faithful and I love that we can share our faith. Today, Jill and I were talking about our visit to see Mother Teresa's relics and she said, "you may think this is crazy, but I think you did experience a miracle last week".

So now you need some background...Tommy and I have decided to participate in a research study about left-sided heart defects and their genetics (shout out to Blake's mom Christie Huggins for sharing the info.). As such, we thought it would be good to have everyone's hearts checked via echo cardiogram. Luckily, Emily and Matthew's hearts were perfect (James' was checked before and after birth). Mine was also perfect. Then, Tommy received a call from the cardiologist. They told him that his echo came back abnormal. They performed a special test on him called a bubble test as his EKG was abnormal. The bubble test is an echo where saline is injected into the vein and it is watched as the saline goes through the heart. If the saline bubbles, it indicates a possible hole. Tommy met with the cardiologist and she told him that the tests indicated a possible ASD or PFO and that he would need a TEE (where they put a tube down his esophagus and look at the heart via echo from the inside). Tommy has always had a murmur, so we weren't too surprised that the echo was abnormal. Sooooo, the TEE was last week. When the cardiologist came out (Tommy had to be sedated), he told me that Tommy's heart was "perfect". What? Perfect? No ASD? No PFO? WOW!

So this is what Jill meant by our miracle. She shared that God knew we wouldn't be able to handle another heart defect. That He knew how to heal Tommy's heart. Tommy saw the bubbles as they crossed over his septum. The cardiologist showed him the bubble test. God heals and God healed. Thank you, Jill, for sharing this. God put you in my life so long ago for a reason. You are a miracle to me.

Other miracles are still happening, not only in our lives, but in the lives of others. There are so many miracles who are born each day, fighting for their lives. Thank you for your constant prayers for these children and their families. God bless you all and check the site soon for pics from our summer trip!