I can't imagine that I still have anyone checking into my blog since I have been away for 3 months ... oh my goodness, has it really been that long?! How time flies when you are NOT having fun.
Well, without sounding too whiny and without going into all of the boring details ... life has definitely been getting the better of our family since last fall. It began back at the end of October with my 40 year old husband being diagnosed with a dangerously high blood pressure. You know how most men are, they don't go to the doctor until they absolutely have to. Well, he was scheduled to go on a trip to Columbia, South America with our church that he pastors. It was through the process of getting all of the required immunizations that his high blood pressure was discovered. Of course then tests showed his cholesterol being ridiculously high for his age as well. Needless to say, he did not make the trip to Columbia because all of this was discovered only 2 days before he was to leave, not allowing enough time to see if the prescribed medication would work. The obvious concerns were him having a stroke or a heart attack and not being able to get the appropriate medical treatment while there were staying in remote areas of Columbia.
Once things started to settle down with my husband's health, my 17 year old daughter was then admitted to the hospital right after Thanksgiving for a week with what the doctors could and can still only diagnose as a neurological movement disorder. She started with slight uncontrollable muscle twitches in her leg, and then the movements progressed over the next couple of days into full on body contractions. It looked very much like she was having seizure after seizure with very little relief in between each episode. The tests showed, however, that what she was experiencing was not seizures. In the days that followed she had test after test. In the meantime, her legs became so weak she could not even walk. The best the doctors could come up with was that she had a neurological movement disorder brought on possibly by a virus. With the help of various medications, the symptoms started to lessen to the point that she was able to go home. She then stayed home for the next 2 weeks from school, still trying to recuperate.
After Christmas break she was able to go back to school full time, and she started driving again in January. She still continues to have symptoms, but thankfully she is able to fully function in all of her many activities in life. This experience has caused our entire family to grow and learn so much. We have been so blessed by amazing family and friends who have been walking through this experience with us. We also have been blessed by the amazing doctors that have worked on and continue to work on my daughter's case. Sometimes there just are not concrete answers to the problems we face.
On a very happy side not, my daughter earned her first lead role in her high school's production of "Sound of Music". She is going to be Mother Abess, and she is very excited to have a beautiful solo to perform. I will be sure to post pictures at the end of March after the musical is completed.
Now we move on in time to a week ago when the same 17 year old daughter from above totaled her car in a one car accident. Thankfully she came out unharmed. However, the same cannot be said of the 3 mailboxes and a large sign that she ran over. Suffice it to say she was driving too fast around a corner on a country road and then swerved to avoid hitting a small animal crossing the road, and then the car spun and the rest is history. Once again we witnessed blessings in this situation. It was a blessing that there were no other cars on the road when this happened and a blessing that my daughter didn't hit a light pole instead of mailboxes. Consequently, our family of 5 is now sharing our one functioning vehicle. Please don't get me wrong, however, we are quite thankful for that one vehicle!!
And wouldn't you know that right before we got the call about the accident, my husband had just gotten a call from his physician with results from a routine blood test required since his October diagnosis. We were informed that he has type 2 diabetes. I am telling you, that I am beginning to question God's sense of humor! My husband has taken the news so well. He is doing a lot of reading and studying about how his eating and lack of exercise need to drastically change. And of course, his change in diet will affect the rest of us in the house. But, quite honestly, I think that will be a good change. It is so easy to fall into bad eating habits when the family schedule is so busy. It is just hard to see my husband in this somewhat vulnerable situation. And it of course reminds me once again how precious and sometimes fragile life can be.
I debated on whether to share any of this because there are so many families with so many more difficult obstacles they are facing on a daily basis, and I am so grateful for all that God has blessed me with. But, I would be lying if I said I wasn't struggling. One thing that has kept me going is visiting the fabulously creative and touching blogs out there. I feel like I am ready to re-enter the creative world out there, in fact I just plain need to ... ready or not!
So with all of that said, and with much more detail than I intended, I hope to get back to some regular crafty posting. I recently participated in a fabulous swap through a blog group I joined, A Year of Color, hosted by Kari Ranstrom of Artsy Mama. I was partnered with the absolutely sweet Heather Rowely of Speckled Egg. I will be posting pictures of the amazing treasures that she sent me.
Thanks so much for being such patient listeners :)
till next time,
melissa
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