Saturday, January 24, 2009

the best laid plans

All week, Charlie and I look forward to the weekend.

We look forward to spending time as a family and visiting random places around San Diego. Typically, I am anxious to get out of the house and do something, anything, because I'm goal-oriented that way.

Today, our plan was to go to the Zoo with a picnic lunch.


On a typical day, I would be anxious to get out and do just that.


But today it's overcast. And my heart is sad for my friend, Deana, who I wrote about with such joy, a few short weeks ago. This morning, when I came home from my run I received an e-mail that indicated she was back in the hospital. The cancer has returned and has been causing her such terrible pain that she is hooked up to a morphine IV.

This kind of stuff isn't supposed to happen to someone who has a two-year-old and a four-year-old. Instead of her mind being consumed with how to successfully transition her baby to a big boy bed, her mind is consumed with how doctors are going to treat her aggressive and rare form of cancer.

Only God knows what the future holds for Deana.

Or any of us, for that matter.

So today, all of our grand plans have been scrapped.

We aren't going anyplace spectacular, but we are doing spectacular things.

We are watching chubby legs and listening to the pitter-patter of little feet as our baby runs through the house, with his arms flailing wildly.


We are doubling over in laughter from tickling and four-year-old knock-knock jokes.

We're sitting around on the couch and reading every single Dr. Seuss book that we own.

We're listening to good music.

We're baking a gingerbread house with some leftover supplies from Christmas.

We're hugging and kissing and telling each other that we are so blessed and lucky to be here, together. Right now. Today.

Today, we are thinking about and praying for our friend, Deana.

If you can spare a good thought or prayer, I hope you will, too.

(Edited to Add: Less than five minutes after this picture was taken...

... and moments before we were to begin the process of getting ready for church and dinner out, William was knocked off his step stool, smacked his face on our granite counter tops and ricocheted off the table on his way to the ground. When I picked him up and wiped away the blood, I could see a 1/2 inch gash over his left eye that I'm absolutely certain requires stitches. Charlie is on his way to the emergency room while I'm home wondering just how badly I need [or want] to make his sisters feel. Suddenly, our peaceful Saturday has shifted. So it goes with the best laid plans.)

16 comments:

  1. Of course.....her story is sad and I will pray for a happy ending.

    Your day sounds perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Jen - I'm praying for your friend Deana - I hope all the positive energy from you blog will help her with her illness. William will be just fine - it's the first of many injuries to come......Good thing you can stay home with the others while Charlie does the duty - I suspect it won't be fun! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I will be praying for Deana and her family.
    Poor William I hope he is feeling okay. I bet he needs some special ice cream;)
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my word. I hope William's alright that it's nothing a few stitches, some kisses and ice cream can't mend.

    I'm sending up good thoughts for Deana.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ERs suck! We were there last weekend for Shayna... in Vegas...on a Saturday night... BLAH!

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh my. poor william.
    i hope he's okay.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, no! I sure hope William is okay.

    I'm so sorry for your friend Deanna. Sending out a prayer for both of them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. No guilt needed for the girls--they heard their brother's cries, saw his blood, watched him leave for the hospital, and will see him come home with a bandage over his eye, at the very least. They know. I'd just hug and reassure with soft words, "I know you didn't mean to hurt him. This is why we must be gentlewomen. I love you."

    Deana is in my thoughts.

    -Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sending prayers for Deanna and her family.
    I hope William's trip to the hospital wasn't too bad and he is fine now. I bet he'll be proud of his wound eventually!
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh NO! I am so sorry to hear about Deanna. I hate to hear that! Let her know our family will be praying for her and her family. Marg.
    PS Hope Will feels better as well - better tell Charlie to stop for double chocolate!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'll be praying for Deana and I hope William is okay.

    I had to add that my first though upon seeing Henry run through the pictures was how clean your house looks.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Prayers sent. That is so hard and sad about Deana...

    Hopefully William only needs glue!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh gosh I hope he does ok with the stitches. I know what you mean about only God knows, I heard of TWO 40 year olds this last 2 weeks who died. In MY school communities! I am still reeling.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jen, my very best friend is nearing 40 and is still unmarried and childless. While she has a wonderful career that she loves and is meant for, she struggles daily with loneliness for a life partner and the noisy chaos of children.

    While I look at envy at her satisfying career (I truly hate my well-paying job that I'm "stuck" in but tolerate because I get great health insurance and we like to have food on the table), I am fully aware that a healthy marriage and children after years of IF/PL are much harder to come by. So I try to be acutely aware of what blessings I have. I am continually working to honor these blessings the Lord has given me. I am fully aware that I do not deserve these things anymore than my best friend. I try to overlook those crazy, whiney moments where my child is driving me nuts. I try to overlook the times where my husband is oblivious to my desires. I try to overlook the mounds of laundry, dirty dishes, and too-busy calendar. Why? Because I know the alternative. I could be missing the pattering of those precious toddler feet and the sweet neck nuzzles and hugs from my husband at the end of the day. And when I look at things that way, I know that if your friend's story were someday MY story, I'd have peace that I did everything I could to make the most of the blessings that God provided me.

    Prayers over your friend: I will pray first and foremost that God heal her miraculously. He can do that. But I will also pray that somehow God use you as a special blessing to make a difference in her days.

    MM

    ReplyDelete
  15. I will keep Deana in my prayers. I'm so sad for William. When I was visiting San Diego, my 4 yr old girl had to have stitches over her right eye!! I'm glad that Charlie is able to be there with him ... I'm sure he'll be a trooper! Must see pics :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beautiful post. You very much could have been writing about any number of weekends I have lived through myself, with kids.

    ReplyDelete