So the last few weeks have been...um, interesting for our family. Pretty much everyone who reads these knows what's been going on. But, in the rare chance that some stranger happens onto my mere little blog here's the story in a nutshell. The Sunday before Thanksgiving our littlest one went to urgent care for a bronchial infection & ended up being taken by ambulance to the hospital because she wasn't keeping her oxygen levels up well enough on her own. I had to send her off in the ambulance alone because there was not room for me. She got discharged later that night. The next day my husband went to the doctor with arm pain & was sent to the er. He had a huge blood clot in his arm. They would discover that he'd also had at least 2 pulmonary embolisms. He did not get discharged for 5 days. Then the next day (Tuesday) my oldest woke from her sleep having the longest seizure she's ever had. I had to call 911 & send her off in the ambulance alone as I was the only one home with the other 2 kids at the time. She spent 3 days in the hospital until the seizures were under control again.
So...we did not have a Thanksgiving this year. There were 2 things I was really, really looking forward to for that day. One was watching the parade on tv in bed with the kids. I did watch some of it with Emily in the hospital, but it was not the same. The other thing I was really looking forward to was pecan pie. The day after Thanksgiving was when our family was all finally back under one roof again. It was late that evening that I discovered a single piece of homemade pecan pie under some foil that had made it's way home with Joel from the hospital. I cried when I found it because I was going to get that pie I'd wanted after all. I knew it was a little love note to me from the only person who knew how much it would mean for me to receive it: the Lord.
Today was kind of a hard day. I've been tired from everything and Joel and I are both a little shocked at the amount of time it is taking for him to recover. We're still glad he's doing as well as he is. It's just a hard process to go through. Normal routine is out the window. So tonight when going through my email I discovered one from Blue Mesa grill. Apparently I'd signed up for their email promotions a month ago & I was the winner in their December drawing. I won a $50 gift certificate to one of their locations. Again...another love note exactly when I needed it. A promise of a free date night with my husband when he's feeling better. Something I really needed to have to look forward to today.
Over the years he's sent me these reminders that he's very present and that he knows me & exactly what will make me smile or lift my load a little bit. I love that. It meant so much to me today that I felt compelled to share. I pray that He will send a love note your way when you need it too. Be watching for them.
The movie this year was the original Home Alone. You would have thought it was the funniest thing Jonathan had ever seen in his whole life. He laughed harder than I think I've ever seen. We laughed at his reactions because they were so extreme & awesome. Katherine even stayed up and participated. It was a good time! 
This photo was taken on Thanksgiving Day 2008. We drove up to Virginia to spend the holiday with Joel's dad & step-mom, Jan. Jan's son, Dan, and his wife, Adriane, opened their home to us as well as their family that day. It was beautiful weather and the home they were renting was set back away from the city among some beautiful scenery. I even got to take a walk alone on the property that day. The meal was delicious & Dan, a gifted wine maker, shared several of his favorite bottles with us all. The kids had a blast playing and looking at Dan's pet lizards. We stayed past dark & Joel even got to photograph the beauiful night sky. It was truly a perfect day and one of my favorite Thanksgivings ever. I am thankful for it today especially as this Thanksgiving approaches. As I was browsing Facebook this morning Jan's post told me it was Dan's birthday. It got me to thinking about him & this particular holiday we had in Virginia. Dan is no longer with us. He was hit by a drunk driver just over a year ago. It makes this memory all that more priceless. I did not know Dan terribly well, but each occasion I got to be around him he was kind, warm, funny and generous. It is very hard to watch the suffering of his family that loved him so very much. My heart breaks for them and this great loss. There is comfort in something Jan frequently says: that she has hope in the day of their reunion will all things sad will be untrue.
