Go Home And Love Your Family

I wanted to write this post before Christmas, to all of you waiting news of Indiana.

I just lived through some of the most horrible days of my life.

Indiana's symptoms, double vision, balance problems, and problems swallowing, pointed to the possibility of a brain stem tumor. It's the most insidious of them all, as it's inoperable and usually the children have less than a year to live at the time of diagnosis.

We know of a little girl, six years old now. She was Indiana's age when she presented with exactly the same symptoms as her. She is now at the terminal stage of her illness.

Several pediatricians and neurologists told that we should get the MRI done as soon as possible. We were in waiting line, but it would have taken a few more weeks, so we just took her to the emergency room and they found a time for her scan the next morning.

I have never been so scared in my life. Before my mother died, I still had this naive belief that "it can't happen to us". She passed away just one month after the doctors told us that it wasn't serious. Anything could clearly happen, even to us.

We read the Children's Bible to Indiana every night. 

Hundreds of prayers were said for her by dozens of people.

We are thankful for them all. And now we can all pray for that six-year old girl who is terribly ill, and for her family, so that she would get well, and that they would have strength and peace. You can pray for her too, God will know whom you are talking about.

Indiana was so brave even though she was scared when she had to be anesthetized for the procedure. 

When she woke up, we insisted that we wanted to be there by her side, and she was in good spirits and gave me a hundred kisses.

We got the results the next day - the scan was normal. The past days seemed like a really, really bad dream.

Her symptoms are a mystery, but anything is better than what we feared for. 

That was our best Christmas gift. 

And yet again I was reminded in the most profound way of what truly matters. 

It's the three of us together. It's our extended family, and other people in our lives. Enjoying every day together, striving to be good to others, remembering God, letting go of the little things.

And I realize that I have been entrusted with caring for her, but she is not really my child. She is God's child.
If He had plans for her that were contrary to my wishes, His will should still happen.
Nothing happens to her without Him knowing about it.
No matter how much I love my daughter, God still loves her more.

He loves us all infinitely much.

I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
I think this quote fits well these turbulent times:

“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” 

~Mother Teresa