Visitors

Hi All,

Today was a hard day emotionally.  She's been in a great deal of pain and sleeping most of the day and night.  She got up last night around 2am and I crawled into bed with her.  We watched the entire Cinderella movie and she ate a good portion of mac and cheese.  She was talking about Cinderella's mean sisters and making comments about the mice.  It was nice have that connection with her.  To know that Meara is still there. 

We had visits from good friends today.  Douglas, Tifara, Cheyenne, and Dakota traveled from Cheyenne, Wyoming to see us.  Dakota had the same surgery this time last year.  He is a remarkable young man.  He is five and a half and now seizure free.  At one point he reached and held Meara's hand.  He knows what she is going through.  The entire family has been so kind to us, sharing their experience, and helping us through all of the transitional, nitty gritty stuff that sometimes the doctors leave out.  Cheyenne is the best big sister and so incredibly kind to Meara.  I can't wait for when Cheyenne and Meara can spend some time together after recovery and discuss princess stuff.  Thank you for the dolls for Meara and Ainsley.  Meara has been holding on to the doll in bed.  We are grateful that we got to spend time with Douglas and Tifara and their wonderful children.  This is a very difficult journey and we aren't sure how we would be doing right now if it wasn't for their openness, empathy, and outright love for our family.  Below is a picture of their family with Meara.

Chris and Dave also came by today and helped us laugh (and in my case allowed me to cry and share my concerns).   Such incredible friends.  Thank you for being there for us. We are so happy that Meara and Ainsley will grow up with you in their life. 

And thank you to Molly and the entire Foothill Family for the beautiful flowers, book, and card.  Someone must have tipped you off to the places to eat (outside of the cafeteria).  Thank you so much!  It will be very nice to get out and grab some meals outside of the hospital.  Although the food here is pretty good, after a while you start to run out of options.  Thanks Molly for taking the time to drive all the way down here and visit with us.  I know that I was pretty drained.  I am sorry I was so low energy.  I think that today has been probably the toughest day so far for us.  It's hard to see Meara in pain for so long.  But we are grateful for all of the visitors that we had today.  It has lifted us up and although Meara might not show it meant a great deal to her as well.

Seeing this as a path of personal growth and the gain of wisdom has helped Megan and I keep a perspective that I hope will be influential in Meara's life. Our hope is that she grows up with a strong understanding that there is purpose in everything we experience. There is an opportunity to learn, grow, and become better connected to life around us.  Don't get me wrong.  It's been painful and stressful.  We've been through worry and have had to grieve over her possible loss of motor function.  But without darkness you can't have light.  Without knowing pain you won't know healing. Without knowing sorrow you won't know joy.  I am starting to accept that experiencing something enhances my appreciation.  It deepens my understanding of love and the aspects of humanity that often sit underneath the surface and never really get touched.  The pain associated with a situation can be temporary whereas the wisdom gained from it can be eternal.

I've come to learn that empathy heals. It takes courage for some but it yields such a big reward. Sometimes to you have to break open the heart to get there. Visiting with other families here is such a authentic example of this. In order to receive that healing I've learned that you have to be vulnerable and naked. You have to be willing to be in a place where you having no other choice than to listen to your heart.  Intellect can take you only so far.

Meara is there.  She's tired, hurting, and wants to go home but she is there.  It might be at 2am in the morning but we'll take it.  We'll soak it up and stay convinced that once this is over she'll be totally naked to the world with nothing to get in the way of her true self.

Keep those prayers cranking.  No seizures yet so not sure if we'll be lucky enough to keep the Wednesday surgery date.  Hopefully we can get some activity going real soon.

Peace and Love to everyone.  Thanks for taking the time to read these posts and for reaching out to us.

Love,

Aaron & Megan