7/19/09 10:00am Banana Peels & Balance

Jenna stepped on a banana peel last night. She spiked a big fever. That probably means another germ of some variety is working on her. We continue to be encouraged but, this type of thing throws us off balance. She is so fragile right now that the steps forward she has taken could be easily erased by the wrong sets of circumstances. So we and Jenna struggle to find our balance. The docs approach is to bring back some of the antibiotics she was on previously and throw a few more into the mix that would address hospital acquired germs.

As a parent, the helplessness in this type of situation is tough to deal with. It seems that the 2 avenues we have available to us to actually help Jenna both have to do with faith. First, we have faith that Jenna is receiving remarkable care from a remarkable group of dedicated professionals. We spend our days asking questions of the docs and nurses to try to increase our knowledge of the challenges Jenna faces. Somehow believing the acquisition of this knowledge will help our little girl. In reality, it probably won't. At most it might help us answer a few more questions on Jeopardy! I suspect our professional team would do the same things with or without our presence or questions. We have faith in these folks and their dedication to caring for little Jenna.

The second area of faith is one that we do believe we can be additive to the process. Clearly that is faith in God and that He hears our prayers. Nobody can pray for a child like a parent and we are putting forth great effort to let God know what we want and that we have faith that He will provide. The troubling questions for probably any parent in this situation where you have limited control "Are we doing enough? Praying enough? Are we really doing are best?" Our prayer and hope is that we have the wisdom and strength to do what we need to do. Our prayer is that through faith that we can help Jenna find her balance and find our own as we step on the banana peels that seem to be a part of this path she/we walk.

For those that are willing please steal a few solitary moments from your day and continue to give thanks for the healing Jenna has experienced to date. Please pray specifically for our medical team to have the wisdom to kill any infections that Jenna may be fighting and that her kidneys have a fast and full recovery. We know the Jenna herself is being held and comforted by Jesus and her Mother Mary. We continue to remain positive and thankful for all your support. We continue to devlop our patience with the process and EXPECT GREAT THINGS!

"For I am the Lord your God Who holds your right hand, and Who says to you, 'Do not be afraid. I will help you.' " Isaiah41:13