Regardless of our circumstances, there are always experiences and moments to be thankful for. Remaining thankful is a choice. We are choosing what we focus on. We are choosing in this journey to look for what we can be thankful for. Our faith in Jesus Christ is an anchor and focus for us in this journey.  

Is every therapy session easily motivating for Judah? No. Is he a five year old full of energy, emotions, desiring fun and independence? Absolutely. We are all finding our way in this new environment for Judah with many changes we are all facing. We can acknowledge the hard emotions we feel currently or from the past on this journey, and simultaneously desire to figure out how to process through them to not grip us and throw us off course. We can also celebrate the little yet significant successes along the way! It is all a balance. 

Some moments to be thankful from this week:

-Judah enjoying the “therapeutic clowns” weekly. They put on a personal and spontaneous comedy show for the patients and it is entertaining for the parents too! I’ve found Judah giggling in his bed by himself saying “the clowns are so funny!“ 

-Compassionate staff ready to support Judah and ourselves however possible 

-Connecting more with parents, hearing about their experiences and sharing ours 

-Reading books countless times and drawing with Judah 

-Progress of Judah taking verbal cues from therapists to activate the correct muscles during therapy play 

-The ability for Jesse and I to reflect on and problem solve scenarios together functioning as a team as we take turns staying with Judah and being at home with Sarah and Joshua 

-Quiet moments of reflection, journaling  and prayer 

-Family and friends reaching out in various ways to support our family 

And the list can go on… 

This past week, we had a meeting with the team involved in Judah’s care here. Overall, they were happy with Judah’s progress and start to being here. We were able to problem solve and look to next steps to best support Judah moving forward in some areas. We have been given a discharge date for the end of November, as anticipated. We have also been granted a weekend pass for Judah to go HOME starting THIS WEEKEND! 

In my mind, getting to this “weekend pass” has always been a checkpoint for me. Let’s just get to this point, and we will be okay. We haven’t been together as a family of five since the day before Judah’s surgery. What a wonderful reunion this will be! We know it won’t all be easy for  various reasons and there will be a lot to learn. However, we will look for the many moments to be thankful for, and keep on going. 

Praise God for:

-Moments in the week to be thankful for 

-Weekend pass to go HOME! 

-Judah is beginning to eat better with some familiar meals and snacks from home 

Prayer Points:

-Judah’s incision to continue to heal as anticipated (there is no longer fluid there and we want to keep it that way!) 

-Judah’s emotional regulation as he experiences all of this change 

-Wisdom for Jesse and I navigating Judah’s schedule allowing for valuable playing and resting times for him 

-Judah‘s continued motivation and confidence to try new exercises and activities for physio and occupational therapy 

-For a good rapport between Judah and these wonderful therapists