After a horrible day yesterday, when every sign pointed towards me having to say goodbye to Olivia today, we have received some very positive news this morning. Olivia has started to respond to treatments, her liver is recovering and, while we're not out of the woods yet, the vet is "cautiously optimistic".
I will still count it as a tremendous blessing if I get to take Olivia home after this ordeal, but this is the first real sign of hope that I've had since she fell sick on Saturday afternoon. And, for now, I'll cling to it. Many thanks for all your sweet comments and notes. I have been reminded how lucky I am to have such amazing friends, family, coworkers and blog readers.
In the interim, please continue to pray for Olivia's recovery. And of course for my cousin Patrick, who continues his fight in NICU after suffering serious head trauma during a terrible car accident two and a half weeks ago. A family friend has been sending around daily devotionals for Patrick (and for my cousin KB who is serving in Afghanistan as a surgeon). Today's was particularly poignant for me.
Psalm 23 is one of the most famous passages in the Bible, and its first 3 verses read as follows:
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases verse 3 in a way that really spoke to me today:
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
I do not know yet whether we are past the storm or merely in its eye, but today I am grateful for this moment of calm to catch my breath and collect my thoughts.
