True Love... :)

Oh, I have been remiss with my blog once again... *sigh*

I apologize, dear readers, from the bottom of my heart. Unfortunately, however, life has been rather topsy-turvy of late... and not just because of NaNoWriMo.

Last Wednesday, my Dad was re-admitted into the hospital because they found numerous blood clots. They promptly put him on blood thinners and put a nifty strainer-like object into his vein to catch said blood clots. For a good day or so, he was still in grave danger, because he had an adverse reaction to the blood thinner they had put him on... and of course an adverse reaction to a blood thinner means that your blood clots instead of unclotting.

Gah.

The local hospital couldn't get things straightened out, so the doctors in Philadelphia had him transported ASAP back to where they could watch over him. Thankfully, once there, they were able to start getting things back under control. This also meant that my poor mother could start relaxing a bit. She was quite nervous about the treatment that Dad was getting from the local hospital, and it was difficult to pry her away from Dad's bedside.

Graciously, the hospital in Philadelphia has allowed her to stay with Dad in his room while they are there, which has made her much more calm and happy.

Meanwhile, I moved back home to become Mom and Dad for my 8 younger siblings. At first this was a fun adventure, being that I've missed spending time with them since I moved away to be closer to my University. However, this meant that I had a 45 minute commute to school and work everyday, and my already busy schedule now included taking care of a small army of people when I got home.

At this point, all I can say is that I don't know how my Mother manages on a daily basis. I really appreciate all that she does now, knowing how challenging it is (especially when the baby won't settle down at night unless sharing the bed with you, and then behaving like a pancake all night, flip-flopping all over the place, keeping you only on the verge of sleep, as you're deathly afraid of him diving off the edge of the bed).

I also know why God gives us children one at a time, instead of all at once! Lol!

Praise be to God, though, for helping us all through this difficult time. I'm so happy with how well the children have all pulled together and worked hard to get along and helped me to keep things running smoothly (which was tricky considering that I still had to go to school and to work for most of the day).

Even better, is that Mom just called to let me know that the doctors have finally released Dad, and they'll be coming home tonight! The blood clots aren't all gone yet, and he's still got quite a few in his lungs (at one point he had 85% blood loss to his right lung), but they've got the medication regulated and he should only need to check in with his local physician to keep things status quo.

It's going to be so great to have them back home. We've all missed them immensely.

What's most beautiful about this whole ordeal is to see how my parents have handled it all. My Mother has been especially devoted and Dad's been a pillar of strength for her and for us all, despite all of the scary stuff that's been going on with his body. They've both relied on prayer and grace through everything and supported one another through this time of great difficulty. And amidst all of this, they celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary on Tuesday.

I don't think I can think of any other couple in my life who have more perfectly lived out their Nuptial vows.

It's truly a beautiful thing to be edified by the example set by one's own parents and I thank God for them everyday.