Todd

Every now and then there are humbling experiences in our lives which remind us to appreciate the little blessings around us like: blessings of shelter, food, employment, health. For me, a lot of my humbling experiences come through my children. Todd had minor surgery to remove his tonsils last month. We prepped him for weeks, highlighting all the goodies he would get to eat and the visitors he would have. He was mostly excited about the different kinds of chewies he would get to pick out. Tractor chewies, Batman chewies, Spiderman chewies, Smiley chewies, Transformer chewies. (Food speaks to Todd) The weekend before the big day came and his pile of snacks had it's own counter in the kitchen. All of the hype worked. He wasn't apprehensive until the day before and then the day of the surgery.





He was such a brave little guy. Clutching his two beloved stuffed buddies, he left us and headed to the operating room with the nurse. The surgery went well, but waking up from anesthesia wasn't pleasant. He woke up kicking, screaming, and tossing around. When Mike and I came in to see him he had calmed a little. He was crying and rolling around in pain. It's hard to say what my heart felt when I first saw him after surgery. I wanted to hold him and take all the pain and confusion away. In that instant nothing mattered more to me than my son. I caressed his face with my hand and kissed his forehead. He was in such misery. Mike tried to calm him as he rolled and cried in bed, twisting all of the chords to the various machines hooked to him. Finally, after some more medicine, Todd was able to relax and fall asleep.






Todd's face said it all. He was ready to go home. He had had enough of this place. He took all the chords off of himself- all but the IV that is. And we left, stopping at Walmart for medicine and a special "You Were So Brave" toy.







Now there are no more tonsils in Todd! His voice has changed slightly. He doesn't snore as much. He survived. This whole ordeal is a memory. And this mom will never forget the feelings stirred within her heart as she watched her child suffer. I am reminded by this simple experience to look heavenward with gratitude for our health, the privilege of motherhood, and the divine promise that my family can be together forever.