April 29, 2010

Today was another victory in the journey of our littel warrior cowboy. His check up today showed that he does not have any fluid on his lungs, his liver is not distended and the rash is gone! His heart functions continue to get stronger and we can start taking him on walks now. While he still has to listen to his body and make sure we don't over do it, a little light exercise has now been approved. He's pretty excited. I told him I'd bring the gloves up this weekend and if he's feeling up to it, we'll play a little catch.

There really isn't a down side because we already knew that this journey will take a while, but we had to re-adjust his anti-rejection meds again. It will continue to be a balancing game until his body is strong and hopefully has fully accepted the heart again as his imune system rebuilds. Right now he's on about 3x the amount he was on prior to the rejection episode.

Kathy told me that the doctors are truly inspired by Garrett's ability to recover so quickly. Some of the nurses who took care of him when he was critical have even come to the clinic to visit him because they just can't believe he's doing so well. It was just a hand full of days ago that they were concerned he may go into heart failure at any time. Thank God for great physicians and the healing power of prayer.

Garrett sounded so good on the phone tonight. He's missing Jessi and I really bad, along with all the animals, but is overall a very happy little boy right now. Jessi gave him a full run-down on all the horses, dogs and barn cats, including the litter of kittens she found the other day in the shed. They're already working on names. Anyone want a kitty?

I was thinking tonight about something he did a little over a week ago that I will never forget. It goes back to when he was born. When Garrett was just a few minutes old, he was taken from the delivery room immediately to a critical care unit and after 4 tries, they inserted an IV into his tiny hand. As he was crying in pain, I wiped that first tear from his cheek and placed it on my own. I've done that every time since then, through the literally hundreds of pokes, needles, IV's and even from fear as I would lay him on the operating table and kiss him as I've done 23 times since that day 10 years ago. A little over a week ago he was in so much pain and afraid, I had already performed our little ceremony as the only way I could symbolically help carry his tears. But only a few minutes later when the pain was at it's peak, he was losing the ability to move his extremities and thought he was becoming paralyzed. Garrett called me close and took a tear from his own cheek and with a shakey hand placed it on my cheek. His eyes were so full of anxiety and fear and putting his tear on daddy was his way of asking me to help take the pain away. God only knows that I would take his place if I could. I will never forget that painful but beautiful moment shared between a child and his daddy.

During my meditation today, I focused on the fact that Jesus has promised when we can completely give everything we have to him, all of the fear, pain, uncertainties, worries and problems of daily life, and to gladly bare these discomforts to honor Him, He will then reveal Himself completely to us and then we will have true peace and joy. That is the goal. That is where I want to be. Then, there will be no need to wipe our tears on anyone because there will be no more tears.

I hope your weekend will be as joyous as mine. I'm heading north and get to hold my wife and my boy!

JD