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Zeke's Journey
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Zeke's Journey
We are coming off what was probably one of the top 5 hardest weeks of our journey so far.
A nasty virus came through our house. Started with Zane, went to me, then Zeke and now Jon. Zane was able to get over it in about 4 days. I was on my way to recovery when Zeke fell ill, which means my healing stopped b/c we were getting very little sleep.
For 7 days, Jon and I alternated shifts sleeping with Zeke in an upright position on the couch. Darn that Medicaid for not approving the Safe Sleep Bed. I digress. We took 3 hour shifts. It was brutal. Finally, by Sunday night, I admitted to my bestie that I was not ok and really on the brink of passing out. God bless her and her family -- she came the next day from north Florida and stayed until Wednesday. It was exactly what we needed. She was able (with the Lord, of course!) to help us get back on our feet. She cooked us dinner, cleaned the kitchen, helped with laundry, gave Jon time to work. And just as I started to feel 90% better, poor Jon tanked. He is still fighting the virus off. The good news is -- Zeke has slept in his own bed for 2 nights now, so Jon and I are able to get 8-9 hours of sleep. This is HUGE when you are trying to recover from a virus.
Sweet Zane was such a trooper. When Jon was on his sleeping shift at 8 pm, Zane would close down the house. Lock the doors, shut the blinds, turn the lights off and get me what I needed while I was holding Zeke. Zane blows my mind. He is an amazing kid and I am so proud of how he rallies to help the family however he can. I could cry just thinking about it. Wow.
I was also touched by several people who reached out to help during this time - without me asking! Very few things encourage my heart more than someone just reaching out with what they can do to bless out. Hugely helpful.
One friend brought us some groceries. I am still eating that yummy cantalope she brought.
One friend brought dinner, fresh eggs (YUM), breakfast AND another sweet blessing.
One friend send us an Ubereats, where we found a new restaurant we LOVE. Clean Eatz. Give it a try.
One friend came and picked Zane up to get him out of the house for a couple of hours. She then blessed me with some Googan and also some supplies we needed for Zeke.
All of these acts were a balm to my heart. I felt less isolated. Less alone. It was ask if God gave me a hug with each of these kindnesses.
I truly believe this is one of the best ways to love someone in need. We have gone boundary crazy in our current culture. "Oh, they are going through something, I don't want to bother them." Or we send a text to assauge our own consciences saying "Hey, I am praying for you! Let me know if I can help." Listen, I, too, am guilty of this and preaching to myself.
After this week, here is what has been solidified in my soul -
(1) When someone is going through something, I need to lean in, not give space. Not pushy, but compassionate and willing to be inconvenienced for them.
(2) They need something I can give. Maybe it is just prayer. Maybe it is a uber eats gift card. Maybe a homemade meal. Maybe a grocery run. Maybe come do their dishes or help with laundry. This will depend on how close I am to that person and what kind of relational equity we have. But no matter what, there IS something I can do. And I can guarantee it will be inconvenient for my family. And that is OK.
(3) People in pain or crisis can't think about what they need. Not really. They are hurting. Be it emotionally, mentally, or physically. Some people might be able to articulate what they need, but most of the time it is hard to say what is needed. Plus, many times we don't want to burden someone else, do we?
This week, I got a glimpse of the Church in action. And it built my faith.
Zeke is making progress. He has had to manage coughing fits and massive amount of mucous. As hard as this has been, I know from experience that this will actually help him with his feeding goals b/c he has had to manage a bunch of stuff in his mouth. He coughs, has to decide if he wants to spit it out or swallow it and has consistently practiced protecting his airway.
His bicarb remained stable through all of this!
He is not back on full feeds yet - it takes us 7-10 days to get him where he needs to be. But we are on the right track.
Please pray for our continued healing, especially Jon. Please pray for no relapses and for us to come through this with stronger immune systems.
And make sure to take your vitamin C and zinc. This virus is nasty.
A nasty virus came through our house. Started with Zane, went to me, then Zeke and now Jon. Zane was able to get over it in about 4 days. I was on my way to recovery when Zeke fell ill, which means my healing stopped b/c we were getting very little sleep.
For 7 days, Jon and I alternated shifts sleeping with Zeke in an upright position on the couch. Darn that Medicaid for not approving the Safe Sleep Bed. I digress. We took 3 hour shifts. It was brutal. Finally, by Sunday night, I admitted to my bestie that I was not ok and really on the brink of passing out. God bless her and her family -- she came the next day from north Florida and stayed until Wednesday. It was exactly what we needed. She was able (with the Lord, of course!) to help us get back on our feet. She cooked us dinner, cleaned the kitchen, helped with laundry, gave Jon time to work. And just as I started to feel 90% better, poor Jon tanked. He is still fighting the virus off. The good news is -- Zeke has slept in his own bed for 2 nights now, so Jon and I are able to get 8-9 hours of sleep. This is HUGE when you are trying to recover from a virus.
Sweet Zane was such a trooper. When Jon was on his sleeping shift at 8 pm, Zane would close down the house. Lock the doors, shut the blinds, turn the lights off and get me what I needed while I was holding Zeke. Zane blows my mind. He is an amazing kid and I am so proud of how he rallies to help the family however he can. I could cry just thinking about it. Wow.
I was also touched by several people who reached out to help during this time - without me asking! Very few things encourage my heart more than someone just reaching out with what they can do to bless out. Hugely helpful.
One friend brought us some groceries. I am still eating that yummy cantalope she brought.
One friend brought dinner, fresh eggs (YUM), breakfast AND another sweet blessing.
One friend send us an Ubereats, where we found a new restaurant we LOVE. Clean Eatz. Give it a try.
One friend came and picked Zane up to get him out of the house for a couple of hours. She then blessed me with some Googan and also some supplies we needed for Zeke.
All of these acts were a balm to my heart. I felt less isolated. Less alone. It was ask if God gave me a hug with each of these kindnesses.
I truly believe this is one of the best ways to love someone in need. We have gone boundary crazy in our current culture. "Oh, they are going through something, I don't want to bother them." Or we send a text to assauge our own consciences saying "Hey, I am praying for you! Let me know if I can help." Listen, I, too, am guilty of this and preaching to myself.
After this week, here is what has been solidified in my soul -
(1) When someone is going through something, I need to lean in, not give space. Not pushy, but compassionate and willing to be inconvenienced for them.
(2) They need something I can give. Maybe it is just prayer. Maybe it is a uber eats gift card. Maybe a homemade meal. Maybe a grocery run. Maybe come do their dishes or help with laundry. This will depend on how close I am to that person and what kind of relational equity we have. But no matter what, there IS something I can do. And I can guarantee it will be inconvenient for my family. And that is OK.
(3) People in pain or crisis can't think about what they need. Not really. They are hurting. Be it emotionally, mentally, or physically. Some people might be able to articulate what they need, but most of the time it is hard to say what is needed. Plus, many times we don't want to burden someone else, do we?
This week, I got a glimpse of the Church in action. And it built my faith.
Zeke is making progress. He has had to manage coughing fits and massive amount of mucous. As hard as this has been, I know from experience that this will actually help him with his feeding goals b/c he has had to manage a bunch of stuff in his mouth. He coughs, has to decide if he wants to spit it out or swallow it and has consistently practiced protecting his airway.
His bicarb remained stable through all of this!
He is not back on full feeds yet - it takes us 7-10 days to get him where he needs to be. But we are on the right track.
Please pray for our continued healing, especially Jon. Please pray for no relapses and for us to come through this with stronger immune systems.
And make sure to take your vitamin C and zinc. This virus is nasty.
Comments
charles musser 3 months ago
Tania Kinney 3 months ago