Perspective

I generally try keep this blog light and happy, full of pretty pictures and beautiful love stories. Life isn’t always light and happy, though. So I also want to be real on this blog. I want to keep it true to who I am. And who I am needs to share stories like this, too.

Life is short.

I know that’s said a lot. But I think it’s far too easy to forget. We get caught up in the busyness of life and comfortable with routine. And we tend to lose sight of the things that are actually most important in life. Sometimes, it takes a little kick in the pants for us to remember what is really important. Sometimes, it takes a little perspective…

I thought I was going to lose my dad last weekend.

I was in Chicago for a wedding. I also have some family in Chicago, so I had decided to make a mini trip out of it, take Natalie and go a few days early to see everyone. My parents happened to be visiting that weekend, too, so it was a win-win situation to have some quality family time. And it had been a wonderful couple days together…. Until Saturday. I was hanging out at my brother and sister-in-law’s house, prepping for the wedding the following day, when we got the phone call. My mom was in an ambulance with my dad on their way to the hospital. They had been out running errands, when it appeared he had suffered a stroke.

My sister-in-law Summer was actually the one that answered the phone, but I could hear my mom’s voice on the other end, and I knew something was wrong. Summer mouthed to me that we had to go. Right now. With shaking hands I went to wake up Natalie from her nap and gather her things to go to the hospital. I called Jake and asked him to pray. I called my other brother in Utah and lost it when I told him dad was in the ambulance. I cried less than I thought I would after that, though, maybe because I was still in shock, in disbelief. I had just seen my dad a few hours ago…

We drove to the hospital as quickly as we could, my mom giving us updates as they came and I passed them along to family. But no real answers. So much unknown. Why had it happened? How serious was it? How would it affect my dad? Then he had a CT Scan that showed bleeding in the brain. He needed an MRI for the doctors to see it more clearly. My heart stopped. That was when the fear really set in. That was when, in my head, death became a possibility. Bleeding in the brain… For several long, long hours I was terrified.

Fortunately this story has a happy ending. Throughout the course of the evening and into the next day, he became stable, the bleeding had stopped, and the doctors basically told us it was the best case scenario for his situation. Without getting too much into the medicine, it turns out he had an unusual clump of veins in his brain that had probably been there his whole life, and they had burst. But they were beginning to heal themselves. And with much rest he should make a full recovery. He is still weak and gets a bit dizzy at times, but we are seeing improvement with every day that passes.

I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am that my dad is still with us. I know not everyone’s story ends like this one, and I will continue to thank God every day.

I took this photo on Monday after my dad had been released from the hospital. When you think for a time that you might never be able to take a photo of your dad and your daughter again… A photo like this becomes priceless.

Give your loved ones an extra squeeze this weekend! And don’t lose perspective of what’s really important <3