I love this picture from Hilton Head this summer. It reminds me to let go, embrace the waves of life, and keep moving forward. 11 days out and I’m preparing my heart for the possibility that surgery could be postponed due to Covid. The thought makes me want to cry, but I’m trusting His timing and praying for those who are fighting this awful virus. I have received endless texts from friends who have been praying over the last 6 months…thank you. Everyone of them has meant more than you know. The same friend who told me to do a countdown to surgery also told me to be sure to journal this journey. So here it goes…
After the car accident, the back of my head hurt, but I thought nothing of it, but whiplash. I wasn’t bleeding, so I assumed all was fine. Sometimes everything looks perfect on the outside, but on the inside it’s actually falling apart. The reality of image can be deceiving, right? The day after the accident, friends drove down to join us on vacation. Everyone needs friends like this. Friends who show up. Friends who go the extra mile. This was the perfect distraction, which turned the week around for my kids. They made fun memories despite the beginning of the week with a wrecked car and stuff scattered across the interstate. When they showed up to our condo, everyone was talking and I noticed I couldn’t tell where sound was coming from, everything was quieter, and nothing was clear. I felt like I was in a tunnel. I shook it off as probably being stressed and chose to focus on embracing the week and having fun. Little did I know, it was the beginning of the ending or the beginning of a new beginning is how I’m looking at it.
When we got home, a few weeks later, we were at a friend’s house swimming. My son went long boarding in their neighborhood with a friend and wiped out and busted his head open. When I heard he was hurt, another friend had brought him back to the house and I ran past the room he was in because directional sound was gone. I defiantly couldn’t pinpoint where sound was coming from and it completely shook me up. I came home and told Joseph something was very wrong. It’s one thing to not have volume, but another to lose directional sound and clarity of sound. This led to making an appt with my audiologist, which confirmed a cochlear implant was the next step, which led to an MRI and Cat Scan, which showed the cause of my life long hearing loss, EVA, pointing back to the accident as the last straw. With EVA, any head injury or hard landing on the feet can cause the hearing to drop. Crazy, right? All those years, as a gymnast, playing soccer, and cheering probably didn’t help. I was the girl who was all things active, arm wrestled the boys, and never thought twice about jumping out of trees or off bridges. No regrets though. Life is meant to be lived…
Over the past few months, friends have been praying for health over our family during this season and that I wouldn't’ get sick pre-surgery. My oldest, who is in college, called two days before Thanksgiving not feeling well and she couldn’t decide if she should come home or not. My momma heart said, “Just come” because that is what we as moms do even though I thought in the back of my mind that she could have Covid. Her gut said she probably shouldn’t. She went with her gut and went to her boyfriend’s family’s house because they were all already exposed. Sadly, she did end up having Covid. So hard to have your kiddo be sick and not be able to help, but she was in good hands and has recovered after a long 10 days. God protected her and He protected us from getting sick pre-surgery. Both answers to prayers. Sometimes your life doesn’t go as planned. It’s not what you thought what was or what would be. That’s pretty much been 2020 for all of us, but as I look back over these last 6 months and I can’t help, but to notice God is in the details…none of this is out of His plan or control. Embrace the waves and keep moving froward one day at a time…
One Change a Day...
~Aime Beth