In Other News...

It's been a bit of an eventful week. Here's part of the reason why.

I'm very excited to marry Alan...and one of the many reasons is I'm inheriting a new big wonderful family. Alan's family is so loving and have been so great to me over the past year. Not to mention the fact that Alan's brother and sister-in-law have two incredibly cute boys that I already consider to be my nephews.

There's Jack - who's four, full of life, absolutely hysterical and loves Spiderman A LOT. Then there's Ned - who is one and a half, was born with some pretty serious health problems that he's all but done with (read my future sister-in-law's blog here for an amazing story of a faithful family and an amazing fighter of a baby), has a great smile and what I like to call "mad scientist hair". Here they are at Ned's first birthday party in January.

On Sunday night, Ned was involved in a near-drowning accident in the bathtub. He was rushed to the hospital in Shelby and then airlifted to Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte. He has been in the hospital all week and was on the ventilator until yesterday. In general (and I'm no doctor), he has been getting a little bit better each day, but it is still very much a wait and see situation.

Given my job situation (or lack thereof), I have been able to go spend some time each day with Travis and Betsy (Ned's parents) and little Ned in the hospital. I don't think I'm really helping the situation at all, but I'm hoping that just having more family there helps. I feel like that and constant prayers are all I can really do right now...so that's what I'm doing.

I have been struck all week by quite a few things, and now that the situation is a little more stable, I thought I'd share them.

• Love, love, love. I was thankful before for my future-in-laws, but I have been blown away by the amount of love that this family has surrounded sweet Ned with. You can feel it when you walk in his room. This is a tight knit family that really love and appreciate each other. I feel so lucky to have seen that kind of love up close this week.

• Resilience. I have been struck by watching Travis and Betsy go through a range of emotions from seeing them just after it happened on Sunday night through each day of Ned's progress. I have no idea how I would react in a similar situation, but I can only hope it would be with as much grace, faith and hope as they each have shown. They continue to love and lean on each other and it has reminded me that marriage can be a beautiful thing when you uphold the vows you take on your wedding day and keep God at the center of your marriage.

• True strength can come in small packages. This kid...Elijah Ned Dellinger...is my hero. He's been through so much in his short life, and when faced with this new obstacle, he has put his little head down and pushed on through. This kid has more strength at one and a half than I think I've ever had. What a fighter! He was on some pretty heavy sedatives over the past several days, and don't you know, he was fighting through it...wanting to lay on his side, with no blanket on his feet, just like always, regardless of what the nurses or anyone else wanted. It has truly been a quiet strength as he has spoken no words or even made any noise, until yesterday.

• Be thankful. That's been one that I have really been hit square between the eyes every day this week. To be thankful for those that you love and to tell them, because things can change in an instant. God has blessed us with so much, it can become easy to forget all of them, and how rich they are. Especially the things like family, that we are fortunate to be around so often. God has certainly used this to remind me of the things I am truly thankful for.

I would ask that you continue to pray for Ned and Travis, Betsy and Jack as they continue down this unknown path. Pray for healing and strength. I will post updates as I have them, and I sincerely hope it is only good news from now on. Here's a few more pics of Alan & I with Ned at his birthday...I love this kid!

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." ~Isaiah 40:28-31