Wow, what a year 2013 has been. I think I can honestly say the last few months of 2013 was one of the hardest months of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever had my emotions so thrown in waves like mine did.
Thinking back on everything, I decided to write them in categories because that is how I view it. These went back to back with each other, some within hours, days, to weeks apart. AH! I was so overwhelmed. I am so thankful for the prayers of family and friends and for the continued faith in God.
Even though it doesn’t fit with my blog title, I’m going to start with the BAD first because well…it’s nice to have that behind us right?
The BAD:
-We went into escrow and it would have been one of those super short 10-15 days till closing kind, but then the government shut down and we had to wait, wait, wait, and I didn’t want to wait, wait, wait, because I was 8 months pregnant and wanted to be moved in by the time baby arrived.
-As soon as I gave birth, my eyes drastically turned for the worse. I knew the day would come but I thought I had more time and it was devastating because I couldn’t see clear. I was grieving again.
-My father-in-law had a heart attack
-At 2 1/2 weeks old, little Miss Princess Warrior was diagnosed with having Cystic Fibrosis. The newborn screening tests results came back and we received this devastating and shocking news.
-My awesome indoor cat, Mufasa, went missing on the day we moved. He was my ears and I was devastated. I relied on him SO much!
-Day after we moved I stayed in bed with my baby girl all day. I was officially DEPRESSED.
-After 4 days of missing, my previous landlord found Mufasa! But, a few days later I had to make the most difficult decision of my life and that was to make Mufasa an out door cat. He kept peeing and pooping in our bed and pooping around the house. I didn’t want to give him away because he’s so awesome. I knew I had some indoor cats in the past that totally did fine outside (AND he survived 4 days outside!). Plus, the cat box inside the house would not be good for my Princess Warrior’s health. I had to chose my child over my cat. It should have been easy but it was SO HARD. Little did I know when we put Mufasa out….he was gone. Just like that. We left food for him, his cat box, some toys and a warm house bed out for him. 🙁 GONE. He was one cat I thought would stay around. URGH I want to cry every time I think about it and it’s a lot
-After Christmas my Grandpa had a massive heart attack and they didn’t think he was going to make it.
The GOOD:
-The house we had wanted finally became available to buy and after 11 months of waiting they were finally able to sell it to us.
-We had our beautiful baby girl Miss Princess Warrior with a 3 1/2 hour labor!
-4 days after my daughter was born, the house became officially OURS!
-My father-in-law fully recovered from his heart attack and is doing great.
-Met with the CF doctors and they gave us HOPE that our Princess Warrior is going to be able to live a full life. (that is assuming she stays healthy, takes her medications, enzymes and vitamins, and gets her chest physical therapy done daily)
-The next day we moved into our home with the help of our new church body, Auburn Grace Community, who has been amazing to us!
-Mufasa was found after 4 days missing and I got to love on him before he left for good.
-My Grandpa is doing amazingly well and just got out of the ICU. It is a miracle that he’s alive!
The BLESSINGS:
-I am blessed that we found a home that never went on the market and one that we could afford and in the location that we had prayed for.
-I am blessed because my eyes did get back to “normal” and I think it was due to the stress of giving birth and lack of sleep that made me not see. I am driving again but only in town and when my eyes are not tired (which is rare now days)
-I am blessed because I have a beautiful family, an amazing husband, the sweetest, active, silliest boy, and a beautiful precious baby girl.
-I am blessed that God chose US to be the parents of our daughter. He knew she needed the right family to take care of her and her special needs. We had given her a name that had the meaning of “Female Warrior”. We wanted her to be a warrior for God. But little did we know that she needed that name so that she could be a warrior for her own health. Isn’t that so cool how our name can define us? She is our “Princess Warrior”!
-I am blessed that God let my Father-in-Law and my Grandpa survive their heart attacks because our family would not be the same without them. They contribute so much into our lives and we love them so much!
-I am blessed to have found a new church body that’s so close to our home who have opened their arms wide for us and taken us under their wings
-I am blessed for the friendship, prayers, and love from my dear friends who I can reach out to whenever I am in need.
-I am blessed to have had 6 wonderful years with Mufasa. You are missed. I still hope you will come back.
Gosh, that feels good to write all that out and end it with blessings. It is hard. Life is tough. But in the end, we have to focus on what God has given us or else we will fall apart. I am trying hard to do that and I am by no means an expert.
“Lord, through Your mercies I am not consumed, because Your compassions fail not.
They are new every morning, Great is Your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23