My good friend Shannon McCrory posted a blog that I have thought about a million times since I read it. I hope she doesn't mind me posting it here, but she brought up a great point that I've never thought about before-
"This weekend, the church body meditates on the death and resurrection of Jesus. It makes sense that Friday and Sunday are emphasized. But the longer I follow Jesus, the more dear Saturday is to me. I think about how His followers must have felt on that long Sabbath day. Clinging to hope, but of what? They knew what He had told them, and they knew He spoke Truth. But on Saturday they had to live entirely on faith. There was nothing rational they could hold onto. Their rabbi was dead.
I have lived through many Saturdays-sometimes ones that lasted for years. I know what God has told me. I know Truth. But on Saturday, nothing makes sense. I can hope that Sunday is coming, but I don’t get to know when it will arrive.
When I am in a long Saturday season, I grasp hard to the Truth I know. I read Scripture more urgently than ever. I look back on the hard times God has brought me through in the past, and I seek peace in His promise that He will carry me through this as well. The dark of Saturday makes the light of Sunday that much brighter."
That literally sums up how I've felt over the passed few months. Almost everyday has felt like "Saturday." I can barely focus or concentrate on things outside of my house. I'm trying to keep everything on track while feeling like my "train" is just flying downhill. My emotions have been up and down so fast based on one tiny phone call. One day the call says everything is great and all Ella's numbers from blood work are normal. Then, like a light switch, we get a call and everything feels like we're in crisis mode.
The passed three weeks Ella has been receiving weekly Solumedrol infusions. Last Friday she received the Solumedrol and an IVIG. She is so compliant and content during the infusion, even though it is still a battle to get the IV started. This Friday will be her last of the four weeks of weekly Solumedrol infusions. She got these once a week in January, then moved to every other week in February, then went three weeks… that's when all her counts began trending the wrong way and therefore sparked the need for weekly infusions again.
It's so hard because if you could just see Ella she is always grinning from ear-to-ear. She is more playful than ever and overall seems happy. We are completely blessed by this and I know it has everything to do with the Lord answering prayers. On the other hand, it's a little difficult to tell her she can't go to school and can't do some of the same things all her other friends can do. All the medications she's on lowers her immunity and makes her more prone to infections- something she definitely doesn't need.
So, coming up for Ella-
This week we are waiting for a phone call with results from last Friday's labs. We are also waiting for her blood pressure monitor to arrive. This Friday she has an infusion at 2:00pm. Next Monday she has a check-up with her pulmonologist. And in three weeks she has a check-up with both her nephrologist and rheumatologist.
Please continue to pray for her joyful spirit to remain… and of course please pray for continued healing.
