All is calm; all is bright.

I'm getting choked up as I type this post. At 1:00 pm today there was a very real 'threat of a trip to the ER' looming in my heart and mind as Wyndham was getting more sick today- rather than better. I was preparing myself for what I expected would be yet another overnight stay at the hospital for IV fluids and getting her stomach settled down.
It has happened to Wyndham so many times- that she gets the same sickness that the other kids get, but because of the way her brain injury has affected her immune system and her extra sensative stomach and inability to swallow clear liquids well- that same sickness lands her in the ER and most often admitted to the hospital for a day or two. It's no fun...but it's sort of become the expected outcome whenever she gets sick.
I was trying to keep her resting and comfortable with a Tom & Jerry dvd playing right next to her- it's one of her favorites and she picked it over March of the Penguins twice. Chip and I have been getting shorted on our sleep for the past few nights, and I woke up, surprisingly not as worn out as I had thought I would feel. SO after getting Wyndham settled and giving the other kids breakfast on the deck, I went to tidy my scrap area. I was feeling almost sorry for myself and the string of 'bad luck' I have- especially on such a supposedly 'lucky day'. {07-07-07}
Rather than get mad at something out of my control, I noticed the little owl doodles I had drawn and they made me smile. I'm not sure what it is about owls- I just think they're cute. I pulled out a piece of felt and cut the general shape. Then I snipped another piece and in about 15 seconds I had pretty much created a little owl...not having a clue what I was going to do with it.
Just about that time Bella came upstairs and saw me and then she commened on my cute owl. I pulled out a piece of paper to set it down on while I planned on looking for thread to sew an outline for it...and well, one thing led to another, and about 10 minutes later I had the start of the layout you see pictured here. I have no idea what I am doing with it or on it...but all I know is that in 10 minutes time, I more or less had gone from feeling sorry about my life, to feeling much more okay.
I was smiling at my little owl, and Bella was helping me sort through some scrap stuff. {I'm still looking for my SIS black jewels...somewhere in my piles of stuff!} =) The day continued...I left my scrap stuff lay out, and between making lunch and tending Wyndham and doing laundry and filling the pool and watching the kids splash and play, I kept thinking, life is okay. It was a beautiful day outside today...and still. It feels perfect.
I had the chance to make dinner for my neighbor who is recently expecting and {tired!} has 2 other small children and brought it over with some cookies...and I think I made her day. She had no idea I was planning for a trip overnight to the hospital.
After about 8 hours of Tom & Jerry (Wyndham is the one who kept restarting the dvd in between short naps), and FINALLY a few sips of fluid staying down- Wyndham turned the corner. I sat her up to take a picture of what it's like to be her...and her view of life for the past 36 hours. When I finished, she looked up at me and grinned. I snapped that too! I realized I wouldn't be going to the ER afterall...I was probably smiling bigger than her. =)
Chip got home and we all played outdoors and watered my flowers and just hung out. Wyndham even ate a bit of watermelon {it's her absolute favorite food!} and she had some dry KIX cereal too. I just got her out of a bubble bath...she smells like Hazlenut truffles and is snuggled up with Chip watching the History channel.
As I type, I am sitting out on my deck, listening only to the clicks of my keyboard and the rustling of the trees from the summer breeze. The best kind- cool, yet a bit warm and definitely enough to keep any bugs away that might otherwise be bothering me. Yes. I had my doubts. I was tired and worn...no it hasn't been an easy past 3 days.
But I look back and see all the really sweet things that my kids said and did...and all the snuggling they normally try to brush off so quickly because of all the exciting things they'd rather see and do. I have an owl scrap-thing going on- that no matter what comes of it- made me happy in the midst of a trying day. I saw the smile on my neighbor's face as a small gesture of kindness on my part eased her life in a small way...and we were both better for that. I feel nothing but gratefulness to God for restoring Wyndham's health before we had to take a trip to the hospital. I feel nothing but peace and calm in my life at this very moment. Nothing big or earth-shattering going on.
Still, it is the most amazing sense of inner peace and it feels incredible. Turns out 07-07-07 has been a very good day for us indeed. Thank you, to all of you, who were wishing good thoughts and caring for us from afar. I have no doubt that those prayers and well-wishes helped secure this perfect ending to our rough day. I wish I could bottle this moment up and save it for the next time. Which I hope I don't need for quite awhile. =)