College, Hip, and Other Big Life Decisions

Even though this blog has been pretty silent the last few months, our life has not!  I have had blog posts floating in my head (as they often do), but in the busy-ness of life, the posts just do not quite make it out!  Since our last post, there have been multiple doctor and physical therapy visits.  We were hopeful that our boy was healing, but in February we found out that he was not.  In fact, we found out that his hip was collapsing.  Everything we had tried had failed.  So, nine months now into this journey, we have a son who has not run and played and walked and jumped as he used to since July.  Sometimes that is still unbelievable to us, but we know it is much harder on Jonathan. Those that are close to us know many of the details of these last months.  The short version is that after much prayer, corresponding and/or meeting with 4 different surgeons (three local and one in PA), as well as meeting with an engineer who designs hip and knee parts (pretty cool), we have a peace about a decision for our Jonathan.  We have decided that he will be getting a new hip next month!  This was not an easy decision, but as I said, one in which we truly feel a peace. The surgeon performing the surgery put in 200 new hips last year!  Even though Jonathan will be his youngest patient, we have confidence in his experience.  We are ready for him to be able to move freely without pain, and so is he!  He is counting down the days and is excited to have his new hip.  He tells people his old one is bad and that he wants the new one.

We have also been busy with the senior year of our oldest.  We have had final basketball games & tournaments, Senior Night for his basketball team (we won! yeah!), his Senior Prom, ordering his diploma, our homeschool group's yearbook senior page prep, our state homeschool magazine senior article prep...all things senior are happening around here!  The biggest is making the college decision.  It is getting close and the decision is almost made, but we are still praying through the final days until we know for sure.  Watching the kids together during these final senior year months are bittersweet.  Two weeks ago at youth group, I dropped off Jonathan early and was waiting for the other kids to come in.  When Trey and the other seniors walked in, Jonathan's face lit up!  Trey and his friend seemed as excited to see him as he was to see them!  That moment was also bittersweet, thinking of how much Jonathan will miss Trey.  They have been together the longest of all our children.  To watch their relationship all these years, (though not always perfect by any means), has been sweet to this mama heart. 

One of my dear friends said to me a few months ago said that she was in no way prepared for her oldest when she went off to college (she has now graduated two from college and has two more to go).  She told me that after Trey leaves, from then on whenever I see him that he would have a suitcase in his hand.  Wow.  That is hard to swallow.  We have raised him with God's help to follow Christ & to work hard.  We are so proud of him and of course we do not know want him to stay here forever.  But none of that makes the knowledge that he is now grown up any easier!

I am thankful for a God who comforts and is there to listen to our craziness and accept our tears without judgment.  I am so thankful that He understands us and loves us and gets us through life's trials, as well as the happy times. 

May all reading this post feel God's presence and love no matter what you are going through.

Carried By HIS Grace,