Would you like to know what I’ve been pondering since we left the hospital? —> How in the world can I truly thank all the people who have helped support us through everything?
You can ask my closest friends, and they will tell you how often I have asked them, “How can I possibly thank everyone?” So many people! It is a daunting and wonderful task. Tonight, my friend Alicia helped me make a list (thank you, Alicia!), and I will be writing thank you cards shortly. But I also want to acknowledge as many as I can on this blog.
When it all first started, people began praying for the heart surgery Liberty was about to face. There were so many people praying, that I’m aware I’ll never know all of them. Our church surrounded us immediately with prayer and love, and our two homeschool co-ops also went out of their way to make cards, set up a meal train for when we would return, and give Liberty a big send off with lots of fanfare that made her feel extra loved. Our homeschool choir prayed and loved on her big, and her church youth group did the same, flooding her with cards and encircling her with corporate prayer before she left.
My friend Kris and her family especially went out of their way to uphold us in constant prayer in the days leading up. Her husband, Chris, claimed Jeremy as his own special prayer project, while her daughters Anna and Lydia claimed Liberty and our girls, and fervently prayed for them. Her son Jesse prayed strongly for us as well. I don’t have the words to describe how much all that meant to each of us!
So many people were praying like this, but I don’t know who all of you are. Thank you all! I was surprised at how big a deal our friends were making of this. I expected Liberty’s surgery to be somewhat mundane, so God must have alerted the general public to our need to be prayed up.
Before we left, friends brought us gifts to keep us busy in the hospital. Rachel and Julie, Aimee and Harper and Addy, Monica. The crafts, bows, and socks were lovely, but my personal favorites were the coloring books and gel pens. I used them repeatedly. Especially when I was overwhelmed by what was happening around me. It was encouraging to be able to focus on one particular bit of Scripture and color the truth of it deep into my heart.
My sister-in-law, Suzy, and brother Nate deserve WAAAY more than just a thank you or a shout out, but as I’ve already told them, I have no idea how to adequately thank them for taking Mercy and Victory in while we were in the hospital, and then keeping them for a surprise month! One of the biggest blessings to me was the ability to KNOW my girls were not only safe, but they were being lavishly loved and emotionally and spiritually cared for during this weird and unprecedented time in our family.
Our surgeon, who I can’t even think of without a giant grin spreading over my face, did a phenomenal job, and I would trust every daughter I have to his intense care and big heart. Thankfully his brain is just as big as his heart for his patients, and God gave him some extra wisdom to use in Liberty’s case. Jeremy and I are so thankful to him and his staff.
We came home for a day and a half before all hell broke loose, and Liberty was life-flighted back to have her lungs rescued. I wish I could thank the lab tech, Brandie - here in town, who stopped everything to pray for us in the first emergency room and speak words of prophecy and blessing over Liberty’s imminent return and the duration of her stay back at the big hospital. I’d also like to thank the helicopter transport crew who cared so tenderly for Liberty that even though I was hyperventilating at the thought of her returning to that hospital, they made me feel confident at least that THEIR care in getting Liberty there would be above reproach.
In my driveway where I collapsed on the cold concrete while Jeremy and my parents packed our car, our neighbor Jim and his dog, Guinness, kept me company and loved on me. Jim expertly guided me through a panic attack and prevented several more, then requested our house key so he and his wife Tina could care for our fish and plants while we were gone. Who could have guessed how long that would turn out to be?
Speaking of neighbors, Tina and another neighbor of ours, Aimee, faithfully fed our fish, watered our plants, collected our mail… the usual things one neighbor does for another. But then they took it a step further. After our time away grew longer, they took our trash out, emptied our fridge of the things beginning to rot, cleaned our house, and dumped the three billion pumpkins that had been festively decorating our front yard from October through Thanksgiving. Now that is going above and beyond! I will be forever grateful for the moment I walked into my house after a month away, and everywhere I looked was clean with no impending work to be done! What relief! What a gift they gave me! What value can the words”thank you” even hold?
During the drive down to the big city, following the helicopter and speaking on the phone with the emergency ICU doctor, trying to understand what was wrong with Liberty and trying to comprehend everything well enough to intelligently give permission over the phone for this unknown man to cut into our daughter’s lung cavity, Jeremy and I were a mess, to understate it thoroughly. I will forever be grateful to my parents for driving us, for quietly praying for us, for randomly tossing everything in the house into our van. I don’t think they or Jeremy missed anything that I can remember right now!
And our young friend Asa heroically stepped in at that moment to do the things we as parents could not. He texted me and found out that in Ohio, Mercy was scared, but neither Jeremy nor I had the capability to call and comfort her right then.. He called Mercy and prayed with her and encouraged her in the Lord. He found out I was panicking, and he sent verse after verse after verse, and then he began sending me revelations that God had begun giving him in answer to his prayers for Liberty. He spoke truth that I recognized, and it helped calm my soul. Thank you, Asa!
My sisters Charity and Faith began sending encouragement and activated their churches to pray as well.
Meanwhile, back at the hospital we were meeting nurse after nurse after nurse who spend their lives serving others. It was humbling being so thoroughly cared for with no way to give back. I am getting choked up remembering the wonderful friends those nurses became, and realizing many of them we’ll never see again. But HOORAY! We’ll never need to see them again! Can you believe it! 😃🎉 There’s a big THANK YOU to God!!!
Now here’s the part that is hard for me. While we were fighting to live, letters and gifts and cards came pouring in to our family from all directions, and I have no way of tracking it all. I was living in a blur.
Here is what I know: our church sent a package to Mercy and VeeVee in Ohio. I heard about a box of fidget toys that were a big hit, and a special gift were two tiny octopi 🐙 crocheted with a note included that said something like “An octopus gives the best hugs because it has EIGHT arms to wrap around and hold you.” The girls ADORED those creatures! And I’m told Grandma fell in love with them, too. 😍 I learned weeks later they were crocheted by Grace, a daughter of my friend Jane. Thank you, Grace! And thank you, Church!
My friend Rachel sent a box to the girls and their cousins, and my friend Alicia sent a care package, too. Maybe more people did, I have no clue. I do know my kids came home with way more stuff than they left with. (Thanks a lot, friends.)🤨 I’m totally kidding! Your generosity melts my heart! VeeVee told me later when we were finally home together and putting her new toys away on her bedroom shelves, “Mommy, isn’t it so wonderful how people found a way to reach out and touch us when we needed it most, even though we were far away?”
Our hospital room was slowly beginning to overflow with tangible bits of love as well. First off, the obvious, all the Thankful Strips you all helped to fill out! I cannot describe how much that meant to Liberty.
Then random items began appearing. A fluffy chicken and the first chapter of that chicken’s life story. A puppy dog in a basket with a balloon. A hoodie with truth and encouragement written all over the inside. And cards and cards and cards. A box of hair bows that Liberty treasured so hard. She said it felt good to be able to choose which accessory she could wear each day when all other choices about her life were being stripped away from her; those bows are another item I get choked up remembering. Games. Paints. Crafts. Activities. Many of the items Liberty was overjoyed to be able to share with her fellow patients. Thus cheering them up and making more friends in the hospital.
Oh! Socks! Christmas socks, to be exact. One of our favorite nurses had a different pair of Christmas socks for every day in December, and she inspired us. (And by inspired I mean we became envious of her cool socks. 😂) So when my dear friend Rachel texted me to ask what our friends could send us, instead of replying “nothing” like I intended, I wrote back CHRISTMAS SOCKS! And Rachel came through for us! Liberty and I both received several pairs of fuzzy, cozy Christmas socks, and boy did we cherished those babies! They became a secret code we used to cheer each other up whenever things became unbearable, as they did from time to time. One of us would point at our feet and say, “But hey! We have Christmas socks!” And we would both grin at each other...or attempt a grin depending on our energy levels at the time. So thank you to whomever contributed with Christmas socks. Rachel was heading up a group of gift-givers from our homeschool co-op, so I’m not sure who in particular to thank for those.
We would not have even received all this fun if it hadn’t been for my friend Kris who loaded her vehicle with all the packages and drove the six hour round trip to deliver them to us along with a HUG that I will never forget and that I so desperately needed at that moment. She also brought a devotional and a miracle blanket. That blanket turned out to be a mini miracle straight from God for Liberty, and I get to continue marveling about it.
Kris also brought financial gifts from several friends. I’m not sure what the etiquette is when talking about things like that, so I will leave names out and just say Thank You! What a blessing you all are! More gifts arrived in the mail, and I also want to thank you all for those as well. 💕
Once again I need to thank my amazing parents! They stayed in the city and supported us emotionally and spiritually. Jeremy especially benefitted from being able to verbally process everything with them once he left the hospital room. What a blessing that was. Then the driving us to and from the hotel and hospital when we were too tired to see straight. The food cooking and meal delivering was all done by them and was a main way God kept Liberty from death. Thank you, Mom and Dad!
While I remained in the hospital, I frequently needed extra, specific prayer support. Kris was there for me every time. Are you seeing a pattern here? There came a day when the situation completely overwhelmed me, and when I asked God who could help, one name came to mind: my friend Mandy. Her spirit-filled advice and direction immediately confirmed what God had already been telling me, and her friendship and conversation boosted my ability to fight off spiritual attackers. A couple long phone calls to my friend Alicia also helped put things to rest for me throughout my time there; I was able to externally process ALL the things, and then sleep peacefully.
Many friends texted me verses and songs pretty much daily, and I was not expected to respond at all. That was so helpful! My Bible study ladies: Johanna, Monica, and Kate; my friend Stacie, my neighbor Holly. The list goes on! So many people reached out to us in occasional promptings from God, and I know many many more who told me afterwards how much they longed to minister, and the way they best knew to minister was to PRAY and not disturb us. I appreciate not being disturbed SO VERY MUCH! So to all you silent friends out there, THANK YOU!!!
My friend Rachel (the same Rachel who sent us socks) texted me every day. A new verse, a song, a short story about her devotions that morning, or about her prayer group the night before. It became extremely clear to me that God had anointed Rachel specifically for this purpose. There were many times when the scripture she picked out was the one thing that I could cling to in that exact moment, and one time in particular when I was struggling to be able to speak to God, she sent a passage that spoke to Him for me and gave me new resolve in my fight against Satan.
One day, I received a text from Mandy and her husband Dave. They announced that they were downstairs! What? Downstairs? Liberty had been exceptionally down that day and doubting that she would ever be able to leave the hospital. The machine keeping her alive seemed to be the only thing she could see no matter what I said or how hard I prayed. Their arrival blew a spark of hope her direction, and that was all she needed to take off in a blaze of prophecy straight from God Himself that He confirmed in my spirit as well! She flared up in joy and peace and faith once again. The verse "spurring one another one to good works" flashed into my head, and I walked downstairs to join them in more hugs and prayers and a circle of joy. They told me about their prayer walk around the outside of the hospital buildings and grounds, and the declarations the Spirit had stirred up in them. They told me about the dedication plaque they had discovered for the hospital, and a quote on it rejuvenated my faith in what God had told Liberty and me before we arrived at the hospital the first time. The quote basically restated the exact prayer God had given us for the hospital! What a wonderful encouragement and confirmation that God's purposes would be accomplished, and our stay there would bear fruit! Thank you, Dave and Mandy for going hours out of your way to minister to us and obey our God!
Again, I need to thank our friend Asa who called almost every day to encourage Liberty directly. Liberty told me the smile and energy she could hear in his voice gave her energy and strength to keep fighting. Asa, THANK YOU! Our cousins called and joked with Liberty when she was too weak to interact, and they cheered her. Audrey's grateful attitude encouraged Liberty at a time when she saw none of the barriers around her budging. Renee', Liberty's choir director, and the entire choir recorded a song and happy messages and sent them along. Thank you to all of you!
I'm sure I'm forgetting many others, but like I said, life at that time was a blur of struggles and joys and peace and fighting. Working to breathe. Working to stay hydrated. Working to keep panic and pain at bay. Resting in Jesus' arms. Being uplifted by fellow Christians in the hospital and by all of you. There were people all around the world praying for us, and I thank you all!
Then we arrived home, and the help and love didn't stop. Friends brought meals: Tina, Christy, Rici, Knoll, Cortney. But they didn't just bring meals, they brought love and laughter and chit-chatting. Normalcy. Can you imagine? Aunt Donna sewed gnome dolls and mailed them to our girls. More and more and more cards poured in. In fact, yesterday (January 12th) Liberty was curled up on the loveseat opening a fresh bundle of cards that had just arrived at our house in the mail. They had been gathered as they arrived at the hospital and forwarded on to us, arriving yesterday! There are so many cards tucked here are there in Liberty's room that I have never seen or read. I want to say thank you to every one of you, but I don't even know who all to thank!
Can I say it again? Thank you, everyone! Is there a word that means more than "thank you?" If so, I need to know it so I can use it!
Then came this past Saturday, when our whole family went to the masquerade ball hosted by our friends. I watched Liberty dance freely. Uninhibited by wires or tubes or machines. She had energy to move and swing. Yes, she had a little episode where she scared us at the dance, and had to sit down quickly and stop ALL activity. But even that was minor by anyone's standards. I've been pondering all this in my heart in the days following. Marveling at how far our God has brought her. She wasn't supposed to be able to live outside a hospital. Do you remember? And look at her dancing now without a care in the world!
To God: THANK YOU!!! I don't take it for granted. I'm grateful for all Your miracles to us and for all the people you have surrounded us with who shower us with love. And I'm thankful for the giant "impossible" changes You have made at the big hospital for all the future patients You plan to be ministered to there. I don't take that for granted either. We are grateful. 💗
