I tried to think of something profound and wonderful to say in this post, but I cannot even begin to put my thoughts into words.
Bringing Katie Mei home from China was an ordeal in itself. An amazing blessing, a testimony to answered prayers, a spiritual journey. And the gift of life she was given by God via the hands of the surgeon is nothing short of miraculous; anyone who has heard her story knows that God has had his hand on her. But to look at this photo, I see something else that others don't see. I see the other children we met in the hospital that didn't make it home. The ones who are still there or who did not survive.
And I see the beginning, albeit unknown to us at the time, of our own long stay in the hospital. The flood of emotions I felt at being there for two months is still raw: the helplessness when she was in surgery, the fear when the complications began, the frustration when she wouldn't heal, the raised hopes that were let down again and again...it's all very hard to process. I am surprised at myself that I still cannot go back there in my mind.
But what I can say is that God is good all the time! Even through the deep valley we had to walk last March and April, God never let us or our daughter out of his grasp. He continually provided for us daily. He provided for our own health, for the care of our other two children, for the class I was teaching back home, and so much more. All our prayers were answered, even if they were not always answered in the time or fashion we would have liked. For that I am grateful.
Obviously I will never know why we had to go through what we did, but I will never be less than thankful that God chose this precious child to be our daughter. And in being thankful for her, I am thankful for everthing that caring for her entails, deep valleys and all. One day I will see it all clearly, but for now I will praise Him because he is God, not because he makes my life smooth.
Happy Heart Day, Katie Mei. I hope you can grow up to be thankful to the Lord and give him the glory for the great things He has done.
3 comments:
Happy Heart Day, indeed! I had forgotten that it was a year ago today. Katie Mei and the entire Montgomery family are truly blessed with much to be thankful for. Petrie, don't you worry. Your little one will grow up to be thankful. She is learning it from her mom and dad.
Happy Belated Heart Day Katie Mei! has it really been a year? I still think about your LONG hospital stay, and how many times I would hit refresh in a day to see how you and your dear daughter were. You have a precious heart Katie Mei, just like your amazing Momma!!! One of these days, we are going to get to meet....
Petrie--this is such a touching post. What a serious miracle she is and an you and Jay are an inspiration to me and so many others--you will likely never meet.
Happy, Happy Heart Day Katie Mei!
Lisa
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