Legion of Angels

I have a list of stories that I could tell about how I felt that my son Jacob didn't just have ONE guardian angel, but a whole legion at his command. As a little boy I always needed extra help because I could never predict what he'd get himself into. He has always been full of surprises. One surprise was on an Easter Sunday. He did NOT want to leave his candy home, so he stash Robbin Eggs in his side pocket (not sure why we had him in cargo pants at church). While the rest of us were waiting for the sacrament bread and water, he was loading up on chocolate. A sweet surprise.

He's been at the hospital since Wednesday this week. We thought it would just be an overnight treatment of chemo. But any of you who have stepped into the halls of a hospital would know, you've stepped into a different world where time moves in slow motion. So unless you have STAT stamped in red across your chart, we take our time. So I spent the entire day on Wednesday waiting around with him at the clinic for the blood draw, at the hospital for admitting and waiting for orders and waiting for who really knows why.

He didn't get the actual treatment into his IV until around 3 a.m. Thursday morning. Then he was sick all morning - okay in the middle- and sick at night. I was at the hospital all day Friday so Jon could go to work. Jacob wouldn't eat anything all day. Nothing. By late afternoon he decided to start drinking Sierra Mist. We got 2 1/2 cans down him and even a little mac n cheese. When Jon came to change shifts, Jacob ate the Key Lime Pie Yogurt ("the green yogurt" which is a favorite at our house) which was the only food he was willing to try. He threw that up, so I wonder if he'll ever like that again.

So who takes care of my three other children & gets James to and from school while I'm stuck at the hospital? Well, we have our own little legion of angels on a shift schedule coming in and out of my home making my life work. Special thanks to Wednesday's workers: Caryn, Kathy, Sharon, & Sara. They at least had a week's notice. Dinner arrived from our friend Maureen. Then Donna threw another team together to cover Friday. Thanks to Michelle, LeAnn, Sue, Donna, Carie, & Cynthia. ELEVEN extra people just to make my life work. I'm praying that their kindness and service comes back to them in the ways that they need. I certainly have been blessed in these moments of chaos in our family.