So we were on vacation last week with my husband’s extended family from a Monday to a Monday. It was Saturday and my oldest son, Brennan, broke the ulna and radius in his left arm. Talk about a change of plans!! They (dad and two sons) went riding motorcycles at the local track (30 min. away) and I received the phone call at 10:30 am so you can see there wasn’t enough time to get much riding in. I had been given the choice to stay with the kids at the cabin or to go to the insta care where my son was being treated. (Apparently, the wind caught Brennan’s bike which landed him sideways which then sent him flying through the air and he broke his arm when he landed hard on the ground.)
Two brothers-in-law drove me down to the clinic where Jonathan and Brennan were and assisted Jonathan in giving Brennan a priesthood blessing. Then they went over to the track and loaded up the motorcycles/gear and hauled it back for us so we didn’t have to worry about it. Such a blessing to us that day!
We found out shortly thereafter that Brennan would have surgery in St. George (about 45 min. away from where we were). I know his arm was really hurting him because it wasn’t set, but Brennan was such a trooper throughout the trip down. When we got to the hospital the staff was so kind. I expected a long wait and ornery people….maybe that’s because we were working with the people who work on the weekend. All I know is they were all really laid back and easy to work with. Nobody was uptight….something I’m used to in hospitals close to home.
Long story short – He had his surgery around 7:30 that night. We met him back in the room around 9:30. Jonathan’s brother, Jeff, and his wife, Kami, came to visit. They brought us an Iceberg shake – so good! It was a relief to see friendly faces after such a long day. We laughed and laughed as the anesthesia wore off Brennan. He was saying really goofy stuff. Things like when the nurse joked with him that he was Iron man he said that he’s Wolverine. He also shushed the machine that kept beeping at him. I joked around with him that he was voted in with dinner duty for the rest of the month and he told me that he would only do it if I used my left arm and he his right so he could flip the food in my face. It was pretty funny! There was a lot more funny stuff that happened, too, but I can’t remember any of it right now.
We were released the next morning around 10:00. We were back to the cabin by 1:00 and finished our vacation w/o missing a beat. No question that there was help along the way!! So grateful for yet another tender mercy filled experience.
Yesterday’s conversation with my five-year-old son while he was getting ready for church:
Mom, where is the mission field?
It’s where you serve your mission.
***thinks for a minute and thoughtfully says***
I think I’m gonna serve my mission in a ditch.
(Now, how cute is THAT?!)
Don’t you find it interesting how Heavenly Father aligns you with just the right people for your experiences at just the right moment? Today I visited with a friend who taught me a lot about something that I know very little of. I deeply appreciate how she has gracefully embraced her own experiences over the past year so that I could learn from her. I know she didn’t do it for me; she did it for her family. Nevertheless, I am grateful for her courage to move forward with faith and humility and for teaching me how she did it. The Lord is truly aware of each of us and I am ever grateful for the tender mercies that constantly flow into my life as a constant reminder of this truth.