In Spite of It All

This week has been very interesting for my family. We gathered together for a wonderful family dinner on Sunday at my mother's house. My sisters and their families were there, along with some close friends. The meal was off the chain. We laughed and joked until late into the night. The next morning we gathered at Kaiser Permanente, Sunset Blvd for one of two brain surgeries one of my sister's faced. There were prayers and some were anxious but she and I had complete peace. God promised that He would not allow us to be caught unaware. Translation, He would warn us or give us divine intel so that we could prepare for what was coming. She and I were at peace. There was no need to be forewarned because everything was fine. Parking created the greatest anxiety. It was a tiring day because they kept delaying the time of her surgery. A more critical patient arrived and had priority. The family stayed. We had favor from the ICU staff. They allowed all of us to enter her room at the same time. ICU's usually limit the number of people who can enter.

The next morning those of us who went home to sleep re-assembled. This time they took her on time. So we gathered and waited. About 4pm the doctor emerged to tell us the surgery was a success. The tumor was removed, there was minimal bleeding and her vitals were stable. About 6pm we were able to see her. Yes, they allowed all of us to enter the ICU unit. We stood outside her room and took turns going in. The funny thing is, she gave the orders. She first sent for her kids, then parents, and then sisters. She showed us that she was still our loving organizer. She was released from the hospital on Friday and she is resting at home.

In Spite of the seriousness of the occasion, we had a wonderful family reunion. All that time spent waiting was spent talking and catching up on each others lives. There was no sense of doom. We could have easily still been in my mother's family room. Being with family can be a time of warm, comforting love or a time of anger and chaos. Choose love regardless of the situation.

In Spite of It All choose to LOVE and ENJOY your Family!