Happy Thursday everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day! The boys went to the parade without me this year, as I had to work a half shift. But I was able to meet up with them in the afternoon. It was a wonderful time spent with family and enjoying each other.
A lot has happened since the last time I wrote to you all! Ethan and I enjoyed our time at Tigers Stadium. They got creamed but we were there for the experience right!?! The next day, we drove to University of Michigan with Ollie. He was a trooper in the car as well as in his appointment. They suggested trying sclerotherapy again with a more aggressive approach. That isn’t something that Ethan and I want to put Ollie through, especially if the chances of it working are about 10%. They do not have any surgical options that Ethan and I are comfortable with. Ollie is the first Lymphatic Malformation they have seen on the face. We aren’t ready for Ollie to be a guinea pig for research when there are doctors that have already had successful surgeries in Boston. When we went to see Ollie’s specialist here in GR on Tuesday, the notes from his appointment at U of M were still not ready. As soon as we get those, our specialist will be able to reapply for surgery out in Boston. So we get to do a little more waiting.
Waiting is so hard for me! In so many ways I want to keep pushing to do the next step, to see some sort of progression for Ollie. These past few weeks have been hard for Ethan and the boys, as they have lived with Momzilla. Finally, Ethan sat down with me and helped me work through my list of everything I wanted to accomplish. As we talked, I slowly started to see a pattern. 99% of my list, were tasks that I needed to wait on. I had taken them as far as I could and now I needed to let God do His thing. There is such a thing as ‘God’s timing’. I find letting go to be especially difficult. It’s almost like I feel like I’m a bad mom for not pushing to get things done. Like God needs the help. In some ways He does. He gives us gifts and abilities to accomplish our work but at some point the gifts that God has given us hit a wall. That is where waiting, praying and having complete trust in God comes in. I don’t think I could do this whole parent/ wife thing without fully giving over to Him. So as I file tasks into my waiting folder, the boys and I fill our time with wild adventures.
The past weeks we have been able to explore two new parks. Our first was Woodcrest Park in Jenison. Ollie calls this one the Fireman park. With just a small play structure, the boys had a blast playing tag.
Sunrise Park in Hudsonville was our next adventure. Ollie found this one on Google Maps with me, and was immediately psyched about the mini race track he saw on pictures. It did not disappoint that is for sure. With two separate play areas, the boys had plenty to keep them busy. Ollie absolutely loved the giant tire swings!
So as we peacefully wait to hear the next steps for Ollie, we know that we have done our best. We have used the abilities that God has given us to exhaustion. Now we let His timing take over, for His timing is always the best. He has proven that time and again. If you find yourself exhausted and at a loss of what to do next, maybe you are at that point of total surrender to God’s timing. Let Him work and let yourself enjoy where you are at!
