Thankful Friday

1. Mike's father is doing better than he was last week.  We are SO thankful that his breathing tube was taken out and that his pneumonia and viruses have been stabilized.  The doctors have re-started their aggressive treatment of the cancer with radiation and possibly another round of chemo in the coming week.  However, the tumor has hindered him from being able to speak and to eat/drink through his mouth, so they are inserting a feeding tube through his stomach.  We are asking the Lord to allow for the best results through the cancer treatment, and that it won't turn into a downward spiral again of all the health issues related to a weakened immune system.

2. Mike is back home and we are SUPER thankful that our family is whole again.  God really allowed him to have a blessed time with his parents and extended family, even though the days were long and hard.  I can't put into words what riches we have in having parents who love one another and trust in the Lord together.  Mike was so blessed by their faith and by their extreme fervency in prayer.

3. Marcus has been at his new school for over a month now, and he has yet to have a bad day there.  All his teachers and therapists say that he's happy, involved, cooperative, and a hard worker.  And they've even mentioned that he's a pretty popular kid and that everyone loves working with him.  Today, even the principal stopped me to say that she observed him in class and was impressed by his improving speech and his persistence at tasks.  As a parent, that just fills my heart with so much thanks!

When I get down, I get worried and think, "Where does Marcus belong in this world?"  But when I see him thriving at his school and being around other kids with challenges, I'm reminded that for now, this is where he belongs, and it's exactly where the Lord wants him.

4. Day #2 of Kindergarten was great!  Audrey didn't encounter the mean girl this time and even better, she has started to make some friends.  When I picked her up, she just HAD to show me her moves on the playground and she blabbed on about everything she did that day.  I was grateful for the good report.

5. The past 2 days, Marcus has noticed that Audrey hasn't been there to pick him up from school.  So after greeting me with a gigantic smile and a loud, "Mama!", he'll ask for his sister by repeating, "Noona, noona (big sister in Korean)".  He knows now that she's started school so today, he reminded himself, "Noona, kool (big sister's at school)".

So once they are reunited, the next hour is full of giggles and funny noises and screams to make up for their 3+ hours of separation.  It's loud and obnoxious, but music to my ears!  Brother-sister BFF!