I have an idea!

Before you read any further get yourself a notebook of some sort.

Something you can add to as we go along.

Here is a great quote I’ve found, and I want you to ponder it for a minute or two.

Life is very interesting.  In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths.  Drew Barrymore

I am most certain at this time you are nodding your head in agreement.  You have probably gone through many ‘wars’… that’s what I call them!

Did you learn, grow, become or change?  Most likely.

Here’s just a part of one of my stories.

My son was only 3 when he started having seizures which turned out to be Epilepsy!   In the next 2 ½ years he had literally hundreds of seizures!  We stopped counting at the time.

When we did, it was over 500 in 9 months.

Was that a hard time… sigh…. YES!  Very hard.  They often started at 4:00 in the morning and most were before 10:00, but you never knew because he had them sporadically throughout the day.

Oh, there were exceptions like the time we were visiting my family in New York and he started seizing at midnight…. every 5 minutes!

We raced to the ER, and they wouldn’t stop until late the next morning and when they thought he was going to be OK…. they started again!

I remember kneeling in the waiting room pleading with God to stop these seizures that were racking his small body.

There didn’t seem to be a drug that was working.

I’m from Canada where medical is free, and I wanted him here at the Children’s Hospital in Halifax where they knew him from the many visits’ there.

The Director of Albany Medical Hospital was trying to arrange for us to be put in a helicopter and fly us over the Atlantic!

Then I felt like something out of an ER television show!

They weren’t able to because of the distance and nowhere to gas up on this long flight.

In the end, the seizures stopped for this time, and I choose to fly him myself.

Gave him more meds to help him through and we did make it to Children’s Hospital in the end.

Was this painful?  Oh my dear, tear my heart out painful!  I was helpless to change this.

I know that when you watch your child and can’t ‘fix’ it yourself, that hurts so bad.

We make it and another week there with new meds to straighten him out for a while, but then the seizures started again.  There didn’t seem to be an answer anywhere.

But what did I learn in the midst of that ‘war,’ that pain?

I was strong in all kinds of ways!  I was this child’s advocate.  My voice was heard when tests were done without needful reason sometimes.

Physically, I had to carry him quite often.  Then I knew why God make me a big girl!

I spent time in the Word when I was sitting in the hospital week after week for a few years.  There is lots of time there. 🙂

I learned how to do puzzles!  You see that was something that if he did have a seizure and fell face first, this was cardboard and wouldn’t cut or hurt him!   Puzzles and playing Old Maid for weeks on end!  I vowed I never do either again if the seizures ever stopped!

My strength from all this? Now I can help others who have walked the same path.

I learned how to live on inadequate amounts of sleep as there are 2 other little ones in the same room and their moms!  Crowded and noisy.

I am stronger because I made it to the other side and so did he.  That’s next week’s story.

Stay tuned.

When I look back, and I recall the memories, it seems like a long time ago.  I have forgotten so many…. but I made it!  By God’s grace, I made it, and I am just fine and so is he.

His strength is made perfect in weakness.  II Corinthians 12:9

What about you?

Your pain?

Your wars?

How did they change you to be the amazing person you are right now?

Write them down and then let me know.

I care.