Good Things

We had a great visit at Egleston today! John Asher continues to remain stable. He opened his eyes and responded to the sound of his momma's voice several times. He would hold my finger until he fell asleep and it was such a precious time. Too short, but still just as precious. I would ask that you specifically pray tonight and tomorrow for him as they work to take him off of the ventilator to see how well his body can tolerate working on its own.

For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. Psalm 71

Have I mentioned what an incredible hospital Egleston is, not only for the patients, but also for their families? Today, they held a carnival in the garden for the children at Egleston and for their siblings. It was such great fun! We discovered it was taking place after we arrived and the kids had a blast! They did some spin art, pet and walked the dogs from Happy Tails, ate snow cones and had their faces painted. But their most favorite parts were throwing the pie in the doctor's face and the doctor dunking booth. All three of the kids were able to dunk one of John Asher's cardiologists! How fun! Another great experience was getting a stuffed doll and being able to "doctor" the doll. They could give it a shot, put band aids on it, give it a face mask and listen to the heart beat. Next week I am going to take them back so they can talk with a Family Life Specialist (or a title similar to that) who will help the children understand what is happening to their brother, why he has all the tubes and what kind of care he will need once he gets home. I took lots of pictures, but left the camera with Jeremiah at the hospital.

So since I can't leave you with pictures of the carnival, I will share some pictures of the Ronald McDonald House. It's a fabulous place that really caters to the family and the parents when they in the midst of an extended hospital stay. I can't say enough good things about the house, the people that run it and the people that selflessly bring food to the families several nights a week. It is truly a retreat from the beeps and alarms and smells of the hospital. We are truly thankful for a home away from home. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

Nothing like a game of foosball to relieve the stress.

Hotel style rooms with sleep number mattresses. Lots of space!

Plenty of toys for the little ones, video games and computers for the bigger ones, and several small living rooms with flat screen tv's throughout the house!

I think it is beautifully decorated. Very relaxing and peaceful!

Did I mention that Gracie filmed a Coca Cola video for the shareholder's meeting? She was a great actress and played her roles many times over until they had just what they needed. Maybe we have a future actress in the making?