Our lives are dramatically changed for
the better. This week, we got news from Lukas' doctor: He no longer
has to take his blood thinning medication so he won't get a blood
clot (and thus a heart attack) in the artery that was affected by
Kawasaki disease three and a half years ago. This news was a miracle
to us, since the doctors told us over and over that Lukas will
probably have to take meds for his whole life, every single day.
Alas. Many hours of prayer from people
all over the world, many healing ceremonies, much energy work and
lots and lots of love have changed the outcome. Lukas' heart
aneurysm no longer requires medication. No longer will Steve or I
sit bolt upright in bed, just at the edge of sleep, asking, “Did
you give Lukas his medicine?” No longer will we worry about Lukas
climbing a tree, falling down and dieing of internal bleeding. No
longer will I cringe when he plays rough games with his friends. No
longer will Lukas' body be decorated by abnormal bruises.
We are ecstatic. When I got the good
news, I started screaming, running outside where Steve chopped wood.
I am pretty good at emergency situations – staying calm and
focused, so when Steve saw me running towards him hysterically
yelling, he got scared. All the kids came running. It was a
triumphant, tearful moment with lots of hugging and squeezing and
snot.
For everyone who sent prayers and
healing energy towards this blond, exuberant son of ours: Thank you
from the bottom of our hearts. It takes a village to heal a kid.
Way to kick Kawasaki's ass, Luke!
Steve and I celebrated by taking off
for a three day vacation – without kids. This getaway was planned
months in advance. Once a year, our good friends and neighbors, Deb
and Kate, also referred to as "the Fairy Godmothers", take care of our
children, so my man and I can get some R and R. Having these women
in our lives and so involved in our children's lives is an amazing
gift. They make it fun for the kids, with lots of bike riding, ice
cream eating, lake swimming, root beer floating, and so many other things we
boring parents wouldn't even think of.
For our vacation this year, we went to Canada, up to Squamish and Whistler, where we hiked our butts
of, relaxed, and reconnected in a honey moon sort of way.
On our first day we hiked up the prominent
mountain called “The Chief”. It's a steep, massive, high rock
face that towers above the town of Squamish. It's famous for
offering scenic views of Howe Sound and several mountains in
Garibaldi Provincial Park. The trail is supposed to take two hours
up one way, but Steve and I cranked it out in an hour. The hike is
like a gigantic workout on the stairmaster machine, since the trail
consists of hundreds of wooden and stone steps. There are also
sections where you have to scramble up rock faces, assisted by ropes,
cables and ladders. Once we made it up to the top, we blissed
out in the sunshine, saying prayers of thanks about Lukas, and
reveling in each others' company.
We ran almost all the way down, which
felt thrilling and awarded us a lot of dubious looks from other
hikers. We paid dearly for this foolish undertaking with very, very, very sore calves for the next three days...
So the next day, we decided to rest our
wary legs and bodies and had an incredible retreat at Scandinave Spa.
Before you start laughing out loud about Steve going to the spa, I
have to tell you it's nothing like you imagine. It's an outdoor,
nordic-inspired retreat engulfed in a spruce and cedar forest, worthy
of the toughest Viking man. The spa overlooks incredible mountain
vistas and valleys. Guests are not supposed to talk due to the total
silence rule. There are several hot baths, a beautiful wood-fired
log sauna, steam bath, and several serene places to chill out
(including hammocks at the edge of the forest). The roofs are living
roofs made from soil, grass and wildflowers. I even got a Swedish
massage! The massage therapist laughed at my yelping every time he
touched my sore calves.
The third day, we explored Whistler, which is beautiful, but terribly touristy. I am embarrassed to admit that we did a touristy thing and took the gondola ride to the top of Whistler Mountain, and from there did the "Top to Top" ride over to Blackcomb Mountain. I am even more embarrassed to admit that I loved it - the whole experience reminded me of my childhood of riding lifts up mountains, and then hiking there. The view was, of course, thrilling. The elevation on the very top is a little over 7,000 feet. Once we stepped on one of the hiking trails, we left 99 percent of the people (and the five thousand Japanese tourists) behind us.
It went from this.........................
......................... to this in literally ten minutes of easy hiking.
I am rejoicing in our good fortune right now. Lukas being medication-free. Loving my husband (two weeks ago, I was ready to divorce him!) Being able to spend a vacation in hotels and eating out in restaurants, instead of sleeping in a tent and heating up baked beans over a propane stove, as both Steve and I have done for most of our lives. It feels so good right now, this life. And I am thankful.
What are you grateful for this week?
Corina, what a joy to read your news of Lukas's miracle! Loved reading this beautiful post! I'm thankful that even though my hubby and I are in a season where we seem to have our hands to the plow, there are easier days ahead. So glad you and Steve got to have such a beautiful second honeymoon kind of date, it's so important :-) going to have to put a good date on the calendar! Xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteJenni, I love the expression of "having your hands to the plow". That's often how our lives feel, literally! I used to look at other people's life with envy... the ones you got to do the things I couldn't do with little kids. And then the kids got bigger, and the world started opening up again.
DeleteThere ARE easier days ahead! Go put that date on the calendar, girl!