And So It Goes. . .

That you really don't have a clue as to how God's hand moves through your life, but when you recognize it in big ways, it makes you appreciate the small things all the more. Today, God moved and we were able to say we were firsthand spectators in the miracles he can claim each and every moment that we breathe as humans on this earth!

Today, as we were ironically leaving a hospital having visited friends who had just delivered a beautiful baby girl yesterday morning, Joshua, Jovey and I were playing the game of "1-2-3- JUMP!" with Jovey. Joshua was on one side holding one hand, and I was on the other. After the 2nd "JUMP," we knew something was wrong, as she whimpered and kinda tugged at her arm, saying, "hurt, momma, hurt!" Jovey rarely cries about anything hurting, as she is tough as nails, but we knew she must have been tugged too hard, and maybe pulled a muscle, or maybe worse.

Going home, her right arm laid limp in her carseat, and she tried to fall asleep, but was awakened numerous times to what she felt as pain in her elbow. We got her home, and she again favored her arm, unable to move it without wincing and crying in obvious pain. We quickly loaded her back up, took her to the kids section of Suburban hospital emergency room, and we, and other very close friends, prayed and just tried to keep her mind on anything but her poor, hurt arm. Joshua and I were beside ourselves, but remained as calm as possible for Jovey's sake.

We were seen very shortly after arriving, and when the door opened to reveal the pediatrician on call, we were so relieved and blessed to see the man who had seen Jovey in the hospital and had been her former pediatrician, whom we loved very much. He remembered Jovey and as always, addressed her as a person and manipulated her little arm through her brave tears, and shortly after he left the room so that she could calm down and we could test to see if she would reach for toys with her injured arm, she reached up with her right arm, bent it, and wiped the tears from her eyes, a feat that had not been able to be accomplished in over an hour. It was the most peaceful and joyous moment I think I have ever felt to date as a parent, other than that very first cry she let out on that early Sunday morning on November 28, 2004! She then reached for her baby and started talking as normal as you please, even pushing herself to a sitting position with her injured arm. She had experienced what Dr. Grille termed as Nurse Maiden's Elbow, where the ligament detaches from the elbow, therefore making it painful and impossible to move the arm where it normally should bend at the joint. His simple manipulation reattached it to the proper place, and she experienced immediate relief and was ready to pick out her favorite color sucker, yellow, and enjoy it on the way home in her right hand, as if nothing had happened. It is a common thing to happen in children under 5, and he said it could or may never happen again. A child had just been in on Monday for his 3rd case of it, so the Dr. taught the parents how to take care of popping it back into place on their own if it should happen again, as to save them a trip to the er.

Jovey is as fine as she can be and barely remembers seeing the Dr. by now, I'm sure. How GREAT is our God and how wonderful when we truly recognize His work both in and through our lives as his children. How dare we take for granted his care and his provisions for our safety. He longs for us to be whole and comfortable, just as Joshua and I did for Jovey this afternoon. Seeing her in obvious pain, laying helpless where she is usually running around with wreckless abandon was horrible, but oh how wonderful to watch her experience relief and comfort once again. How happy God must be to see us the same way! Jovey is wonderfully healed and we are better and even more thankful followers because of it!