Prayer

You may have noticed I changed the color of my blog.  It's suppose to be red in preparation for Paul's matchy-matchy graduation, but it actually looks very pink.  It's the thought that counts, right?  [Update: fixed it!]

Oh man, my class starts this week.  Paul graduates next week.  Paul and I are planning a trip to Illinois in June.  We'll be driving. . .  My birthday is also in June, and you know what that means?  Andrea will start going to the nursery at church.  I'm so excited!

It seems like a lot of exciting things are currently happening in my life and I go through phases of relishing in the adrenaline of it all.  But lately, it's been really hard to get pumped up about the happy things because of all the sad things happening right now.

One of my best friends has a son a year and a half older than Andrea who was just diagnosed with a heart condition that is going to require risky heart surgery with potential for a few difficult complications.  He seemed like a perfectly healthy little boy until at a wellness check the doctor thought he heard a heart murmur.  That heart murmur turned out to be a constricted aorta.  The doctor told my friend he was surprised her son had lived this long.  I've been praying for him everyday that he stays safe until his surgery next week and that everything will go well.  I've also been praying for my friend and her husband that they will have peace in this difficult time.

My mother probably doesn't want mentioned in this blog post so . . . A female relative of mine (who I can neither confirm or deny may or may not have given birth to me) had a hysterectomy about five weeks ago.  It seemed she was healing nicely until she had a rather rare and serious complication last week that had her family worried and frightened.  It has been so hard for me to see this mysterious female relative is so much pain because she's one of the strongest ladies I've ever met.  I'm thankful to be living so close to her so I can be as helpful as possible while she recovers.  I'm also thankful for the ward members who've brought her family meals.  I know she feels like she is a burden, but she's not.  She has given so much service to others, and it has been refreshing to be able to give back to her.  I'm praying for her as well.

My grandmother also had to have emergency surgery as is currently healing from that trauma.  I wish she wasn't 1,400 miles away so I could be of some use to her as well.  Thankfully, she has children living close that are watching over her. Praying for her too?  You bet.

Andrea is becoming so patient during mommy's long prayers.  We give her little cheers when she's reverent through the whole thing.

Sometimes when all I can do is pray for someone in need it doesn't feel like the most productive course of action.  But there really is power in prayer.  A loving Heavenly Father is listening and answering when we pray.  I have felt so much comfort as I've poured my heart out to Him.  And I have felt so alone when I've forgotten to do so.  I hope teaching my daughter the power of prayer will be a blessing in her life and give her hope in a world of uncertainty and turmoil.