Lots of Special People In Our Lives

     It's been an interesting January.  With three busy kids who can't drive and one graduated senior who is now working instead of going to school, a lot of chauffeuring has fallen back on my shoulders, and the only way to describe our lives right now is that we just simply have to take one day at a time.  Sometimes we're just living hour by hour or even minute by minute as the needs arise and change.  Everyone's schedule in this family is different every single day, and as the master planner and coordinator of the bunch, I have found myself very thankful for all the other people in our lives who are walking this journey with us right now and are available to give rides when needed.  Heath, in particular, has three or four people who very willingly let him ride with them to and from school, but even so, we oftentimes still need to meet up with them at various locations.  Jenny has been a lifesaver when it comes to helping out with his schedule!

     Our weekends in January, however, have probably been the calmest they have ever been!  We just haven't had that much extra stuff on the calendar, which has been really nice for a switch.  Last weekend, though, was definitely the exception.  If anything was scheduled in January, it was planned for last weekend, and let's just say that it was totally insane.  Heath stayed back here so he could work, but the rest of us traveled west in three separate vehicles, two of which were ours, so that we could be a part of all the different activities there.

     First of all, Harris and I had a big Primerica event going on all of Friday and Saturday in Des Moines.  We love our company, love what we do for middle-class America, and love seeing our teammates be recognized for the hard work they've done.  One of the best parts of these events, though, is spending time with fellow Primericans from across the Midwest.  We have made so many friends through our business, and there is just nothing better than to be greeted by their warm, smiling faces, giving them a great big hug, and then catching up on each other's lives.  Many of them have been praying for our family, and we are so thankful for their love and concern. 

     On Saturday afternoon I slipped away from all of that to attend a very special party that was going on back in Pella.  My grandma De Boef is now 90 years old!  Just take a look at these two amazing people who I get to call Grandpa and Grandma . . .

     Oh, how I wish I would have had my picture taken with her.  It dawned on me later that I'm half her age, and that would have been such a treasured picture for me to have.  I'm trusting I'll have another chance!

     May I just share a little bit about my grandma?  Don't get me wrong -- all eight of Harris and I's grandparents are very, very special people, and we've loved them all so much.  In fact, I've dug up one of my most favorite pictures from my archives just so you could see who all I'm talking about . . .


Peter and Nellie Westerkamp ~ Kenneth and Carolyn Vander Linden ~ William and Jeanette Andringa ~ William and Martha De Boef ~ 1-year-old Heath

     This picture was taken 20 years ago at Heath's first birthday party.  He was the first great-grandchild for all of them except he was the 19th one for the Westerkamps.  Over the years we've seen six of them go on to Heaven, and now the only two we have left are my Grandpa and Grandma De Boef.  Grandpa is 94, and he is, hands down, the hardest-working man I've ever known.  He's well-known for his massive gardening endeavors, and if something needs to be done, he can be found doing it.  All four of our grandfathers and both of our fathers were farmers, and all of our grandmothers and both of our mothers were stay-at-home moms, so we've been blessed beyond belief when it comes to family values. 

     But Grandma De Boef is who I want to focus on for a bit.  It's not that she's any more important than any of the rest, but it's her moment to shine, and I want to take this moment to give her a great big shout-out!  She gave birth to and raised 12 kids.  Need I really say any more?  It completely baffles my mind to think about all the food she's prepared, all the laundry she's washed and hung on those clotheslines across her yard, all the bills she had to think about paying, all the boo-boos she's kissed and hospital beds she's sat by, and all the hearts she's mended and encouraged.  Our weekend wasn't exactly free of health challenges and emotional complications; in fact, it was a rather difficult one for various reasons.  As the weight of those burdens threatened to consume me, I kept thinking about Grandma all weekend long and how difficult it must have been for her to carry the burdens for twelve kids!  It's hard enough for me to do it for four sometimes!  Granted, she didn't raise her kids in a culture of needing to be involved in everything under the sun, but that means that she was constantly surrounded by kids, and having a moment to herself was probably a very rare event.  A lot of my childhood was spent at their house, and my memory tells me that breakfast was always on the table, no matter what time I got up, and I remember Grandma tucking me into bed at night.  I don't ever remember sitting through a meal where prayers weren't said before and after, and we could always count on hearing from God's Word after every single meal.  The only times Grandma must have had by herself were when she would convince everyone to go outside and play or do their chores, when everyone would go to their rooms rather begrudgingly for Sunday-afternoon naps, or when she would close her bedroom door and through the crack I'd see her kneeling beside her bed in prayer.  Maybe she'd slip away to town once in a while to buy groceries or supplies for her family, but she probably always had someone with her, and I highly doubt that she ever took time to stop somewhere long enough to linger over a cup of coffee or do something just for herself.  The coffee was always on at her house, though, and even today, whenever someone stops at Grandma's house, they are greeted with a smile, a warm embrace, and a kiss on the cheek, and the next thing she will do is offer you something to eat and drink, no matter what time of day or night it is.  That's just the kind of woman she is.  The love of God just permeates through her very being, and oh, how I long to be just like her. 

     It occurred to me midweek that last weekend I had been privileged to see and hug every single one of my dad and mom's brothers and sisters with the exception of my uncle Jim who passed away almost three years ago already.  What are the chances of that ever happening again?  I just wish I could have spent more time with each of them!  Here is a picture of my dad's family . . .



Back row:  Kathy Groenenboom, Pella, IA ~ Leona Gagestein, Roy, UT ~ Ken De Boef, Leighton, IA ~ Bill De Boef, Union, IL ~ Karen Wallace, Pella, IA ~ Donna Grandia, Riverside, CA ~ my dad, Marv De Boef, Pella, IA ~ Steve De Boef, Hull, IA
Front row: Willene Tanis, Imlay City, MI ~ Martie De Boef, Newton, IA ~ Grandma and Grandpa De Boef, Pella, IA ~ Pearl Menninga, Pella, IA

     Not only did we have that special gathering on Saturday, but then on Sunday afternoon my sister, Sheila, hosted a bridal shower at her house for my cousin Stacy.  She had gotten married in South Africa last summer the same day that Haley arrived there on her missions trip, and it took us this long to pull it together and throw a shower for her.  It was a fun special gathering with my mom, her two sisters, and some cousins, and I'm tickled to have this picture . . .



My cousin, Stacy Tandon ~ my aunt, Linda May ~
my mom, Alva De Boef ~ my aunt, Donna Vernooy

     If only my other grandma were alive, she would have loved and cherished moments like these!  She was one of the most endearing women I've ever known, and what a tremendous Godly influence she had over all of us as well.  God has blessed us with a tremendous family heritage, and for that I am truly thankful!

     In closing, there seems to be no better way than to share this little video clip that was taken at Grandma's birthday party and put out on YouTube by one of my cousins.  Being the extremely humble person that she is, Grandma would probably scold me for drawing so much attention to her, but it is precious beyond words to me, and it will be a priceless gem in days and years to come for our family, and I just cannot resist sharing it.  It may be full of imperfections, but that's what we are . . . a whole bunch of imperfect people, saved only by the grace of God.  Grandma always gives God all the glory, and that's exactly what she does again in this video.  Thank you, Grandma, for being such a great example for all 163 of us!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU5Nte-EAgc
          
P.S.  Thanks, Loren and Kolene, for sharing your picture and video!

Life Happens

     Christmas 2010 has come and gone, and what a fun time it was!  Not only was it breathtakingly beautiful with all the glistening snow outside but we had lots of treasured family moments together.  Here are a few of the highlights . . .




      A year's worth of pictures were condensed onto four pages for the traditional calendar my sisters-in-law and I create every year to give to our mother-in-law for Christmas. 

 


     Five batches of Dutch letters were made and given to friends and family throughout the month of December. 

     For the last Christmas program Harris and I will ever attend for one of our children at an elementary school, Keaton stole the show at the end with a very special performance.  

     Kelsey had her first high school Christmas choral concert with two of her friends.



     Haley graduated early, so Vance and Steph's family came over for a surprise celebratory breakfast on the first day of Christmas break.  She's so happy that she doesn't even have to set foot in a classroom again for eight months and can just enjoy some down time figuring out what God wants her to do next with her life!

     Heath started a part-time job at Chick-fil-A, a Christian-based restaurant just five minutes from our house, which was an awesome answer to prayer.  Notice the cow's hat:  "Eat more chicken!"

     We woke up to a winter wonderland on the morning of Christmas Eve, and it just kept snowing and snowing all day long!

     It was the most perfect day for some quality family time! 

     After the candlelight service at church, we came home to celebrate Christmas with our family. 

     We decided Heath was one very blessed young man to be surrounded by so many women in his life, and, well, we are just pretty thankful to have him in our lives too!

     Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, stuffed mushrooms, Snicker apple salad, and ice cream dessert.  Thankfully I had a lot of help throughout the day!  It was good, and we were full!

 
     Harris read the Christmas story, and then we slowly opened our gifts and enjoyed each other's company.  For the last few years, the kids have decided to use some of their own money to purchase gifts too.  It was music to our ears when they were sharing about how much more fun it is to give than to receive.  Thank you, Jesus!  That is parenting progress!

     Over the years let's just say that Harris hasn't always been the best at coming up with a gift for me, but this year he totally made up for it and spoiled me rotten!  Not only did he give me this Cricut Expression but he gave me his blessing to set aside time every Friday in 2011 for scrapbooking so that I can get caught up.  He is a good man!  The challenge will be if I can actually take him up on his generous offer and let other things slide a little.  Somehow dishes, laundry, bookwork, etc., always have a way of staring me in the face, so it will be interesting to see how I handle the gift I've been given. 

     I'm so thankful for yet one more Christmas morning that a picture like this could be taken!  They are such goofballs, and I love them all so very much!  Having all four of them home yet is truly precious!

     See, I told you he's a good man!



We headed to Oskaloosa to celebrate with my family on Christmas afternoon.  Usually we take a picture with my parents and all the grandkids, but somehow they didn't end up in the picture but my brother Scott did instead. 



Then we headed to the farm where we celebrated with Harris's family on Christmas night, and once again, we took the traditional family photos. 

Here are all the Westerkamp grandchildren with Grandma Bonnie.  It was our first Christmas without Grandpa Howard. 

On Monday we got to help with taking inventory at Harris's dad's Suzuki dealership. 

It was a family affair!  Just imagine how many pieces and parts could possibly be in that one section of bins!  Oh, the joy!

We arrived back home Tuesday at midnight, and on Wednesday afternoon Harris and I took off for Galena, Illinois.  My gift to Harris this year was making reservations for a two-night getaway, and it was the most peaceful, relaxing, and rejuvenating thing I think we could have done.  It was awesome to have some time to reflect on 2010 and then talk about our goals, plans, and dreams for 2011.  We came home just in time to celebrate New Year's Eve, and then enjoyed two more absolutely precious days at home with our family. 

Our Christmas break was priceless! 

Going out to see a movie is something we typically never ever do, but we discovered a couple years ago how much fun it is to see "The Polar Express" in 3D, so that has become a family tradition over Christmas break.  The kids were pretty sure we should keep it up, and in all honesty, Harris and I enjoy it just as much as they do!

Transitioning into 2011 has been a strange phenomenon for me.  I keep thinking back to where we were when we started 2010.  At that time there were three rather big things that we knew about going into the year:  Haley would be going to Africa for two months, Harris's dad's health was failing, and Haley would enter her senior year as a swim captain, all three of which were a little scary. 

This year it felt so different to me.  We're going into 2011 without any real inclination of what may be coming our way for the year.  Sure, we know of a few events on the calendar, but it has been kind of a weird feeling.  Almost eerie . . . mysterious.  I don't know why.  God has proven Himself to be so faithful over and over again throughout 2010, and yet there were things that happened, Heath's seizures and tumor in particular, that obviously we didn't see coming at all, and it just makes me wonder what kinds of things we'll experience in 2011.  It's also very exciting and so full of potential and possibilities!  What kinds of miracles will we witness? 

I have found myself just being very thankful for every normal day of life that goes by.  I have found myself just trying to slow life down a bit and savor the moments.  The first week of 2011 was actually really calm and peaceful, and I found that New Year's resolutions are much easier to keep when the calendar isn't filled to the max and when life is humming along smoothly. 

But then life happens!  Life throws us curveballs, good or bad, big or small, and it has a way of throwing us completely off our schedule!  My first curveball for this year came to me in this form: 

Who can possibly resist a phone call on a Friday afternoon from your sister saying, "I'm thinking of picking up the girls from school and heading your way for the weekend.  Would that be okay?"  Hello!!!

What was going to be a very rare and quiet weekend at home with absolutely nothing on the calendar turned into a major scrapbooking session for us and lots of giggles and grins in the cousin department!  What a fun surprise!

She looks so innocent, doesn't she?!? 

My second week of 2011 was quite different from the first.  Some of those New Year's resolutions quickly fell by the wayside as life had a way of just taking over again.  School is back in session, activities have all resumed, and things just need to get done! 

This special occasion threw some curveballs into this week . . .

Happy birthday, Kelsey!!

Today has been particularly quiet and peaceful again, and it's given me the perfect chance to regroup.  It's given me the chance to say, "Thank you, Lord, for all the good things you bring into our lives.  Thank you for the hidden blessings that we don't see coming and that you lavish on us.  Thank you for giving us the grace to get through the ugly things we don't see coming.  Thank you for your presence in our lives, and thank you for life!" 



From Our Home To Yours

     Do you ever wonder if the words that come out of your mouth will ever be remembered or have the ability to impact someone’s life?  In a conversation with a friend this summer, she described her family vacation to me as just hanging out and “taking care of each other.”  For whatever reason, those words have played over and over again in my brain as I’ve envisioned them at their cabin by the lake.  It has conjured up heartwarming images of a family enjoying each others’ company, complete with fun activities and meaningful conversations, all while happily serving each other through just the mundane tasks of life.  That may be easy when you’re surrounded with people you love and who you genuinely enjoy serving, but on the flip side, there are those times when we’re called to care for someone who may not seem so deserving or lovable, and our time, attention, and even our checkbook may be negatively affected.  Whenever a new set of circumstances comes my way, those words seem to be the backdrop against which I start processing the situation, and as I think about how to take care of someone, it has challenged me to be a little more compassionate and empathetic than usual.  Our family has certainly learned some things about taking care of each other this year, and we’ve certainly been blessed by many of you as we’ve come to some very interesting junctures throughout 2010.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank each of you who prayed for us, hugged us, offered words of encouragement, cried with us, performed some act of service, celebrated with us, or even gave of your resources.  We have felt loved and cherished, and our prayer is that you know how loved you are as well!  We love hearing from you and consider it an honor to walk this journey of life with you!

     The first quarter of our year started off with a quiet but special 25-year anniversary for Harris and me.  The kids gave us tickets to a Mannheim Steamroller concert for Christmas, and we just had a nice family dinner together on the actual day.  Heath had moved back home after studying at Moody Bible Institute for a year and a half and after being in Pella the year prior to that.  Haley was in a busy season of preparing for her trip to Africa, Kelsey got her driver’s permit and braces, and Keaton continued working on his musical skills.  Haley enjoyed a chorus trip to Disneyworld over spring break, and Heath’s birthday wish for a getaway to California for a few days to visit family and friends came true.  He also started dating a very special young lady by the name of Jenny.  She blends into our family beautifully, and she’s been such a tremendous companion for Heath.  Our company, Primerica, went public on the New York Stock Exchange on April 1, and much excitement has been in the air for all the changes that is bringing into our lives.  It’s such a blessing to be affiliated with a company that is growing and strong, and we look forward to expanding our office in 2011.  It was a long, cold, snowy winter, but overall, we enjoyed lots of quality family time together, which we dearly love. 

     Our first trip to the ER for the year came in April when Haley had her first ruptured ovarian cyst.  She had another cyst experience just a couple weeks before she was to leave for Africa, but thankfully she was able to recuperate in time for her missions trip.  She spent her first month ministering in South Africa and was then in Zambia for the second month where she slept in a tent with very primitive conditions just outside an orphanage.  God miraculously provided for her every need and kept her safe the whole time she was there.  What a life-changing experience!  The day after she left, we welcomed Charlene, a foreign exchange student from France, into our home for the next month.  She charmed her way into our hearts with her French accent, endearing smile and laugh, and sweet personality, and we could easily adopt her as one of our very own.  Kelsey, Keaton, and I especially had a blast exposing her to as much U.S. culture as we could offer her in Iowa.  While we were in Pella with her over the 4^th of July, Harris and Heath were four-wheeling in the mountains of Tennessee with a bunch of Primerica friends.  Charlene left just before our 18^th annual De Boef campout, but we did get to share one of our weekend camping trips with her.  Keaton and Kelsey each had a week of church camp thrown into the summer as well as three weeks of driver’s education scheduled in for Kelsey.  Harris enjoyed a fun tractor ride weekend with his family while Keaton slipped away to Chicago for a few days to visit his friend Nathan.

     Before long, summer was over, and it was time for the kids to head back to school.  Heath took advantage of a fantastic scholarship program and started commuting to Ashford University in Clinton.  He’s finally come to grips with majoring in accounting and minoring in finance.  It’s been a long season of twists and turns for him, but he’s loving his classes and finished strong with a 4.0.  Haley will finish her high school career on December 22, and she has been counting down the days for a couple months already.  She plans to continue working as a lifeguard and swim instructor at the YMCA and will add in a few extra hours at Fareway, but she is mostly looking forward to some down time to process all that God has been doing in her life before she heads off to Ashford in the fall for free as well.  God has truly blessed us!  Haley was a swim team captain this fall, and she helped convince Kelsey to pursue swimming in high school as a freshman, so we had a great time with both girls on the same team.  Kelsey had to set dance aside for the season, but now she’s back to dance lessons and continues to play the violin in orchestra and sing in the school chorus.  She still loves anything to do with art and photography and longs for the opportunity to visit France.  Our 15 years’ worth of elementary school functions are ending with Keaton being a 5^th grader this year.  He’s already been playing the piano and cello, but this year he added the tenor saxophone to the mix.  He’s discovered a love for football whether it’s on the playground with his friends or with Heath playing X-Box.  All four kids’ personalities are so vastly different, and it makes for a very interesting household full of fun, arguments, emotions, and late-night talks.  It has been such a tremendous joy to have them all under one roof for the past year. 

     Ever since last Thanksgiving, we witnessed Harris’s dad’s health continually get worse, and Harris was able to spend more time than usual with him this past year either on the farm in Pella or in the truck going to tractor sales in Missouri.  To say it’s added to the normal stresses of life for Harris would be a huge understatement, so we finally decided to book the Alaskan cruise we had wanted to take for our anniversary.  We were first able to spend a couple days in Seattle with some friends, but then just 24 hours into the cruise, we got the call on September 8 that his dad had lost his three-year battle with prostate cancer, so we ended up flying home ASAP.  We are so thankful for all the treasured family memories we have with him and for the fact that he is painfree in Heaven.  Two weeks later we got the call from Harris’s mom that her mom had passed away after 10 years of being in the Alzheimer unit.  On September 22 our normally healthy 20-year-old had his first-ever seizure, which dealt him the heavy blow of no driving and no operating heavy machinery for six months, which stripped him of the farmhand position he had excitedly just started.  After a battery of tests were done, we were told on September 29 that there is a 1cm tumor on his left occipital lobe right inside his brain.  We don’t know if the tumor has anything to do with the seizure activity, but we were relieved to find out last week that the tumor has not grown, and therefore, it may likely just be some kind of benign abnormality that’s been there since birth.  Only time will tell, and the current plan is to have another MRI in a year.  We finished out what we labeled our “September to Remember” with an outpatient surgery for me on September 30, and we were just thankful for no cancer to be detected and for the successful results. 

     We were feeling pretty good about Heath’s results last week Tuesday, but then on Thursday night he had another grand mal seizure.  He had gone with Harris to some annuity training in the other Primerica office, and all of a sudden, he started slipping off his chair.  Someone was right there to grab his head before hitting the floor, and Harris was immediately there to keep the situation calm for everyone in the room.  God planted a couple of nurses in the room, the paramedics were called, and prayers were being said all around the room.  The scariest part was after he was done seizing, it was announced that he was not breathing, and he was turning all shades of blue and gray, but praise be to God, Heath’s breathing resumed, and after a trip to the ER in the ambulance, he is alive and well today!  His shoulder is still sore, but his medication has been increased, and we are even more focused now on keeping stress to a minimum and maintaining consistent eating and sleeping routines, which can help in preventing seizures. 

     The images of that night will probably continue to haunt Harris and the others who were in the room for a while, but in due time I hope they will be able to see what I see in my mind.  I see a loving father hovered over his son, calm on the outside but crying out on the inside, pleading for him to come back to him.  I see a room full of angels crying out to God on our son’s behalf.  I see a miracle being witnessed by those who share our faith and, more importantly, by those who may just wonder who this God is that we believe in.  I see a God who chose to give us the gift of His Son, Jesus, who also walked on this earth and endured painful suffering, and I see a God whose ultimate way of taking care of us, even when we’re undeserving or unlovable, was by giving us the gift of salvation from our sins and the hope of living with Him in Heaven someday.  My prayer is that you too will be able to reflect on the joy and hope that Jesus is able to bring into your life not only in this Christmas season but in all of 2011.  Merry Christmas to all of you!

Just In Case You're Wondering

     It's been a week since the seizure, and all is mostly well in the Westerkamp home.  Heath's shoulder is still sore, and Harris has had a hard time shaking the visual from his mind, but life has resumed back to "normal," and we are in the midst of preparing for Christmas. 

     When the seizure doctor's nurse called me back last Friday, we had a long conversation about what happened and what to do next.  Basically all we will do for now is increase his daily Dilantin from 100 mg to 130 mg and see how that works out for him.  We discussed the importance of maintaining a lot of consistency in his life as far as sleeping and dietary habits and taking the medicine at the same time every day, keeping stress to a minimum, and exercising within reasonable boundaries.  She knows full well that for a 20-year-old, those things can be a little tricky, especially the sleeping part, but when these things get thrown off, they can trigger a seizure in someone who's prone to having them. 

     Throughout this whole ordeal, many people have asked us whether or not we felt we should be getting a second opinion, so when a friend from Bible study offered her husband's willingness to look at his MRI disks for free, we knew that was God's way of providing one for us, even though we didn't necessarily have that gut feeling that we needed to get one.  He called me from home last Friday night and basically reiterated and concurred with everything the Iowa City doctors had been telling us thus far, which was really encouraging.  He agreed that a biopsy of the tumor was not necessary right now and commented that if it were his own child with this condition, he would be doing exactly what we are doing.  What a blessing it was just to have someone else's opinion!

     Saturday morning there was a Primerica event going on in the same office where the seizure happened.  Harris was still distraught enough that he was not sure about going, but Heath really wanted to go so he could thank a few people, so the three of us decided it was important for us to attend.  Many details of that night came to light for me as people shared what they saw and experienced.  As Harris was kneeling by Heath the night of the seizure and watching his son nearly die, one man was watching and thinking about the two miscarriages his wife had recently experienced.  Another man was watching and remembering what it was like to find his 27-year-old daughter when she died.  This same man left the room because he wanted to make sure the door was open for the paramedics and ended up praying with another man in the building whose 40-year-old son had just been murdered a month ago.  Unbelievable! 

     To hear all these stories just made my heart break because all of them had actually lost their children.  I can't even begin to imagine what that must feel like, and my prayers are with each one who has lost a child, whether I heard their story that night or not.  Even though we came dreadfully close to losing our son, God chose to spare Heath's life, and we are so thankful.  We're thankful for the prayer chain that was formed around the room that night, and we're thankful for all the prayers that have been offered on our behalf since then.  We're thankful that he was in a safe and warm environment, and we're thankful that he was in a room full of people who know him and love him.  Even though it's a little frustrating to have the 6-month no-driving restriction start all over again, we're thankful that now we know that weaning him off medication would not be a good idea.  We have to choose to look at the positive side. 

     Ultimately, we just know that God isn't finished with him yet, and we just have to trust in God's plan.  No one ever said it would be easy.

Quick Update

     So many of you are responding with emails, love, and prayers, and it is all so very much appreciated!

     I'm feeling the need, though, to clarify something that I mentioned in my previous blog entry.  The doctor used the word "benign," but he actually said that "because the tumor had not grown, that's a good sign for it being benign."  No biopsy has ever been done, so we don't know anything for sure, but I was just simply taking comfort in those words. 

     Heath slept well last night for the most part, but his shoulder and lower abdomen area especially are very sore.  He had me pull him up from bed this morning, and he says he feels as though he's been hit by a Mack truck.  His tongue feels worse today, and the taste in his mouth is causing him to resort to Mountain Dew. 

     Haley's taking one for the team and offered to stay home from school today with him.  Such a sacrifice.  Harris and I attended our last ever elementary Christmas -- technically "Winter Arts Sharing" -- program this morning, and Keaton stole the show at the end with a precious little solo part.  It's been kind of a rough morning for us, but that put smiles on our faces! 

     The call has been made to the seizure doctor's office, so now we're just awaiting a return call.  Once again, your prayers mean so much to us at this time.  Thank you all so very much. 

Seizure #2

     Yesterday morning all of a sudden, something really hit me.  The doctor had used the word "benign" on Tuesday!  It had finally sunk deep into my heart, and the joy and reality of that caused this huge smile to spread across my face.  Even though the doctor had said it, I don't think it really sunk in because in my mind I just kept thinking about the fact that there is still a tumor/abnormality/mass/growth -- whatever you want to call it -- in his brain, and there were still a lot of unanswered questions about why he had the seizure and where to go from here with that.  The word "benign," though, was truly a cause for celebration because all of a sudden that meant we could probably safely rule out the word "cancer!"  One burden had definitely been lifted from us!

     Heath had the last of his five finals on Wednesday and was so pleased to have made it through the semester with a 4.0 GPA!  Praise the Lord for that!  We celebrated with an apple pie on Wednesday night, and Thursday morning I took him to the chiropractor for an adjustment.  He's been struggling with his shoulder and ribs since the first seizure, so he was glad to be all tuned up again.  He has about a month off from school now and is working on finding a job close to home.  In the meantime he needs to find ways to fill his time, so when I left for the office Thursday afternoon, he was working in the garage on a shelving unit for his room, and he had a power tool in his hands.  The words, "Are you sure you'll be okay," came spilling out of my mouth, and about the time I said it, I almost regretted it because I'm sure he gets really tired of my overprotectiveness lately.  We both know full well that while, yes, we do need to be wise, we do also need to just let go and let God take care of him. 

     Harris invited Heath to go along to some annuity training at the other Primerica office at 5 p.m., so while they were both there, I took advantage of our quiet office setting and was trying to get some work done before heading home.  I was in the middle of faxing one set of documents and scanning another when my brother-in-law Vance called my cell phone at 6:15.  He said, "Heath just had a seizure, and you're going to want to come quickly."  All my paperwork ended up in a pile, the candle was blown out, the radio turned off, everything got locked up, and away I went with tears and prayers.  The traffic was backed up on River Drive, which forced me to take unfamiliar streets in the dark, and phone calls were being made trying to figure out what all was going on with Heath as well as the other kids.  Haley was working, but Kelsey and Keaton were here at the house with Jenny. 

     Evidently in the middle of training, Heath started feeling a little bit dizzy, and just that fast, he was falling off the side of his chair and started convulsing.  He doesn't remember hitting the floor.  Even though Harris had never witnessed a seizure, he was able to calmly tell everyone that's what was happening, and people just started clearing the area of chairs as Heath continued on for probably a minute.  Once he stopped, they rolled him over on his side, but he started turning all shades of blue, and for a bit he wasn't even breathing.  There was at least one nurse in the room, and someone called 911.  When the paramedics got there, they got him started on an IV and tried to get an oxygen mask on him, but he resisted all their efforts.  I'm told it was a very scary and somber situation and that after Heath was carried out on the stretcher, everyone eventually gathered there and just prayed together for him and all of us.  Praise God that he was in a safe place when this happened and for many work friends who share the same faith that we do.  Praise God too for the gift of some family in the area who are always quick to come to our aid whenever we need something.

     By the time I got to the hospital at 6:36, Heath was not even there yet.  Harris followed the ambulance there, and once I saw them all drive in, staying at the check-in desk was not an assignment I could obey.  As they pulled him out of the ambulance and got him situated in a room, he still looked a little out of it, but it wasn't too much longer before he was able to start conversing with us.  He does remember kind of waking up in the ambulance but has no recollection from the time he felt dizzy until then.  His shirts were wet with sweat, so we managed to get those off, and the nurses started attaching things to him.  His tongue was bit up but not quite as badly as it was the first time he seized.  The girls had grabbed my whole folder of all his medical records before heading to the hospital, so it was nice to be able to hand all of that to the attending physician.  Vance went to our house to grab his bottle of pills so we could count them out and determine whether or not he had taken his dose the night before.  He had, but it was taken much later than usual, so the combination of a late dose, a shortened night of sleep, and stress from finals all week probably hadn't been a good combination.  Blood work was done, and the doctor was alarmed by the 2.7 level of Dilantin in him.  A normal therapeutic range would have been 10 to 20. 

     After spending a couple of hours in the ER, we were all sent home with instructions to Heath to rest, relax, and do nothing for the next 24 hours and with instructions to me to follow up with his seizure doctor in Iowa City today.  He had taken some Tylenol for a headache while in the ER, but everything within him ached last night.  He was able to eat a little without too much trouble when he got home.  He fell asleep earlier than usual and is still sleeping soundly this morning.  We're planning to have someone here with him all day long just to keep his spirits up if nothing else. 

     Harris was quite distraught over the whole situation last night.  It's very scary to watch your son go through something like that and know that you can't do one thing to stop it or help him.  His 6 months of no driving will probably start all over again now, and Harris just feels so badly for him.  It's so tempting to be angry and ask God why this all has to be happening, but Kelsey sent me a little message last night that said, "Don't ask why; ask what."  What is God's plan through all of this?  What is He doing?  She also sent me a link to the song "Everything Falls," and through my tears I've been listening to it this morning.  The reality of the situation is starting to sink in more with me this morning.  We're just going to have to keep hanging on and letting God's arms hold us together.  He is the only hope for our weary hearts.  When our strength is gone, we'll find Him mighty and strong, and we'll just keep holding on. 

"Everything Falls" by Fee