Shape Shifting

Well... I'm not sure what to say, except that life requires you to constantly adjust. Just as I teach his baseball boys to make adjustments while they play a game, we are having to make adjustments with our game of life (I know it a cheesy pun, but please excuse the lame humor).

This past week and a half, we have been greatly anticipating the next round of doctors' visits with Brylee. The past week and a half were supposed to give us a better read on how Brylee was progressing. Despite the issues we have faced with Brylee's eating patterns, all seemed to be trending in the right direction. Her blood work was showing improvements, her muscles seemed to be showing signs of hindrance, but nothing that might prove to be severely handicapping, and she is proving to be sharp as a tack and has started laughing, smiling, and talking (as much as baby's can talk anyways). Life seemed to be moving past the hanging on each doctor's visit. Then came visit with the feeding doctors. We had expected them to say we needed to do this or that, and we were even prepared for them to advise us that we needed to have several visits per week to correct some of the issues we face with getting Brylee to take in enough food to grow. What we got, was unexpected. The 3 or 4 doctors that Brylee saw Friday notified us that Brylee needed to be admitted to the hospital for 2-6 weeks!!!!!!!! Talk about unexpected! This was so shocking that Austin had to ask the doctors to repeat what they had said. After digesting what they said, and a conversation between us to discuss what the doctors proposed, we decided that was the best plan of attack to help Brylee get where she needs to be and should be. So, on Tuesday we will admit Brylee into the hospital. During that time, they will put a feeding tube back in, have an occupational therapist, speech therapist, nutritionist, and physical therapist work with Brylee at least once per day. The goal is to get Brylee back on track with her weight and where she can eat without drowning herself and trying to become bulimic before the age of one (a little humor to alleviate the gravity of the situation). We are confident that the team of doctors (and I do mean team... I think currently there are roughly 8 doctors working with Brylee) are doing what is necessary to help Brylee get what she needs.

Thankfully, baseball and softball are wrapping up and our family's schedule will relax a little, but as usual, the business of life shifts the emphasis! It goes from baseball and softball to family. We wouldn't have it any other way!!! This next phase of life comes with great angst and a schmorgisbourg (thought I would throw in a Ben Spiller line since it is almost Thanksgiving) of emotions. The absolute last thing we wanted was to send our little girl off to a hospital for a single day, let alone anywhere from a half a month to a month and a half! We just have to continue to trust that God has a plan for all of this. Maybe it is an opportunity to minister to the doctors and nurses, or maybe it is a chance to be a Christ like example to other parents who are in a similar situation. All are tremendous responsibilities when you think of it!! Neil Jeffrey said in a sermon recently, "Sometimes the miracle is that we continue to follow Christ." I know we and many of you have prayed fervently for a complete healing of Brylee. That can still happen, but even if it does not, perhaps the miracle is that our family is clinging tighter and tighter to Christ Jesus our Lord. Our gaze is set firmly on our Creator in Heaven. Now, that doesn't mean that we are perfect. Please don't hear that! As recently as a couple of weeks ago, we had World War III in our house over Brylee's care and what her "potential" is. I believe this is case and point that God created us in his image. Meaning, God created us with a spirit that longs to be unified with our Creator, but we still have this pesky part of us that rebels against our Creator's design. Each day, we have to ask Christ for the strength to face this trial and to help us remain fixated on the fact that God is in control. There is nothing that we can do to derail God's plan (despite our best efforts some days).

When everything else melts away, the lone fact remains that God created Brylee with a plan for her life. Maybe it is to be "special." Maybe it is to overcome all medical odds and go on to be an Olympian and be on a public stage to tell her story and how Christ has worked in her life. But one thing is for sure, whatever the outcome... the daily miracle that we hope is evident to all we encounter is that we continue to draw closer and closer to Christ and continue to follow after Him day after day. If you follow Christ one day at a time, pretty soon you have a trend. If you continue to do that, before much longer, you have a streak. If you continue doing it one day at a time, after a while you have a life that was dedicated to pursuing Christ.

The Stratton's
(Penned by the daddy Stratton)