I Think He's Sung This Song Before

It's starting to look like a "been there, done that, doing it again" kinda thing.  Except he's sorta sleeping at night, which is new for him in the PICU.   What does that mean?  It means he's being silly, playing and perhaps the happiest kiddo in the hospital.  Not just the PICU, the whole hospital.  And you're looking at him wondering why it is he's even IN the hospital, 'cause he looks THAT GOOD.

And then you turn and look at the ventilator, and oh, yeah, that's why.  Lots of oxygen.  Like 65-85% today.  Yeah, more than yesterday.  We're still pulling "stuff" out of him, but not as much and not as colored.  But here we are, right on track for kicking that darn pulmonary hypertension into gear.

President Uchtdorf spoke during the Sunday morning session of General Conference on gratitude and faith and enduring.  And I think that maybe, just maybe, I might have realized what Aaron's secret is.  See, he is never angry.  Sometimes, he is sad, but only rarely and only with really, really good cause.  He is the most brave, happy soul I know.  And he puts up with so much!  But I believe Aaron knows his purpose in life, and he knows where he came from and where he is going.  He knows his Savior and His love.  And he has faith, tremendous faith inside that perfect soul that is housed within his imperfect body.

President Uchtdorf said:

When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace. 

We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?

There is a common phrase about how life isn't about waiting for the rain to pass, but learning to dance in the rain.  I think Aaron's life is about dancing in the rain, and this kid loves to dance.  And I'll take that goofy, funny little man any day and dance with him.  He's taught me how to dance with him and his challenges.

Now, I get to learn how to dance through some of the other challenges in my life.  Because I'm pretty comfortable (most of the time) with him and his challenges and his uncertain future.  On the other hand, I'm not so good at being patient in the many other aspects of my life.

And in time, he'll get past this virus.  His lungs will relax again, let the blood flow more easily, and we'll go home.  Love you, my perfect, precious little teacher.

Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture. ~Kak Sri