Several years ago when my wife started this blog she used my email address in hopes that one day would contribute to the process. Well here I am sitting on the 24th floor of my work building, in downtown Manhattan, staring through the window at the new World Trade Center.
2 weeks ago I left Salt Lake to come to New York City for impromptu training; this timing could not have come at a more inopportune time. Both my kids were sick with the nasty rotovirus dubbed the Syndey flu and my wife had come down with it the day before I was to leave. Several things were on my mind:
1, how can I leave my family when I am the only healthy one?
2, are my kids going to get better quickly especially my 8 month old Charlie?
3, am I going to be able to concentrate and learn everything I need to with distractions at home?
With my house in disarray and stress mounting on my wife, she suggested we take Charlie into the instacare because she was worried. Having watched him all day eating and drinking all day, I figured he just looked awful because he was sick but was adequately hydrated so I ignored her mother’s intuition. Not being fully satisfied with me declining the instacare idea, she asked that I give Charlie a blessing. So I called over to my parents who came to assist.
As I gave Charlie a blessing it felt fairly normal, nothing out of the ordinary as far as blessings go and I was comforted by that. My Mom then suggested that my Dad give me a fathers blessing as well, knowing that I was stressed about leaving this sounded like a great idea. I found comfort in knowing that my Dad sensed this and gave me the blessing I needed without me saying much of what I was feeling to him. The real change and surprise to me was as I suggested to my wife that she have one as well knowing that her coming days would not be easy.
When I began the blessing, it was clear as day to me what needed to be said first. The spirit was very strong and caused me to pause as this was quite unexpected. I then blessed my wife to be sensitive to promptings of the Holy Ghost. This theme continued throughout the blessing. There are times as a Priesthood holder you know you have said things the Lord intended you say, this was one of them for me.
The next morning as the kids were waking up just before I was to head to the airport and looking at Charlie his temperament seemed normal but he didn’t look right. I mentioned this to my wife as she was half asleep and headed off to the airport. When I landed and got my phone turned back on, I got my picture and text from my wife of poor Charlie lying on a hospital bed. He looked terrible, incoherent, and seriously sick.
My wife had put him down for a nap and he had been sleeping for 3 hours. Knowing that anyone who is sick, you tend to sleep more, this didn’t seem too abnormal. However, my wife received a prompting to check on Charlie, as she woke him up, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he became unconscious for a few seconds. Charlie’s mouth was bone dry and he was severely dehydrated. My wife rushed to Layton to drop off Henry at his grandmas while she went to the ER. As she was waiting at the ER in Layton, she received another prompting to leave and go another 10-15 miles north the hospital in Ogden. As it turned out, our Pediatrician who practices in Cottonwood, an hour south of there was on call that day in their Pediatric department. We love our Pediatrician, when Henry had all his health issues related to eating and digesting, he didn’t give up and kept trying things until we figured it out. So his presence must have been a relief to my wife, with me on the other side of country.
Charlie was admitted to the hospital and had to stay there for 2 days receiving fluid by IV. The Doctor told us he was a day or two, maybe less from dying had we not brought him in. I am thankful that my wife listened to the spirit to wake Charlie up from his nap and to see something was terribly wrong. My proud self would have said he was fine and to wait until tomorrow and I am sure he will be fine. Had I been there he might be dead. The Lord works in mysterious ways and I am grateful for the Priesthood and for the blessing I was able to give my wife, and especially to her for knowing when to act and listen.
There are times in your life when events change the fabric of who are, or remind of what you are. Having children has taught me how to love. I thought I knew what that was growing up in a loving family, and having met my wife, but I really didn’t know. With Henry spending countless nights struggling to get him to eat and sleep, worry everyday about something as basic as his ability to eat and digest food, and never thinking of yourself. Even the simple things of getting up several times a night to feed your children so that they can sleep and grow, giving up what society teaches us is normal, giving up going to movies or even just going to a restaurant. This is taught me what love is. As I ponder how our Savior AND Father in Heaven feel this kind of charity towards every single person it reminds me how much more I need to work on. Some may say that this kind of thought just holds you down and prevents you from really being happy, but really it points you to what is lasting happiness. We have our agency to choose right and wrong, that is beauty of this world and the plan or Father in Heaven and Savior have for us. We fight every day to maintain our agency as it is the core, in my opinion, of the plan. Anything that hinders our ability to choose takes away from our happiness and our ability to love.
I didn’t intend to get on a soapbox here, but I have found great comfort that I can by in NYC and my in-laws, family, and Ward were there to help when I couldn’t. Spending 2 weeks away from my family, has reminded me of what is important. I like to say this trip saved my son and reminded me of who I really am and what I really can become.
