When Hard Times Come....Laugh!



I am the unfortunate child with the large white bow in my hair...this was a very hard time:)



Even in the hospital, my dad knows how to have a good time!







 One thing I have learned in my life is that there are always going to be hard or uncomfortable moments. Sometimes they come in trials, experiences, or in my case horrible family photos. Today I wanted to share an experience I had when I was in my youth!

I looked down at the huge cement ramp ahead of me convinced there was no way I could walk down it. I crossed this overpass everday as I walked to my junior high school.Walking up the one side of the arch is easy, but walking down the otherside is a little tricky, especially when you are in the throws of winter. As I began my descent down the icy slide I began to reflect upon earlier in the day when I chose fashion over sensibility when it came to my shoes. Although very attractive, my shoes were useless against the sheets of ice beneath them. I didn't even walk two feet before I lost grip on the ground, my feet flew in the air, and I slid my way down the overpass. Pride was lost, and humiliation was found as a large school

bus of friends (and people I hoped would be my friends) pulled up in front of me.

Livin' on a Prayer

Beep....Beep Beep.....Beep....The room smelt like hand sanitizer and plastic. IVs and whiteboards lined the walls like decorations on display. My palms were cold and damp, and all I could hear was the repeatitive noice of the heart monitor: Beep....Beep Beep....Beep. My brain was buzzing from pain as I tried to repress a stinging headache. My father lay on the nearby hospital bed; silent and terrified. A few moments earlier a nurse had informed my parent's that my father may not be able to recieve a liver transplant. For the last year he had been battling with liver failure, and that night we were given a hopeful call that all might be well. Unfortunately my father had surcommed to seasonal pneumonia and the option of surgery was being debated.



The "Rocker" Himself

That night I changed. That night I learned a lesson I have never been able to forget. I sat in a chair next to my father's bed as my mother was given a tour of the hospital wing. My father, once a large boisterous man, lay motionless and quiet. I watched as he struggled to surpress the tears that seemed to continually run down his face. In that almost unbareble moment, I felt the full weight of sorrow and disappointment. Why was this happening? What could I do? I was only fifteen years old, and knew nothing of consoling or comforting. In that moment I did the only thing I could possibly think to do....I said a silent prayer.

 I will be the first to admit that I don't know everything. There is much of my life I have yet to live. But what I can share with you are the simple truths I do know. That night I offered the deepest prayer of my heart.

"Heavenly Father, why is this happening?.....Heavenly Father, what do I say?.....please.....what should I do?"

God works in mysterious ways and often in his own timing. I sat in my chair starring at my father, wishing so deeply that a miracle could be performed. In frustration and uneasiness I shoved my hands in my pockets, only to have my fingers slam into my IPod. Lightning struck....