The Lost Wallet

This past Sunday I lost my wallet. I laid it down at the Jimmy John's restaurant near the drink fountain and left it. My natural instinct is to blame my girlies. They were both in the WORST moods and were crying and fussing about everything. I also want to blame my husband. I have no legitimate reason how to blame him, but in my flesh, I just want to blame someone, anyone but myself.

We had been at oldest curly girlie's soccer game and she was not participating. She was pouting and fussing and I wasn't really sure why. But, I was frustrated. I was disappointed that once again she was choosing to sit in the grass and not play. 

We left the soccer game and decided to stop at Trader Joe's to grab something for dinner. It was at this point that I realized my wallet was gone. We called Jimmy John's and there was no sign of a wallet. We stopped by there and looked all around in the restaurant, the trash and the surrounding area. We then went back to the soccer field to look there. No wallet. No sign of it anywhere. I immediately began sobbing. 

I felt vulnerable and anxious about the situation. The day before, I had gotten some cash out of the ATM machine so that we could start using it for our groceries and eating-out expenses. I had about $200 in my wallet. I NEVER have cash. NEVER. So, that of course bothered me. But most of all, I was concerned about all of my personal information being in the hands of a stranger. 

I cried more and more. I was simply devastated. I was so upset, not just about the wallet but about the entire day - the "spat" that I had with my oldest girlie about getting ready for church that morning, the fact that we ate at a restaurant that I didn't choose, the whining and crying from the curlie girlies, and then the soccer game turnout.  But amidst all of the chaos of the day, both my husband and my oldest girlie just prayed. They kept praying and praying that we would find my wallet.

The next day we prayed more and more. I called my family and friends and asked them to pray. I thought to myself often that there was no way we would find it. It was long gone. I called the restaurant and the soccer league. I went back by Jimmy Johns. I even asked the next-door restaurant if they had seen it. I imagined that someone had picked it up from the restaurant, taken the cash out of it, and thrown it away. It seemed really impossible. But yet, I just felt compelled to pray for a miracle.

On that same day, my youngest girlie fell off a piece of playground equipment and seemed to be in a lot of pain. So, we visited our pediatrician and she insisted that we go to the hospital to have an x-ray. I started laughing because I have no wallet - no license, no insurance cards, no debit card - nothing that will allow me to admit my little girlie to the hospital. 

We spent the afternoon laying on the sofa watching a movie because little girlie can't walk or do much of anything. My oldest girlie, who is soooo persistent and says whatever is on her mind, kept praying that day. She told people about the missing wallet and just continued to pray throughout the day. She was very sweet and I could sense a real genuine concern from her for both me and her sister's foot. Hubby comes home from work, takes us to the hospital, and a few hours later, after much praying for the wallet and her foot, we get the results. It's not broken, just a minor sprain. We are so relieved! 

Well, Tuesday morning arrives. I take my oldest girlie to preschool and she prays for both her sister's foot and my wallet. I tell her that I really appreciate her prayers for my wallet but that Mommy was not worried about the wallet anymore. It was gone and we would be fine. We had cancelled all the cards, ordered a new wallet, spent an hour at the bank getting things re-sorted, and so I had accepted the fact that the wallet was gone. She told me, "It's ok Mom. I prayed. We don't need the money. I'll get you a new wallet for Christmas."

Well, you won't believe what happened next that afternoon. Hubby came home from work and brought the mail into the house. I received a soft package from a random man off Piedmont Road. I remember thinking in my mind that I had no idea what this could be and so I laid it down as I got distracted by the girlies. I came back to the package, ripped it open, and there inside of it was MY WALLET! Yes, someone found my wallet and mailed it back to me! The cash was taken but all of my things were still intact, even my gift cards to J.Crew and Starbucks. I was ecstatic! I started jumping up and down and yelling with excitement! My family couldn't believe it - we were all so excited and so thankful that the Lord did answer our prayers. The persistent praying and begging was heard by our Great God and He gave me back my wallet. 

In my last post I talked about the book "A Praying Life" and how Miller writes that Jesus wants us to pray like a child. After the events of this week, I fully believe and understand the importance of praying consistently, saying what comes to my mind, and without any eloquence. I'm so thankful for my wallet because I have a tangible reminder of the Lord's goodness. It spurs me to "rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer." (Romans 12:12)

Blazing Days of May and June

I can't believe May has already come and gone and now it's June. Wow, where does the time go? We had a very busy, but fun May. The curly girlies both finished preschool and had fun little parties. Oldest girlie is very excited that she is now 4 1/2 and will be starting Pre-K in the fall. I can't believe she will be turning 5 in just a few months! Youngest girlie had a great little half-year in the two year old class. One of her favorite little friends was in the same class with her which made the time extra sweet.

Oldest girlie enjoyed a great week of Bible School with some of her friends. She memorized Psalm 121:1-2 and she is so proud of herself! I love the expression she uses when she says, "Where does my help come from?" On the last day, she participated in a huge assembly and it was awesome! There were about 500 children singing "Our God" and it was powerful!

Both girlies then spent this past week doing swim lessons with my Mom here in Atlanta. It was a very fun week and both girlies can really do some swimming now!

A June highlight for the girlies was hosting a pajama movie night! It was a blast! Four of their sweet friends came over for pizza, popcorn and Toy Story 3. As you can imagine, the kids were full of energy and excitement! They watched some of the movie, ran around, watched a little more, had a little pillow fight, and then finished off the end of the movie. We hope to make this a monthly event this summer!

I've been enjoying lots of little sewing projects. I've made a few skirts, dresses, hats, headbands, purses, and even made myself a skirt. I find that making and completing these little projects really inspires me! I've taken a few pieces of clothing that we already own and turned them into patterns. This is definitely a challenge because I don't really have an eye for design, but I'm finding that I actually like the trial and error process. By nature, I like the finished project. I like someone else telling me how to do something. I'm not the best learner. However, in the past few weeks, I have found myself growing in this area. These fun projects are growing me in patience and I'm learning the importance of perseverance in the midst of confusion.

It's actually been a really tough month for our family. Doug traveled to San Francisco for work and I got to meet him there mid-week. Sounds real tough, huh? Well, he got an infection while we were there from all the walking on his prosthetic leg. We did, however, have fun together and made the most of our time there. We spent some time in Wine Country, visited with some friends in Oakland, checked out Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown, drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, and enjoyed a lovely morning at the Farmer's Market.

Since that trip, we have been experiencing lots of ups and downs with his leg. He has spent most of the past five weeks in the wheelchair or on crutches. This has been quite challenging for all of us, especially my sweet husband. He is now on a second round of antibiotics and has begun wearing the leg for a few hours at a time. We are praying that he gets a new leg this week that will fit properly and will enable him to get back into his gardening!

This new trial and phase of the recovery has brought about lots of doubt in my heart about the Lord's plan for us. It seems that He doesn't really care. In the midst of this confusion, I want to run and hide. I want to sit on my bed and cry and doubt the Lord's goodness. However, the Lord graciously points me to His Truth. He points me to how He has cared for our family and spared Doug's life. In a recent sermon, Walter used Psalm 126 to comfort me and challenge me. He said that God brings blessings through our tears and He brings about growth in our lives through suffering. God's dreams for my family and myself will far exceed my own dreams for myself. I'm clinging to these promises!

Continuing our story

To read the beginning of our story, click here and here.

Doug arrived at Grady hours later, after an ambulance pit stop at the gas station for some Gatorade – can’t you just picture that scene?? Doug looked so much better once he arrived in Atlanta. You see, while in Montgomery he was suffering from shortness of breath and sleep apnea and his body was extremely swollen. This bothered me often and I would ask the nurses about it, but they just kept saying it was the meds. Sure enough, it was the meds because Doug is highly allergic to penicillin and he was given it in Alabama! The nurses in Atlanta detected this mishap, changed his medicines and he immediately began to look and feel better. I was so furious about this, but was thankful that he was now in better hands at Grady Hospital. Ironic, huh? I had been so worried and concerned about the care at Grady and they were the ones that detected the medical mishap!! On a side note, Grady Hospital is actually the very best place to be for trauma! They know their trauma!

After sleeping in my bed at home that Wednesday night and spending some sweet time with my girls and my Mom, I was driven to Grady Hospital on Thursday morning. Doug had been placed on an awesome ICU floor with amazing nurses and the very best care.  Because Doug had been a transfer patient, they just had to give him whatever ICU room they had available and it just happened to be the newest part of the hospital – I believe the Lord had His hand on this small detail too. We also were very blessed to have one of our friends, Richard Pittman, with us at Grady. He is a member of our church and an internal medicine doctor at Grady. He kept in constant contact with us and the doctors. We are so thankful the Lord gave us Richard during that crazy time at Grady Hospital.

Not only did the Lord provide us with Richard, but also, my friend Corrie, a pharmacist, who constantly gave us great feedback and advice on medicines. She also spearheaded the care calendar organization, which helped with sign-ups for meals, childcare, errands, and visits to the hospital. The Lord also provided us with Stephen, a workers compensation lawyer to make sure Doug was getting all the medical coverage allotted by his company. Then there was Melissa, a dear friend of mine who kept the girls all day every Thursday to give my Mom a break. And of course, our pastor Walter and his wife Anne, were just amazing sources of wisdom and encouragement to us both. Another huge blessing from our church was a group of young single guys who came and worked on our house by painting, pressure washing, and taking care of small needs around the house. Larry got busy taking care of our yard needs. Eric would come and sit with Doug and watch football and he took care of manly jobs around the house. Philip and Erin helped in so many ways. I had numerous friends come sit with me at the hospital and bring me care packages while waiting at the hospital. Every single one of these people belong to our small little church on the Westside of Atlanta and every one played such a huge role in taking care of our family. The body of Christ really can and does work so well together! And of course, my parents were a huge help! What a sweet gift that my Mom had retired and could come and live with us. She spent many many days washing clothes, cooking meals, and taking care of the girls. My Dad made many a trip up I-20 just to sit with me and comfort me while we waited at the hospital. My sister and brother in law came from California to be with us too. We couldn’t have made it through this tough season without our family and friends!

When I arrived at Grady early on Thursday morning, we were told that Doug’s body was not doing well and there was no blood flow to the leg. Therefore, he would be having an amputation surgery at 11:30 am. This made me very anxious and scared. Doug and I both really wanted to meet with Dr. Moore, the surgeon who would be performing the amputation, to discuss details of the surgery, but it appeared as if that was not going to happen. This made me extremely apprehensive and I my body began shaking again. I immediately started praying quietly for myself and for Doug. Minutes later, a young surgeon came into Doug’s room with paperwork for us to sign and asked if we had any questions about the surgery. The paperwork was a consent form for Doug’s leg and it had to be signed saying that it was ok to take his leg, above the knee, if that was needed. I again felt so sick to my stomach because of the stress and anxiety. I asked the young surgeon why we had not seen or been able to talk with Dr. Moore. He chuckled and said, “I am Dr. Moore, Dr. Moore, Jr. I am the son of Dr. Moore and will be performing the surgery with him.” The Lord immediately gave us a little relief and then about an hour later, Dr. Moore Sr. paid us a visit and assured us that he would do everything he could to save Doug’s knee. So, me, my dad, Walter, and Carson all gathered around Doug and just prayed. Doug was crying profusely and was begging for God to save his leg. I could tell that he was scared, which in turn just broke my heart and made me even more scared. Then, Doug was taken away for the surgery. I didn’t know what the outcome would be but I did know that we had just signed his leg away and it was completely out of my control as to what would happen to Doug.

Around 2:00 that afternoon, I received a phone call from my pastor, Walter, and he excitedly told me, “they saved his knee, Jenna, they saved his knee”!  I immediately began jumping up and down and yelling at my mom and dad about the news. I think we all started jumping and smiling and hugging. It was such amazing news and we were so thrilled with the Lord for saving Doug’s knee and answering our prayers. We had been told that keeping the knee would make for optimal recovery and placement for a prosthetic leg. 

There are many other stories of the Great Shepherd taking care of us while we were at Grady and providing exactly what we needed. For instance, after Doug was moved from ICU to a regular floor, the nurses were not taking adequate care of Doug. He asked me to stay with him for several nights in a row because he was afraid to be alone. One night in particular was a very painful night for Doug and we spent most of the night praying together, singing hymns out loud, reading scripture and just hugging each other tight. It was such a hard night and when morning came I found myself so exhausted, crying and feeling so alone. You just won’t believe what happened - in walked a friend of mine from college as Doug’s occupational therapist. As soon as I saw her, I ran to her, started crying and hugging her tightly. Looking back now, I know that the Lord sent her to me that morning to comfort me. 

During those hard nights at Grady we continuously prayed through those verses that Anne share with me in that email. Isaiah 40 became a favorite for Doug – “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint.” I remember reading those verses and picturing Doug soaring on the wings of eagles. That picture and promise from God’s Word brought great comfort to us many times and continues to do so today.

After 10 days at Grady Hospital, we had endured all we could! Doug was going to be transferred to Piedmont Hospital and we were so very excited. Doug was placed back into another ambulance and was given a short bumpy drive through the city. Once Doug arrived at Piedmont, he was placed in a temporary transfer room. We waited and waited and waited. I immediately began to wonder if we made the right choice by moving. My body began to shake again as I was scared and apprehensive. You see, while at the hospital, Doug had to be given constant fluids, medicines, and pain killers. His left leg had to be attached to a machine that drained the fluids. Doug only had a small amount of time to be "unhooked" from all of these machines and that time was quickly running out. The pain was beginning to overtake Doug's leg and he was burning up with fever. I began to panic and none of the nurses seemed to be in any hurry to help us. So, we stopped and prayed because we didn't know what else to do. Within a few minutes, Doug's new doctor, Dr. Dalton, finally appeared. He saw Doug's condition and immediately got him moved to his new room and hooked back up to all his machines. Within a few hours, Doug began to feel and look much better. 

I don't really remember many of the details after the move to Piedmont. So, I am going to sit down with Doug and try to think through them before I post any more. I do know that we still had lots of support from our family and friends during the next 10 days of his stay at Piedmont. Our girlies were able to visit him a lot more, which was very comforting for them and Doug. I was also able to get a little more sleep at home because the nursing care at Piedmont was superb, which was a tremendous answer to our prayers! 

Six Years

This weekend my husband and I celebrated six years of marriage! It was a great weekend and thanks to my parents, it was curly-girlie-free! Now, don't get me wrong, we did miss our little girlies while they were away, but we really enjoyed our time together, just the two of us. We reminisced about our dating, engagement, and our fun wedding. We dreamed about where we would be in 10 years, challenged each other in ways to grow both personally and as a couple, and talked about goals for our family in the next coming year. We laughed A LOT, ate at some really great restaurants, bought ourselves a new pair of shoes, and even fit in an amazing movie ("The King's Speech").

This year was a special celebration for us, as our marriage has been challenged and yet strengthened because of all that has happened to our family these past few months. So, we splurged and had a fantastic meal - what am I kidding - it was the very best meal I've ever eaten in my life - at Bacchanalia in Star Provisions. If you live in the Southeast, you must go! I started with the crab fritter, devoured the pork sampler, ate up the yummy apple salad and cheddar cheese and finished off with the chocolate souffle and the other three desserts that they brought us, compliments of the chef. The best part of the night, wasn't just the food, but it was the entire experience - being served for 2 1/2 hours, trying delicious new tastes, sipping on delicious wine, chatting while slowly eating, and savouring our precious time together.

I'm so thankful for my dear husband and the six years we have spent together. He truly is my best friend! I love that when I am feeling insecure, he speaks wisdom to my heart, reminding me that Christ loves me and makes me secure. When I am overreacting or irrational, he speaks quietly to me, reminding me that Christ is in control. When I am feeling condemned and want to "run away" from my sins, my precious hubby pursues me and accepts me for who I am. He reflects Christ to me. Marriage is sanctification. Marriage is what the Lord uses to mold my heart and make me more like Him, by revealing how selfish, controlling, and unloving I am. And yet, marriage is also how the Lord reveals just a hint of His love, grace, and compassion to me, through my husband.

I am thankful for six wonderful years of marriage. I am so thankful for my amazing husband.

Walking on two legs

I am still writing the rest of our story and I will continue to post more as it is completed.

In the meantime, I want to share some exciting news - Doug received his new leg and foot!

He was fitted in a temporary leg last week and he got to take his first steps!

This was a redemptive event for our entire family! We all went to the prosthetist to cheer on our Daddy walking with his new leg!

However, today was even more remarkable as Doug got to actually walk out of the office wearing his new foot and leg!

I haven't seen him smiling this big in quite some time!

I'm so thankful for my husband! The Lord has given him such amazing perseverance and patience the past four-and-a-half months. I have seen him endure terrible pain and hardship with such grace and peace that can only come from our Faithful Father. I am very proud to be married to Doug! I am so thankful for how the Lord has grown our faith in Him and how He has strengthened our marriage in so many fruitful ways. Of course, we still argue, disagree on things, and get aggravated with each other, but I can honestly say that I appreciate my husband and his character so much more today than I did five months ago.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

"We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5

Both of these verses bring us great joy and hope, knowing that the Lord is taking us through the "heat", a place that we don't want to go, in order to produce in our lives what we can never achieve on our own. He is working to expose, change, and mature our character. And let's be honest, I need Him to do so! I constantly drift away from trusting Him. I prefer comfort and ease. I get angry and irritated when things aren't going my way. I question God's goodness and battle with why He had to take Doug's leg away. However, I can rest in His great love for me and Doug. He NEVER left us to go through this heat alone! His grace was and is ever-present and always sufficient.

The Great Shepherd

And the story continues....

As we sat in the waiting room in Montgomery, Alabama, so many thoughts began to race through my mind. “Was my husband alive? How would I tell my girls that their Daddy died? How would I handle being a single mom?” I prayed so many times for the Lord to protect my thoughts. I prayed, “Lord, please spare my husband’s life.”

I really don’t remember how Hannah and I made it through those hours of waiting. It was hard; really hard not knowing if my husband was going to live. After about six hours of waiting, two surgeons came to the door and asked for the family of Doug Teachey. I got up, with my heart racing so fast, and they took me to a private room. It was in this room where they delivered the news that it did not look good for my husband. At this point, the room began to spin, and I couldn’t focus. I was sooo scared. One of the surgeons called Hannah into the room to support me. He told us that my husband had lost a tremendous amount of blood, had severe nerve damage, and would lose his leg. It just didn’t look good. I looked at those two doctors and frantically asked, “Is he going to live?” The “nerve doctor” (neurologist) just put his head down while Dr. Heck, the orthopaedic doctor, said, “We just don’t know, but he is alive now.” And they left. That was all I got from them.

Hannah and I left that room and began walking around the quiet, dark hospital. We found a chapel, walked to the front, got down on our knees, and started praying aloud to our Heavenly Father. I didn’t know what to pray, but I knew the He alone would be the strength that I needed to carry me through this tragedy. We both prayed, crying and begging the Lord to spare Doug’s life. And yet, I also felt compelled to pray, “But if you don’t save his life Lord, I will praise you anyway.” I know that prayer came from Him, our Maker and Sustainer. We then started singing my oldest curly girlie’s favorite song, “Our God.” We would sing that song in the mornings on the way to preschool, and she would always ask me to sing it with her. The Lord laid that song on my heart to sing out for Doug in that hospital chapel. The words are powerful:

“Our God is greater, our God is stronger,
God You are higher than any other.
Our God is healer, awesome in power, our God, our God…
And if our God is for us, then who can ever stop us?
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?”

We stood up from that chapel room floor, and I remember seeing a stained glass picture of the Great Shepherd holding a sheep in His arms. I’ll never forget that picture, nor will I ever forgot the time Hannah and I spent in the chapel with our Lord. It was in that chapel that I finally received a comforting peace from my Father, the great Shepherd, knowing that He was holding His sheep, both Doug and I, in His arms, and that He would be the one to heal and care for us during this time.

This is the link again to Hannah’s blog post, and here is a pic of us at Halloween – We could pass as sisters!

Hours later, we were told that Doug was being moved to the Surgical ICU, and that we should go to the 7^th floor waiting room. Hannah and I found our way there, picked out a spot in the cold quiet room and began to read scripture out loud for comfort. Within a few minutes of reading, we noticed a sweet little lady pop up from underneath her blankets in the corner of the room. She walked over to us and we began talking with her about why she was there. Before we could even tell her our story, she grabbed our hands and started praying for us. The Lord sent sweet “Miss” Anita to Hannah and I in a time of pure weakness and need. I truly believe she was our guardian angel. Once again, He was revealing Himself to us and taking care of us; His precious sheep. Over the course of the next two days, we would build a special relationship with “Miss” Anita as we would pray, encourage each other, and cheer aloud when both of our husbands got to leave the hospital. We still exchange letters now through mail, and her husband has fully recovered.

After talking with one of the ICU nurses, she encouraged Hannah and I to go to the hotel to get some rest because Doug was sedated and would not be waking up through the night. I reluctantly agreed, gave her my cell phone number to call if anything changed, and we headed for the hotel. Six hours later, after watching my phone all night waiting for a phone call that never occurred, we headed back to the hospital. I was so very scared and nervous on the drive to the hospital and yet excited to finally see my husband. I had not seen him since he left the house that Monday morning around 6:30 am. I didn’t know how he would look, nor did I know what “state” his body or mind would be in. So, when we walked back to the ICU I tried to just pray for that same peace that I had felt in the chapel the day before.

After 28 hours I finally got to see my husband! He didn’t look good, and I immediately started crying when I saw him. He had tubes running out of his nose and arms, and he was breathing through a machine. His leg was covered up, but I could see metal brackets and hardware poking through the sheets. “Lord, please spare my husband’s life,” again I prayed. “Lord, please give me strength.”

My time with him was very limited, as I was only allowed to see him for 30 minutes every 4 hours. I prayed over Doug, talked with him, cried over him and just sat holding his hand those first 30 minutes. Before leaving his room, I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and his eyes fluttered. I was so thrilled! This was yet another way the Great Shepherd showed me He cared for me by granting me a sweet little response from my heavily sedated husband.

By Tuesday night, my Dad, our family friend Mr. George, our dear friend Jim Irwin, and the third member of the red-headed brigade, Beverly, all joined us in Montgomery. It was great to have them with us, and I am forever grateful to all of them for making the long drive to be with Hannah and me. I felt the Lord’s presence through them by the encouragement and love they brought to us. Doug was also starting to breathe on his own. He was able to talk with us, and he began telling us more of his story of survival and perseverance.

Doug and Jim at Doug's MBA Graduation party

Beverly, Anne (who was and is now a major source of encouragement to me), and Me last summer

Don't you think me, Bev, and Hannah could pass as sisters??

We had several visits from the surgeons, and they were not very promising. The “nerve doctor” kept telling us that Doug would lose all of this left leg. At this point, we began the conversation of moving Doug to another hospital in Atlanta so he could be closer to home. This made me very scared. Should he be moved? Was it safe? If he was in critical condition, was it wise to move him? What hospital will be best? “Please Lord let it be Emory,” I started praying. “Lord give us Your wisdom and reveal Your best plan of treatment for Doug.” My dad and I talked it over, and we prayed for the Lord to make His plan so obvious to us.

Later that evening, we learned that Emory Hospital would not take trauma transfers, but that Grady Hospital would. I immediately sank to the floor and began crying and crying. “Why Lord? Why would you send us to this crazy hospital? Is it safe? Will he get the best treatment there?” I had heard only negative things about Grady Hospital. But again, the Lord intervened, and in that moment of fright, He brought peace to my heart through the body of Christ, Atlanta Westside Church. Our church family had rallied together in the Irwin’s home and prayed for our family. I got to hear over the phone all the prayers of our sweet brothers and sisters in Christ pleading for mercy, healing, and grace.

Wednesday morning arrived, after a decent night of sleep for us. I was beginning to understand the beauty of truly abiding in Christ by praying, reading His scripture, and trusting in Him alone. When my thoughts were focused on Him and His goodness, I was peaceful and without fear. But as soon as my mind began to wander, my body began shaking, and fear would overtake my thoughts. Zephaniah 3:17 spoke strongly to my heart – “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Once at the hospital, I knew we were going to be faced with making the decision about the move. “Lord, please show us your way,” I prayed. I clinged to the verse Isaiah 30:21, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” I was pleading with the Lord to reveal His best plan.

Later that day, we finally got to see Doug, and we had a visit from Dr. Heck. We began talking about proceeding with the amputation in Alabama or moving Doug to Atlanta. He said, “I have done amputations before and can do this. We have plastic surgeons, but they all specialize in boob jobs and face lifts….But we really can do it here.” And with that, my dad and I looked at each other and smiled very big smiles because the Lord did reveal His best plan to us through the lack of confidence in Dr. Heck. I knew we would be heading to Atlanta, not just to be closer to home, but because we would receive the best care from doctors and surgeons that specialize in amputations and orthopaedics. Little did we know, the Lord had already hand-picked the best surgical team at Grady Hospital for Doug. On a funny note, Doug’s response to Dr. Heck was, “I’ll come back for my boob job later.” Hilarious! I knew my husband was recovering because he had his silly sense of humor. I remember praying minutes later, “Thank you Lord for that dose of humor. Thank you Lord for a sign of normalcy from Doug.”

Many, many hours later, and after several confusing conversations between the doctors, nurses, and our case manager, Doug was loaded into the ambulance and began the transport from Montgomery, Alabama, to Grady Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Two of my closest and dearest friends, Lis and Amber, had spent the day with me in Alabama, and I was so grateful for their encouragement, support, and steadfast love that entire day.

Me and Lis last summer

She has an amazing blog and wrote a sweet post about Doug here.

Amber, our friend Katie, and me last August

By this point, I was definitely a “mess”. It was very late at night. My body would not stop shaking, as I was very apprehensive about Doug being in the ambulance, and was still nervous about going to Grady Hospital. As I lay in the back of Lis’s car, I could feel Satan attacking my thoughts, causing me to be fearful and believe lies. I couldn’t rest as my body was shaking, and my mind was believing that Doug was going to die during the transport. My amazing, sweet friends started praying over me, reading scripture aloud, and pleading for the Lord to quiet me with His great love. Minutes later, they tell me, I fell fast asleep and didn’t wake until we arrived in Atlanta.

Thank You, Great Shepherd, for Your Truth and Your presence in those moments. Thank You, for never leaving Your sheep. Thank You for keeping Your promises. Isaiah 40:11 “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart”.

Forever changed

I've been trying for about three weeks to write a "perfect" detailed little post with eloquent words that explains what my family has been going through these past eleven weeks. But, I can't. So, I'm just going to start at the beginning....

On September 20, 2010, our house of curls was forever changed. Doug got up really early and left for Montgomery, AL to film a training video. I took Elie to school, had coffee with some preschool moms, and then ended up at a good friend's home for lunch with the girlies. On the way home, I got a phone call that I will never forget. It was the chaplain from Baptist Hospital in Montgomery telling me that my husband was in a terrible accident at work and I needed to get there as soon as possible. I hung up the phone and immediately started calling Doug's cell phone, over and over, just hoping he would answer, even though I knew he wouldn't. I left him a really long message and typed him text. As I hung up the phone, my mind was racing and I was praying for the Lord to help me stay calm for my precious little girlies sitting in the back seat. I took a deep breath and I spotted a friend of ours (Terrell) running down the sidewalk. I rolled down the window and started yelling at him to get in the car with me. Thinking back, I know it was the Lord rescuing me and taking care of me in a very scary and needy moment. To this day, He continues to take care of our family and you will see His gracious and loving hand weaving throughout our story.

Once we got to Terrell's house, his wonderful wife Jane met us at the door and immediately began to take care of so many details. We thought about who could drive me to Montgomery and my sweet friend Hannah came to mind. Little did we know, the Lord was already preparing her for our upcoming journey. Read her story here.

Hours later (and in record time) Hannah and I found ourselves pulling into the Baptist Hospital parking lot. I'm really not sure how we made it there so quickly, but I do know the Lord got us there safely and without fear or tremendous worry. We got to the ER waiting area where we waited and waited and waited...lost a Swiss Army knife from our key chain to the rude security guy and then finally were given directions to where we needed to be.

Now at this point in the day, I still have NO idea what happened to my husband. I only know he was hurt in a work accident. To be completely honest, I don't even know if he is alive. As you can imagine, I am quite anxious to see my husband and get some answers.

We finally found our way to the surgical waiting area where we met three employees of Doug's company. I honestly thought my husband was dead when I met them because they all had a look of horror and couldn't say anything; they just sat in the chairs staring at us. Hannah and I did learn that Doug was just beginning surgery and that he in fact, was alive, but they really didn't know many details.

These are the horrible details - now of course, writing this eleven weeks later I'm not sure what they told me then and what I found out from Doug throughout this entire process but this is the gist: Doug was run over by a forklift. He was hit from behind and never heard it coming. He was first hit in the back of the head and he fell to the ground. The driver reversed, went forward to try and get off of him, and then ran off screaming. His left leg was severely damaged and the fork lift stayed on top of the leg for at least half an hour. He was conscious throughout the whole trauma and when he arrived at the hospital by ambulance. Again, another picture of the Lord's hand taking care of our family. He was definitely with Doug in those moments of pure horror and need. What an amazing Savior we serve!

Sorry to leave you hanging, but I gotta go to bed. I'll be posting more....soon.

I will leave you with these verses that the Lord used during those first few hard weeks and continues to use now to comfort both Doug and I.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18