What a Good Friday!

I am home! Yea! Got a little bit more sleep, not nearly enough, but I have the rest of the day. Beckie, my dear FW friend, is AMAZING! We've only met 2 times before this and she reached out to me in a truly Godly way. So unnatural. I'm sure the world would not understand it.

She made me laugh -- ask her about the bread, if you ever email her:) or see her around the hinting thread:) LOL! She had me giggling and she also raised my bp I do believe! During the worst of it, she held my hand and stroked my head. Also, during the tapping she was right there, even being as squirmish as she is. She is an amazing friend.

We had a day full of mishaps BUT the trip was wonderful. We talked and the traffic was so light, she said it was like her Peoria traffic. We ate a great lunch and then waited... and waited... and waited... then we got to the room and waited... Well, you get it, right? Only to be told the nurse practitioner can NOT do what I asked over and over again if she could. GRRR!! We were sent over to the ER where we waited... and waited... and waited...

I finally got to a bed, thankfully, and we had lots of x-rays and then, finally the shunt was tapped. My pressure was higher than it is set for but not really too high. My body seems to want a lower pressure than what my shunt is set up for. That is really frustrating to me but alas, that is a different story.

I had 3 different pain medicines in me, enough to knock out a horse, and nothing touches my pain. Hopefully this tapping will give me some relief for a bit to start feeling better and being able to handle the pain once again.

I had a God-thing happen to me, imagine that! I was sitting, minding my own business, in the waiting room, and a very beautiful young woman comes sits beside me. I bent my head to her and told her we were certainly the minority, trying to make small talk and she told me that her husband was refusing treatment and was leaving. This she said with tears in her eyes. And then she left me.

Beckie thought I was crazy but I felt like God plopped this woman into my lap, so of course, I chased her down. Her husband hobbled outside the ER and they both had a tussle. I talked to the security guard and she went out to watch. (I didn't, you'll be happy to know)

When they came back in, I talked to this woman. She was from Russia, she and her husband both. He had broken his leg sometime during the day and had refused to leave work. He works at University of Chicago somewhere. She thought he was probably in shock. We talked a bit and I told her that my friend and I would pray for her. I also told her to come sit with us if she wanted.

Later she did come over. Beckie adopted a little girl, Lana, from a place close to Russia:) Won't even try to spell it. She whipped a picture out of her billfold so fast it made my head spin. Oh, it already was spinning, but anyway, she had a picture of dear Lana ready! Such a proud mama she is!

Thankfully I was called to a room. I gave Daria a hug and she kissed me on the cheek. I probably will never ever see her again and will never know what her beliefs are or if she is a Christian or how her husband did that night -- but I know for sure that I was in that ER for a reason. God set me up so it is kind of hard to be upset about the situation. Would you please pray for this young woman named Daria? Thank you...

What I do feel really guilty about is the amount of time Beckie devoted to me, almost 24 hours. She spent much time reassuring me that all is well. She was more concerned with getting me treated. She is an awesome friend. I only hope others have friends half as good as this woman!

On the way home we stopped at a gas station and shared the most awesome warm brownie bites. I would say, that was the highlight of the trip -- that and our God-encounter. Those two and of course, all the time we had to visit. I can still think of a million other things I wished we had time to talk about.

I need to thank EVERYONE for praying for us. It is amazing how many called, left messages, left emails with others trying to find out information... I really feel loved and cared for.

I also came home to a bunch of cards from one of our classes at the high school and from the teachers. That was very nice. I suppose it means I might still have a job:) I'm still waiting to see what the results are. I've gotten very little sleep so hopefully I'll know better when I get caught up. I would say my head feels clearer. Not so foggy anymore. I pray it stays this way for a bit.

Thank you everyone!
Love,
Laury

I forgot something: Seema from our FW board asked if her church could do a prayer quilt for me. Wow! How humbled I am that she would think of me. I do feel extremely loved and cared for!