Grateful

I just wanted to post and thank God for his goodness...

Last night I had to call 911 because Amos couldn't breathe.  I put him to bed around 8:45 and soon after, Billy left for work.  I took advantage of the time I had alone and started wrapping Christmas gifts for the kids.  While I was wrapping, I heard this very strange noise come from the boy's room.  I hopped up out of the floor and ran in there to find Amos sitting up in the bed gasping for air and purple.  I pulled him up onto his feet thinking somehow this would help, but it did nothing.  I immediately called 911.  Within two minutes help was here.  

Amos has asthma, and here lately it has really been acting up, so I thought he was having an asthma attack.  The paramedics said he was wheezy, but thought it was something else.  They gave him a breathing treatment, and told us he needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible.  

I have never been more scared in my life.  Billy came home from work and went with Amos to the hospital while I arranged  for Mimi to come sit with the other two little ones.  The whole time I was away from him was almost unbearable.  Somehow just seeing his sweet little face and touching him made it somewhat better, but having to go without knowing how my baby was doing was heartbreaking. 

When I got to the hospital, he was receiving another breathing treatment.  His fever was extremely high and his heart rate was sky high.  They took x-rays, they gave him oral steroids, they gave him more breathing treatments and lots of Tylenol.  

As I watched him struggle to breathe in the hospital bed, it was like God whispered in my ear.... love what you have.... cherish it always. Most of you know, Amos, is the sweetest child, but the most mischievous and trying too!  All of that didn't matter in that moment, and I prayed that God would let me have more of those moments in the future.

After several hours of worry and wondering what caused this episode, the doctor came in and said his chest x-ray wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either.  No pneumonia, so that's a huge blessing.  They said it was a bad case of the croup in combination with his asthma flare up.  

It blows my mind how he went to bed a healthy little boy, and woke up a very very sick boy.  I still don't understand, but I know this...  I am praising God for his goodness!  I always go to bed when Billy leaves for work and I sleep hard until morning.  I've thought several times... what if I had gone to bed?  Would I have heard Amos choking at all?  What would've happened to him?

Even when the paramedics, police and fire department was hear I was still truly fearful for what might happen.  I am thanking God for giving me a reason to stay up later than normal last night and hear him in the bedroom.  

God demands that we rely totally on him in all situations, and anything less is disobedience.  I am so thankful that God hears ALL our prayers, big and small, and he listens.  I thank God that he has shown us his almighty mercy, grace and unfailing love. 

Rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.              Colossians 2:7