Smiles and Laughs

"For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands" (Psalm 92:4).

This has been a great day! Last night I stayed with Micah at the hospital with Micah so Sarah could get some rest. I stayed today and tonight again so she could get a little "extended leave." After spending almost 6 weeks here this time, it certainly does get long. I though Sarah, who has stayed many more days than I have, needed and deserved that time.

Today was a great day. Micah smiled and laughed throughout the entire day. He seemed to be, for the first time since November, happy and glad to be alive. There have been other good days in the past week, but today was the best of all that I have witnessed. Even now as he sleeps and I write in the dark hospital room, I see his smile which lit up his face so many times today.

I am grateful to the Lord that He has allowed Micah a year of life, to endure the surgeries and treatments and now be enjoying the whole day. I pray for more days like today even though in this whole process I have found that you never know what a day will bring.

The liver levels have come down again today (which is good). The bilirubin level was 2.3 today which is down from 2.5 yesterday. Hopefully all these levels will continue the downward progression. Since these levels have continued to move slowly lower, a liver biopsy has not yet been done. There is still the possibility of that this week, but not as of right now.

At this time the plan is to continue to monitor the liver levels, balance the medicines to insure the rejection is under control and managed as well as the EBV to stay inactive and hopefully then to be able to go home soon. Of course we don't want to go home if it is like last time. The day we went home I knew we would be returning soon. Yet we are eager to get everyone healthy and home and STAY THAT WAY for good long while.

So as I wrap up what may be one of the shortest entries to day, I just want to encourage you in the way Micah encouraged me today: Smile and Laugh. I think just how many reasons this little boy has to not smile and not laugh and yet when he feels when there are multitudes of smiles and laughs. God is certainly good and has performed so many great and mighty works. He's done more than enough to make us glad. So why not be?