Appendectomy

Here are some of the things that happened which made my husband’s SURPRISE appendicitis-turned-appendectomy into a series of God’ tender mercies for our family for the past 24 hours . . .

1. The hospital was just 12 minutes away from home, so I could stay the night with my husband at the hospital and still get up to drive the boys to school.

2. My awesome parents came - at a drop of a hat (well, really a phone call) - to substitute parent for a night. That means they saw to it that my children were fed dinner, got bathed, went to bed on time, arose early enough for scriptures, ate breakfast, and were ready for school by the time I whizzed in to pick them up!

3. Our home teacher who also fronts as the Ward YM’s President, called my husband to let him know the logistics of Mutual, only to be informed by our oldest about his Dad being in the hospital.

4. Which, in turn, led to a call at the hospital from our wonderful Bishop, checking on our family who has somehow managed to make some surprise visits to the hospital since we moved here ten months ago!

5. An intern, who walked into our room to assess the condition of my post-op husband, turned out to be the husband of a sister missionary I shared a room with in the MTC decades ago. Today was their 20th happy wedding anniversary!

6. In calling a dear friend of mine, she willingly to sent a message to her husband to visit mine before we left the hospital. (Whose husband, btw, is a dear friend of my husband – although it sounds odd saying that about men, but since I don’t know what men say about “dear friends” that’s just the way I’m gonna put it).

7. Great doctors and great nurses who did everything possible to try to make my husband try to get over his splitting headache, stabbing abdominal pain and out-of-control nausea.

8. And finally - but not finally, because I really believe that God’s tender mercies will continue on - A priesthood blessing before our hospital journey (given in the what would be “noisy hours of the day”), quieted my children for just a few moments as we united our faith for a man whom we all love. Who came home a little bent over and a lot slower in stride, but come home he did!

Thank you Heavenly Father

for all the tender mercies I was able to see,

and forgive me for not seeing all the others

that you sent just for me.