Triggers

You know those times when you see something or hear something are you are suddenly taken to another place? Sometimes it's joyful and other times it brings along a sinking feeling of pain or even worse, terror. Triggers. It can be the tiniest of things that transport you to this place. November. It is the exciting month that kicks off the Holiday season. It is jam packed with tradition, memories and anticipation. This has always been my favorite time of year! It is now the month jam packed with triggers for our family. The first Saturday in November. This is the day that we remember our anxious hearts as we drove to Huntington Hospital back in 2009. It seems like long ago and seems like yesterday, all at the same time. The triggers are fierce these days. Out little one Sammy is wearing all of the clothes that Zach was wearing back then. Just pulling the bin out of the garage evoked an emotional response in me that I was SO not expecting. I wept as I folded them, putting them into Sam's drawers. And there were some that I just had to retire. Isn't it strange how that happens? Every single thing I pulled out is attached to a memory. "That's what Zach wore his first visit to daddy in the hospital, his visit to the ICU, his Thanksgiving outfit from the notorious smuggling experience ..." the triggers go on and on. Every day this month is attached to HUGE things that God did. Every day is a reminder of the power of prayer and the reality of miracles. Don't get me wrong. In the end, it is all joyful. The triggers remind us of God's goodness and His infinite power. But with these memories comes the reliving of lots of pain. Lots of fear. Utter dependence. It is the best place to be. But it is scary. This walk down memory lane is good for our soul. It helps us keep perspective as we continue to beg God for David's complete healing. So we remember. We reflect as we celebrate all that God did! Happy November to you. Praying that we daily recognize all that we have to be thankful for.