Fruit of the Spirit - PATIENCE Layout

When we were 5 months along in our first pregnancy, we got a post-ultrasound call from one of the gynecologists at our practice. 5:00 PM on a Friday afternoon... a message on our machine that was along the lines of, "Please call us about your ultrasound." Of course, at 5PM on a Friday, getting to actually connect with the doctor is nearly impossible so we spent a good few hours freaking out about possible problems with our baby. *sigh*

When we finally got a hold of the doctor, she mentioned that our ultrasound indicated that our child had "clubfeet." We had no idea what that meant at the time, but it was the start of our long, windy journey that would involve more ultrasounds, a meeting with a geneticist, and after the birth, plaster castings, heel-cord releases, and big surgeries. It would take a year's worth of patience before we would see beautifully straight feet walking towards us.

This is the subject of the next layout in my Fruit of the Spirit album.  A year after Jack's journey to straight feet, our 2nd son, Luke was born... with the identical condition!

Another year of serial castings, tendon-releases, and surgeries...

I guess God wanted us to practice our PATIENCE a little bit more!! :)

Initially, David and I were devastated that we had created a child with a birth defect. This was PRE-brain tumor in the timeline of our lives, so at this point, this was the biggest thing we had had to face. But, as we spend hours in the Ortho waiting rooms each week or month to get new casts, our attitude changed. Ortho-day at the Children's Hospital Outpatient Clinic was also OT/PT day. Week after week, we watched as severely handicapped, wheelchair-bound kids worked diligently with their physical or occupational therapists - just to be able to do basic movements. Jack and Luke were only hindered by their casts for one year each - a small price to pay for a lifetime of "magic feet" that would work perfectly. Instead of feeling all "woe is us," David and I began to feel grateful to God for keeping our children healthy and for aiding us in finding the right doctor to straighten their feet.

Our patience was rewarded... Today, I watch my Jack play baseball, flag football, and basketball. Luke will start T-ball this spring. They run, jump, play, ride bikes and scooters. The only evidence of their year's worth of "upgrades" are some tiny scars on their feet and some great scrapbook pages.

Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.

-James 1:12