Thankful

With Thanksgiving upon us and Christmas hot on its heels, it is safe to say that 2019 is coming to a close. We’re finishing the year off strong though there were days I thought we wouldn’t all survive it, and in fact, we very nearly didn’t. And while in many ways, I can’t wait to say “good riddance” to 2019 for all its hardships, I have to admit that it has been a redemptive year as well.

While most of you know about Ada’s diagnosis and our struggles to adjust, what you may not know is that this year started with my dad’s heart valve replacement surgery, just days into 2019. My parents scheduled it that way so my sister and I could be there to help; I just stayed behind after Christmas, sending the rest of my family home to California ahead of me. My dad is the picture of health minus this one problematic valve, and even though the issue had been monitored for years, pulling the trigger to do the surgery was still a tough call. As it turns out, it was the right one. When the surgeon saw firsthand how thick his valve actually was, he estimated that he only had 6 months to a year to live had he not undergone surgery. While 2019 could have easily been the year I lost my dad, instead, it is the year that gave my family many, many more years with him.

When I returned home from helping my parents through surgery, little did I know that a storm was already brewing in my own family. Ada was slowly losing weight although it wouldn’t become obvious until a few months later. By the beginning of April, my dad was over the worst of a grueling recovery, but Ada’s health started to decline. Four weeks into April, and I was begging for those closest to me to pray for answers and a good outcome at her upcoming appointment. The answers came, but I guess a “good outcome” is subjective. Type 1 diabetes is certainly not what we hoped for, but we’ve managed. We are actually doing really well, so much better than I could have envisioned even a few months ago. Ada’s health has improved so much since those bleak days in April. She’s a different kid.

2019 bore some of my family’s darkest days, but finding out what was going on with Ada, as hard as it was, gave me my daughter back. She’s okay. It could have been different; we found out just in time. It is the same with my dad; I’m so very aware that things could have gone differently. This year, thank God, there are no empty chairs at the Thanksgiving table.

Thankful doesn’t even begin to cover it.