Happy Valentine's Day!
Yes, love is in the air.
Today I’m thinking
about a deep, deep important kind of love.
The love of a grandchild. It’s
more important that chocolate filled hearts, or any other kind of Valentine’s
gift, especially to me, this year.
My granddaughter Joanna was born with serious issues in her
heart and lungs, spent the first several months on a heart/lung bypass machine
(ECMO), and lived the first five years of her life with doses of medication every few hours, and listening to
the beep of a heart monitor at night. Her energy levels were low, and too much
action would leave her breathless and in tachocardia. We spent every day praying prayers of
gratitude as she grew, and lived with the constant reminder that each day was a
gift. And praying for a miracle.
And then the miracle came.
Joanna underwent groundbreaking heart surgery at Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia (CHOP) a few months ago. I
am still breathless myself when I think of it.
It was a success. It was a challenge, with many touch and go days at
first. And then the healing progressed
and her strength grew. This week, she
turned five. She danced around the
kitchen with delight, waiting to blow out the candles on her cake. She is jumping, climbing, laughing and
singing with joy.
And to tell the truth, so am I. This little person has taught me a lot about
love and its power. And about what is
important and what is not. Loving is
everything. No matter who. No matter
how. Sometimes love is full of fear, and loss, and longing. But sometimes, it’s about hope, and joy, and appreciation
for our life and the lives of those we love.
Like Joanna.
This Valentine’s Day, I am celebrating love in a big way,
full of gratitude and joy. Who are you grateful for on this coming Valentine’s
Day?
Christine Bush is an
award winning, USA Today Bestselling author who has written many books and
novellas of sweet romance and light mystery. She also writes Middle Grade
Fiction. When she isn’t writing, she can be found working with clients as a
Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, or teaching Psychology at a
local college. She lives with her family
and two crazy cats in northeastern Pennsylvania, and loves to hear from readers
and aspiring writers.
Her latest novella “Christmas Laurel”, is a sweet holiday
romance. Laurel, a retired veteran who
is healing from PTSD, takes her retired bomb dog “Duck”, and attempts to avoid
both her memories and the Christmas season.
She travels to a cabin in the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, looking
for quiet and calm. But she didn’t
expect to find the handsome mountain man in the next cabin who is healing from
his own hurts. I hope you enjoy this
heartwarming story of love and healing. It’s available in ebook and print.
Wow! Christine, what a touching post. I know how precious granddaughters are.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, Christine.
ReplyDelete