We had a hot but fun 24th of July celebration in Provo complete with cousins, wagon rides, huge corn dogs, pioneer crafts and a compass scavenger hunt (we only read it wrong once :)
Then a long, full day of tests at the hospital. Elina is such a trooper. We weren't sure how she would handle her first MRI. I've heard that people can get claustrophobic and panic or have to be sedated because they can't hold still. Not this girl. Elina ROCKED the MRI. Not even moving once, she even fell asleep for a bit! Her only complaint was that the nurse told her not to move a muscle then they kept trying to talk to her. "How am I supposed to talk without moving my mouth!", she thought.
Meanwhile, I was entertaining the boys at random parks, getting lost, then up to the This is the Place Monument. I thought a train ride would be fun but the boys refused to go without Elina. I love that they never want to leave her out.
After the final test I met with Dr. Day for the results. I've been fasting and praying, very specifically, for a miracle...that the devices would be corrected and everything would be fine. Well....he basically said there have been no changes since before her surgery! The amount of blood flowing to her lungs is still double what it should be! I was stunned. How could she have gone through a big open heart surgery and have no change! I guess it could be compared to covering up 6 holes in a 100 hole colander. It really wouldn't make much of a difference.
So what now? At this point we're looking at another open heart surgery sometime in September to place a PA Band around her pulmonary artery that will hopefully restrict the amount of blood flow to her lungs and also adjust the device that's blocking a valve.
After a fun reunion at the park, we were tired and almost headed home. At the last minute we decided to join the family for a tour of the Jerusalem site in
Goshen where the church filmed the
Bible Videos. We decided that some things are worth being tired for and we could miss out on many great experiences with excuses of tiredness. As we walked through the set, it was easy to imagine us in the Holy Land, picturing the Savior preforming miracles, teaching, suffering in the Garden then on the cross. As the sun set over the golden land I felt very close to He who is very aware of the details of my life and what we are going through.
I'm grateful I followed a prompting to pack our Sunday clothes because we stayed an extra day to attend church with my sister's family. The lesson was on my favorite talk,
Grateful in Any Circumstance. I've read it many times but a new quote stuck out this time.
"In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven's embrace."
As we discussed gratitude, a sister raised her hand and said, "The Savior didn't get the miracle He prayed for either". He asked that His cup be removed but submitted to the Father's will regardless. I know she said that for me. Sometimes our miracles come in ways we don't see at first. I'm so grateful the Savior continued down His extremely difficult path even though it might not have been what He wanted in the moment.
