Top 10 Qualities I Looked For In My Mate Cont... #7 Quality A Good Mother to Our Children Motherhood was never easy for my bride. From the very outset, with a premature baby girl that was given less than a 5% chance of surviving, Nancy was baptized by fire into motherhood. Sarah spent the first twenty one days of her life in Childrens Hospital. She was fighting for her life, with her mother sitting right there by her side, day after day, hour after hour and minute by minute holding her hand, singing her songs, and providing the compassion and human touch. She was being given 100% oxygen and 100% on the respirator. If she slipped at all, it wouldve been over. There was nothing else to offer her, miraculously, this little fighter survived and had thrived for 35 years now. Its easy gobbet lost in the miracle, but the thing I was blown away by was my wife! I couldnt believe how she was relentless through it all. I had never seen such determination, such commitment, and such love. Jenifer, my number two daughter was having a very strange health issue. Her lips would suddenly swell up three or four times normal size, and occasionally even her eyes would do the same. My bride spent hours researching, visiting the with the doctors and praying over Jenifer. She apparently wasnt having a reaction, but was lacking a chemical that was supposed to keep this swelling from happening. It was the fall season, and the mens retreat had been scheduled for months, so off to south central Oklahoma to Lake Texoma, about 120 miles away from Edmond. It was about 1 AM when I got word the sweeping had happened again with Jenifer, but this time it was different, it started in her lips but went backwards into her throat threatening to close her air passage. She told Nancy she couldnt breath, and my bride to quick and decisive action. She immediately got a hold of help to come and stay with the other girls, got Jen dressed and rushed to the hospital! The doctors were amazing, and took some critical steps that later would prove to be life-saving! They gave her all they could give her to stop this swelling. They were prepped and ready to perform a tracheotomy to enable Jenifer to breathe. I borrowed a car to rush home and be with my girls. Upon arrival there she was again sitting at the bedside of another daughter! Her tears streaming down her face, fear was so prevalent in her beautiful blue eyes, and yet, hope was ever-present because she had unshakable faith! Right before the docs were ready to perform the tracheotomy, the swelling finally started to recede and surgery was avoided. Again my remarkable bride was caring for my children in what I describe as a supernatural experience! My third daughter was struggling with a heart condition called super ventricular tachycardia. Her heart rate would jump to over three hundred bears per minute, as she was sitting still on her bed reading. Obviously, another life threatening issue and another opportunity for the precious mother of my children to show her faith once again. Laura would undergo three heart procedures to attempt to keep her heart from racing wildly out of control. The phone rang and it was Laura on the other end being so emotional I could barely understand her. She had passed out for the first time from another episode, as she was driving to school. She rear-ended a stopped truck waiting to turn, when she impacted the pickup truck going 50mph. There were no skid marks, so since she passed out she never touched her brakes. The crash jolted her heart back into sinus rhythm and probably saved her life. This all resulted in her final heart procedure, but the one that would finally take care of this condition. As always, Nancy was there taking care of our baby girl and praying her through this critical heart procedure. Reflecting back over the 37 years of our marriage, Ive realized that my God had heard my prayer from all those years ago...that my bride would be a good mom to our children! Indeed he had given me the best wife and mother to our children! God be praised!!!
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 12:30:51 +0000