So Many Blessings!

At the moment we are going through one of the hardest things we've ever been through. (Our baby has been in the hospital for the past 5 weeks and will be until she has had heart surgery.) I feel like I am having one of those nightmares when you just can't get home! And yet when I sit down and write down all my blessings, I feel like I am so spoilt!

These are just the general blessings, not the little ones that happen every day.

 

1) Our new baby, Lydia

2) The ability to get pregnant

3) Three other children

4) A supportive and loving husband

5) Lots of good caring friends

6) An amazing supportive church family

7) A wonderful family who are helping us so much

8) The children being able to stay with my family half the time and with me the other half.

9)Hospital care for Lydia

10) The hospital care being free

11) The government support for babies and children

12) An amazing place to stay at while Lydia is in hospital, with free melas, great play areas for the children, and everything is nice, new, free, and very comfortable.

I could write a whole separate list of blessings about this place!

13) Not much housework and cooking to do at the moment :)

14) Lots of visitors

15) So many gifts we've been given

16) Not having to go to the hospital overnight—being able to sleep all night.

Not normal when you have a new baby! :)

17) Romans 8:28—the promise that God is using this trial for our good

18) A new experience—seeing what trials a lot of people are going through and meeting these people

19) Lydia's heart condition is fixable

20)It's not me in hospital!

Lydia is not aware of where she is and won't remember it. Time would really drag if it was me on a hospital bed.

21) Lydia is in hospital as a newborn

It would be much harder if she was older or if it were one of my other children in hospital with a health problem

22) I am healthy

23) All my other children were born healthy

24) Time is flying while we're here because of the busyness

25) The joy God gives in spite of what we are going through

26) All the encouragement God gives in His Word

27) God is near to the brokenhearted

28) God hears our prayers, but answers with what is best and not necessarily with what we want and might regret later

29) Knowing ahead of time that Lydia has heart problems, so we could be a bit prepared

30) Feeding Lydia in the Nicu, I can breastfeed without distractions from the other children etc.

31) I am able to stay over the road from the hospital

I have talked to other mums from the wellington area. Some of them have to take the bus and come for the whole day. Others can't drive because of their c-sections and yet need to get to the hospital every day. And others have to travel over half an hour. I only have to run over the road!

32) The hospital is only 11/2 hours from our home.

It's close enough for me to go home for a day and for my husband to travel back and forth. Others here live much further away.

33) Friends who have gone through similar things

34) Lots of people here to talk with who all have something in common with me—they have a baby in the Nicu and they want to go home!

35) I can speak the same language as the doctors and nurses.

I have seen 2 mums so far who don't speak much English and can't communicate with the doctors and nurses. Imagine that!

36)Lydia is number four

If I'd of had to stay in hospital this long with my first one, I think I may have been very scared to have more!

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you

1Thessalonians 5:18