The deep stuff of life

 

View of Crete north coast from Agia Kyriaki

The months of March and April flew by in a whirl of nightmarish activity.  I really debated as to whether or not share the last two months on my blog.  I mean, this is really close to my heart and home.  Cretan Chronicles started out as a personal archive for family/friends to share our experiences during this great adventure of living abroad.  It quickly morphed into a travel/food/adventure/entertainment blog with a touch of whimsy and curious musings.  But, in between those moments of blogging interest, the unexpected happens, and that is truly the stuff of life.  So in an effort to keep it real, I venture ahead to share my experience in hopes that you will gain some insight, encouragement and hope.

Happy little man, Kai (8 mo)

Spending a month in a Pediatric ICU with a critically ill/injured baby will change your life forever.  Emotions are all over the map from the heartbreak of anguishing moments to the heartwarming acts of kindness.  Both can bring the strongest of men to their knees and the hardest of hearts to tears.  In a word – overwhelming.   On March 4th, my sweet, 9 month old grandson was suddenly and without provocation, attacked by the family dog.  He was air-lifted to Children’s Hospital but due to the loss of blood and serious injury especially to his skull, he was not expected to live.   It was a horrific event no one could have imagined especially since this particular dog was so loving and protective of his family.

We braced ourselves for the worst, but as the next hours went by, we began to witness the first of many miracles to come.  Fast forward, two months…After eight brain and plastic surgeries, Kai has been moved from ICU into his room on the rehab floor where a team of therapists work diligently with his parents to maximize the healing of his brain with activities and manipulations that will retrain him and hopefully stimulate new pathways around the damaged areas of his brain.  He is doing remarkably well and has been deemed the title of “miracle baby” in the hospital.  If you are a praying man/woman, we would so appreciate your prayers for this little man and his parents.  He is a strong and brave little soldier and is an inspiration for us all.  He has a long journey ahead of him but we have seen so much evidence of God’s hand on Kai and know that He has big plans for him.

Baby blue eyes – 7 mo.

I’m now back in Crete, daily phoning or Skyping family at the hospital and wishing I could be home in Colorado now more than ever.  I absolutely LOVE traveling and hope to continue to satisfy my wanderlust, but when things like this happen, you begin to put things into perspective.   It’s time to go home and be with those people who bring such joy into my life and be a source of encouragement and comfort to them in return.  As we wind things down here in Crete, I realize that there will be many items on my bucket list that will have to wait.  In the meantime, we still have a couple of more months to revel in those moments of goodness that come when you find some unexpected pleasure in meeting new people in new lands as well as appreciating old friends and finding comfort in the familiar places.

Crete – near Kalives

Mt. Evans view from Evergreen, Colorado

Baby blue eyes – 7 mo.

Happy little man, Kai (8 mo)

View of Crete north coast from Agia Kyriaki

My beautiful kids

Crete – near Kalives

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