Families

This last weekend I spent two nights in the ER as I do every 2 weeks.

Among my patients this weekend were two little girls: one was 11 years old with leukemia; she was little more than a skeleton (she only looked to be about 4 years old) and I am certain doesn't have much time left on this earth. She has probably spent mostof her life in hospitals along with her devoted parents, but she was a little angel and her parents cheerful, patient, and caring. The other little girl was only 10 weeks old and had a severe heart defect; although she appeared to be thriving, she had very poor cardiac output, and I am not sure was her prognosis will be. She also had loving and devoted parents.

As I cared for these two little girls I felt very strongly how much their Father in Heaven loved them as he does each of us. I felt so strongly that he sent those two sweet girls to earth so that they could get bodies and therefore return to Him one day as exalted beings.

I also cared for two elderly women. One was 87, feisty and vibrant. The other was 97 and quite sickly, but they shared one important similarity. They both had devoted and loving caregivers (one had a daughter and the other a niece). I could easily see how much each of these younger women loved the elder so dearly and how willingly the caregivers offered the care that now, in their later years, my patients require.

Taking care of these four patients in such a short window has made me ponder how brief and frail our existence on this earth is. At the same time, it made me realize how wise and loving our Heavenly Father is; how perfect his plan is for us to come to this earth in family units that can last for eternity. It is truly amazing. I am so grateful for my fantastic family.

On that note, Joe and I have been super fortunate to spend a lot of time with our families over the last month which has been an infrequent treat since we have moved to California. We loved visits from Joe's sister TeriAnne and her family, my parents, my brother Jeff and his wife Sam, and also loved spending some time in Utah with the rest of Joe's family.