Singing from a Hospital Room

"There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring

And though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I cling

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives

And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me through
And sing the songs You give"

This song has been ringing in my ears throughout the past two weeks...in the darkest moments, the times I didn't know what was next--I felt His joy and His praises echoing in my heart. Praise His Name! I have realized that true joy isn't rejoicing when the labs go down or when the pain is gone...true joy is knowing that I am loved by the King and He is in control!

Today I sat in the playroom watching Ruth sing and play the keyboard...she has a tube in her nose with tape on half her face, she has a double lumen pic line hanging from her arm and where ever she goes a pole goes with her carrying her nutrition...and still, she sings with a smile on her face. What a testimony to us!

Even though we would rather not be here in a hospital room in Philadelphia, we have realized there is so much to be thankful for: so many other children are suffering worse than Ruth. I met a mom who has a 2yr old boy who can't eat...his intestines won't work and he has been in and out of the hospital and struggling for almost 2yrs. He is confined to his room here at Philly because of a previous infection and they aren't even sure he will ever recover from this disease....then there is the 10yr old boy happily putting together a puzzle last night...he asked how long Ruth had her tube and then told me he has a tube put in every single night and has for two months to give him nutrition. He suffers from Krone's disease. I could go on and on....We have discovered there is another whole world out there--a world of pain and suffering that we had never experienced before. Our journey has given us empathy and compassion in a way we never could have known before and yet we have discovered it is possible to sing from a hospital room!

Our current status is waiting, waiting and praying that Ruth will one day soon be able to go home and eat again...but I have realized that even if she doesn't I can still love her and share precious moments and most importantly praise our Heavenly Father who is still watching over us and always will.

Praise His Name!