reflection

This afternoon while the boys were playing chess, the girls and I got ourselves a snack and decided to watch something on TV. I found a "Living Christmas Tree" marathon on the Liberty Channel. I found one from around 1990ish that brought back many memories. Rachelle had been going to Liberty University and somehow she got a VHS of that year's Living Christmas Tree. Well at 2 years old, Brianna loved it. It was full of music, kids, drama, lights and more. During that time in Bri's life she was very sickly. She had bad asthma and a weak immune system. Matt and I got her a child size recliner at an auction once and she probably spent more nights in that than in her own bed! When she was sick, I would set her up in the recliner so she could breathe easier- often she needed nebulizer treatments. Her breathing was so labored and her coughing so constant that I would stay up with her while she sat in that recliner trying to sleep. I constantly was checking her heart rate and her respirations. I wanted to be sure she kept breathing!
Anyway, we had a big console television at the time and to keep her mind off her misery at night, I would put on the Living Christmas Tree video. We watched it over and over and over again.
When I found it today on tv, I couldn't believe it. Brianna remembered very little of the program but I remembered most of it!

As we were watching it today, I had memories of many sleepless nights of worry and LOTS of prayer for my little girl. I looked at Brianna today lying on the couch 13 years older. She is now old enough to know how to deal with her sickness, take her own medicine and thankfully has outgrown most of her asthma. (it still acts up occasionally)
God has brought us so far. I love that girl so much and during those nights that I thought would never end, I bonded with her in a way that I may otherwise never have. I know better now than to think that any time will never end. Time flies by. I want to appreciate every moment with my kids- even the difficult times. It will be gone before I know it.
I thanked God for Brianna, for getting us both through those hard, scary times and even for the message of the songs she was listening to.
I have much to be thankful for.