Unproductive and Unpredictable

So pretty much my opportunities for a productive summer are over. We leave tomorrow on a two week trip. When we return, I will be back in the classroom and rushing to prepare for the new school year and the challenge of teaching a 4/5 combo. 

I had so many things that I wanted to accomplish this summer. Things like finishing my Project Life scrapbook from 2012 (left off on May), knitting scarves for charity, visiting with friends and extended family, hiking and long walks and LOSING WEIGHT. All those things did not happen.

What was unpredictable is that my sister became very ill. Her kidney that she received in December 2010 via transplant shut down on July 16th.  She spent time in the ICU at St. Mary's Medical Center and then two days the following week at UCLA Medical Center (where she received her transplant).  Her husband did not take the first week off work in Las Vegas and that left MY husband and me to take care of her two kids 24/7. The second week her husband took off work but he was the one driving my sister the 40 miles to UCLA each day to do lab work and check in with the doctors. This last week he went back to work in Vegas. That left me to take my sister to UCLA Tuesday and Wednesday mornings (leaving home at 4:30 a.m. to be there when the lab opened at 6 a.m.). That left my husband taking care of her kids while I was at UCLA with her each day.  And then she was feeling so poorly (down to 99 lbs) with low blood pressure that I didn't dare leave her alone with her kids at night. 

So...not a whole lot of anything other than reading (lots of waiting time at hospital,clinic, lab) was accomplished this summer. But that's OK because in the unproductive and unpredictable there were many blessings such as:

• the prayers of my family, friends, and loopies
• my husband's patience and hard work
• safe travels to UCLA and the carpool lanes
• coffee
• laughter with my sister during my "sleepovers" to care for her and this line from her..."Do you hear harps?"
• encouragement from my friends
• the love and support of my boys
• the transplanted kidney recovered from shutting down and is working again!

So while this summer was definitely not what I had planned when I made up my summer bucket list and "to do list", there were many blessings that I had NOT planned on.  The unpredictability of the summer reminded me that I am NOT in control of my hours and days. That God has a plan. I even told my sister that her timing in getting ill was very good. At least I was on summer vacation and had no worries of taking off teaching or doing sub plans.  So even THE TIMING of her illness was a blessing.

Having said that, I ask for your prayers for my sister, Kathleen. While her kidney is functioning, it is not back to normal. She is fighting a kidney infection. She is at a very low weight and needs to rebuild her appetite and strength. She is weak. Her spirits are down.  She has a lot going on emotionally. Your prayers would be appreciated. Thank you.