Endurance

I was never a fan of being woken up in the middle of the night. Many nights when I woke up by crying babies I stuck to the words of wisdom of others that said "this to shall pass."

In talking with a dad of two small children recently he said "I can't wait until this stage of life is over." I remember thinking the same thing, when the kids are old enough to sleep through the night, life will be better. When they can get up and get a drink or go to the bathroom by themselves this will get easier.

Unfortunately this stage of life has become our families Groundhog day moment, it just never stops. As Ayden finally got over his sleep walking and going to the bathroom in closets, and in doorways we thought now we can sleep in peace. But with Kyle's condition deterating we have reverted back to the days of getting up every 3-4 hours to turn him over, or have him go to the bathroom or get a drink.

I am not a happy camper when I am woken up in the night, and poor Jill has had to deal with that for much of our marriage. The future is daunting when it comes to night and sleep. To think this could be our life for the next decade or two is frightening to say the least.

Even though we knew this was coming, I am not sure how you prepare yourself for this type of challenge. We can no longer have a baby sitter for Kyle for long time periods, due to his size and lack of mobility. The other day we had a college girl watch him but we made sure he had used the bathroom before she arrived and just prayed he didn't have to go while she was there.

What does life look like for the next 10-20 years? Reality sets in at every front. Just the strength and will power it takes from doing ordinary tasks take up most of the energy of the day.

So as you think about us pray for endurance. The sheer weight of Kyle and lifting him into the car or the bathroom or his bed can be so physically demanding. I was thinking of starting to take my own steriods, a great by product would being able to hit a softball much further. :)

Even as we go through this period of life, it is good. Christmas was great Kyle got his tigger bed and was thrilled. He got a few other items that he wasn't so happy about and told us "these were not on my list take them back." :)

As we begin 2012 we have no idea what adventures, pain, happiness, joy, and struggles will be faced. But we have no doubt that the endurance God ahs given us thus far will sustain us throughout the next year.