Where I've been

I was doing so well with the blogging. And then this ridiculous hiatus. I have so much to tell you, though.
I have written about my sister, Stephanie, here. If you're not one of the 1,500 people following her story on Facebook or one of the many thousand others, then maybe you haven't heard--my sister got her organs!
It's such an unbelievable story, and it's past my bedtime, so I can't share all the details tonight. Maybe someday one of us will write a book. :)Paul and the kids and I visited her on July 4 (even watched the fireworks that night from a window outside her hospital room). The next day we had to head back home, and I honestly believed I was saying goodbye to my sister for good. We were told on July 5 that she was so sick that she had possibly a week to live. At that point she'd been intubated and was unconscious.
The next day we received the call that organs that were compatible had become available. When I heard that news, I simultaneously wept, laughed, and dropped to my knees in thanksgiving.
We waited the agonizing hours until the surgeon gave the go ahead, that the organs were viable. Then we waited the agonizing hours of her 14-hour surgery. Since Stephanie had been born with a heart defect and had undergone several heart surgeries in her lifetime, her situation was much more complicated than your typical transplant. Not to mention that she was receiving a heart and a liver in one day.
Did I mention that she received a kidney the next day?
Since then there have been many ups and downs with her recovery, but today was a great day. She has been out of bed, is producing urine (the kidney situation was a concern), has been breathing unassisted at times, is smiling, is communicating, is praising God and being a witness to His love.
While she recovers, the rest of the family is visiting her in the hospital when we can and taking care of her kids for her, until she will come home and run circles around all of us.
If you are praying for my sister, I so appreciate it. If you haven't heard of her until now, I would covet your prayers. While the surgery is behind us, she has a long road of recovery ahead of her, and there is a lot of pain, both emotionally and physically. I would also ask you to please pray for her loving and dedicated husband and also her precious children who miss her so much. They have so much to be thankful for, but sometimes all they know is that they miss their mommy.
Thanks so much for reading. I will hopefully be back soon with some updates and a post or two with photos of the garden. It just didn't seem right to post them here. Understandably. Good night, all.