Tonsils

When our daughter was just 4 years old, we noticed that she began snoring. This was no ordinary snoring. It was an earth-shattering, house-crumbling snoring… a snoring that could be heard three doors down from our duplex in Sewnaee. Keep in mind, she comes from a long line of snorers… me, both my parents, and my grandfather. The fact that she inherited this “tradition” was no surprise.

What did surprise us was periodically, during particularly heavy snoring sessions, she would stop suddenly, then breathe quickly, as if gasping for air. At this point, we knew we had to get her to the doctor. So in the summer of 2012, we took her to a pediatric ENT. He took one look and said out loud, “whoa!” As you can imagine this is not something a parent wants to hear. The doctor told us he had never seen such large tonsils in such a young child. His recommendation was immediate removal, which happened just a few days later.

After the surgery, the doctor came out and asked me to come back to the post-op room. With our daughter being so young, they wanted a parent present when she woke up. By the time I made it to the room, she had already woken up, and terrified not knowing where she was, she mustered only a heavy whimper due to her sore throat. The nurse immediately said “get into the bed with her.” The moment I took her into my arms, the whimper subsided, she calmed down, and even managed to get out “can I have some ice cream?”

That’s all Hailey needed… to be comforted by a parent, someone familiar to reassure her that she wasn’t alone and that everything would be okay.

Psalm 94:19 says, “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.”

Brothers and sisters, as our uncertain times continue, as cabin fever waxes and wanes, as new reports contradict each other, as each bit of “good news” seems to be outdone by two bits of “bad news”, remember that we have a heavenly Father who walks with us through the power of His Holy Spirit, one who offers comfort and reassurance, one who renews hope and cheer in us daily, one who holds us in His arms, absorbs our whimpers, and reminds us that everything will be okay.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. May the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, keep you safe and make you strong, this night and always. Amen.

Fr. Brian+