Unpacking The Baggage And Embracing The Calm

After the traumatic accident with my son that I reflected upon in my previous blog post, “Chaos On The Stairs“, there was a period in time where things felt very stagnant. As stagnant as the suitcase in the picture above that I have still yet to unpack. I did not know whether we would be going back to the hospital in a moments notice or not so I kept a suit case packed for the whole four weeks that we waited for updated results.

We canceled a vacation we had long awaited for to go to the beach. I had lots of conversations with my daughter hoping for bubba to be ok and not need surgery on his head. My patience was tested in a way I never felt before. I fought every day to break through the chaos and hang on to the calmness of the moment.

During this time, I embraced my family with a new perspective and intention. My ambition shifted from my next career move to simply being with them. I was no longer in a hurry to return to work. Instead, I wanted to savor the little moments with my children that I knew would be gone before I could blink. It felt less challenging to find comfort in the calm, because the calm was better than the chaos.

We received positive progress results on March 17th. The MRI showed the blood was absorbing. When we received that it was like a huge weight was lifted on my shoulders. I felt the calmness wash back over me. I no longer needed the packed suitcase on my bedroom floor. Our family could get back to regularly scheduled programing.

Since March 17, we have received even more positive news on his injuries. He has been released from all of his specialists. His specialists included, ophthalmology, hematology, neurology, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. The day I received this news, my son and I went on a little mother/son date to Panera. We sat together and ate lunch. Well I ate lunch, lol. In that precious moment I celebrated all that we had overcame together.

Even though I shared that precious moment, just my son and I, I couldn’t help but be so grateful for the village that has carried us along the way. My family has shown up in ways someone can only hope for in a time like this. My close friends have offered kind words and a helping hand in so many ways. People that I have not connected with in days, months, and years prayed for us and kept us in their daily thoughts. For that, I feel completely overwhelmed with blessings.

In June, we go back for a repeat MRI and meet with the neurosurgery team. This will be to ensure the blood is still absorbing as previous scans had shown. Hopefully, it will be all gone. Then, we can finally put this horrific accident in our past.

I think I’m still figuring out exactly what “normal” looks like now. This blog has made it so much clearer for me. It’s a reminder that even in the chaos, calm is possible, and sometimes it just takes patience, perspective, and a little time to find it again.

If you’re in a season where you can’t understand why you’re being tested or what lesson is meant to come from it, remember this: with patience, endurance, and hard work, anything is possible.

-Curated Chaos Mom