The Miracle of Holding Gideon
I know Deanne posted this photo a couple of days ago, but I wanted to use it again to add my thoughts from today.
We were sitting in our LDS chapel for what we refer to as our Stake Conference today. For those of you who aren't familiar with the LDS terminology, this is a 2 hour meeting that families attend twice a year. A little different (and longer) than the typical Sacrament Service we have every Sunday.
Bria, our little 5 year old, started the meeting out sitting on my lap. About 15 minutes into the meeting I noticed my thigh starting to burn from the contstant pressure of her in one spot. As I shifted her to ease my pain, I realized we had another hour and forty five minutes to go and I was probably going to have to coax her into sitting on the bench or on someone else's lap before too much longer. My thougths then went to the last day in the hospital with Gideon.
After receiving the distressed call from Deanne at work telling me he wasn't doing well and I had better come, I arrived in his room about 1:30. He had been asking for me so as soon as I walked in, Deanne wanted me to hold him. I got situated in a chair and she placed him on my lap. Except for just a brief period while we were contacting the rest of the family to come say their goodbyes, Gideon was on my lap until after he passed away just before 6:00 PM. I asked Deanne a few times throughout the afternoon if she wanted to hold him and I can't remember the reasons she declined, but I think it was just her unselfish nature to give me as much time with him as possible. After he was gone, she finally agreed to hold his body for a few minutes. That's when I was able to stand up and I realized I had been sitting in that chair with him in basically the same position for over 4 hours. I was a little stiff, but I wasn't sore or in any kind of pain. I considered it a tender mercy at that time, but today when I had to adjust Bria's position after just 15 minutes then every 5 minutes or so after that until I finally got her off my lap after about an hour, I realized it might have been more than a tender mercy.
Whether it was the love for a child and a desire for him to be comfortable or my senses just being shut down while I focused on Gideon's needs, I don't know, but under normal circumstances there is no way I would have been able to have a child on my lap for that long, in one position, without some pain along the way. It might have been a miracle and I was blessed by it.
Bria, our little 5 year old, started the meeting out sitting on my lap. About 15 minutes into the meeting I noticed my thigh starting to burn from the contstant pressure of her in one spot. As I shifted her to ease my pain, I realized we had another hour and forty five minutes to go and I was probably going to have to coax her into sitting on the bench or on someone else's lap before too much longer. My thougths then went to the last day in the hospital with Gideon.
After receiving the distressed call from Deanne at work telling me he wasn't doing well and I had better come, I arrived in his room about 1:30. He had been asking for me so as soon as I walked in, Deanne wanted me to hold him. I got situated in a chair and she placed him on my lap. Except for just a brief period while we were contacting the rest of the family to come say their goodbyes, Gideon was on my lap until after he passed away just before 6:00 PM. I asked Deanne a few times throughout the afternoon if she wanted to hold him and I can't remember the reasons she declined, but I think it was just her unselfish nature to give me as much time with him as possible. After he was gone, she finally agreed to hold his body for a few minutes. That's when I was able to stand up and I realized I had been sitting in that chair with him in basically the same position for over 4 hours. I was a little stiff, but I wasn't sore or in any kind of pain. I considered it a tender mercy at that time, but today when I had to adjust Bria's position after just 15 minutes then every 5 minutes or so after that until I finally got her off my lap after about an hour, I realized it might have been more than a tender mercy.
Whether it was the love for a child and a desire for him to be comfortable or my senses just being shut down while I focused on Gideon's needs, I don't know, but under normal circumstances there is no way I would have been able to have a child on my lap for that long, in one position, without some pain along the way. It might have been a miracle and I was blessed by it.
This was diffidently a miracle and a tender mercy. Thanks for that tender story of a big blessing.
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