Adagio

I first encountered the word when I was taking piano lessons as a youngster.  Just another one of those foreign words that I had to remember to interpret as I played.  Who knew that playing the piano included learning a new language too.  Well, NOW I know :)  ANYWAY, I love the feel of the word as I think about what it means, as I play a nice slow piece or even just say the word aah-dah-jee-o.  Just the slow roll off my tongue bids me to slow down, take a deep breath, release and relax.

These last few weeks have been somewhat more stressful for me in a new way.  My oldest, Sam, has been in a lot of pain.  Without going into details, no medications have worked and tests thus far have all turned up normal.  Yet this pain persists and she misses seminary and three-fourths of her school classes each day.  As we prepare to enter finals week for her first semester of high school, I worry about what this week will bring for her medically as well as spiritually and emotionally.  She has worked so hard to get where she is and it is so difficult to not be able to just DO something for her.

I know, philosophically, that we won't be given more than we can handle, and I just pray that is true for us now.  As we take each day, even hour at a time, I am learning to see and be grateful for the littlest of things.  I am grateful for friends who bring her assignments, for a support network that checks in and lets us know she's in their prayers, for medical professionals who listen to my frustration and administer tests they probably already know the answer to, for my husband who works so hard for our family, for the younger two who try so hard to subvert their rambunctious spirits to make their sister more comfortable.  I could go on and on.  Most of all, I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father who knows ME and loves ME.  I know that even though he won't just step in and make it all better, he will ease these growing pains as we talk to Him in our prayers and trust in his omnipotence that we will come out the other end, becoming more like the people He know we should be.