Remembering Blessings

I started to write this post quite a while ago but I have finally gotten around to finish it today:

A wide variety of people read our blog . Every once-in-a-while I feel the need to write something a little more personal than I would normally write to this diverse audience. An experience I had on our last trip reminded me of something that happened quite a while ago. When I look back, I can see it was a big turning point for Katelyn.

The recent event occurred when we were in California. One of my brothers was having some health issues and asked for a blessing. My Dad, my brothers’ in-law and I all participated. They all hold the priesthood. These guys have diverse personalities but they are all very solid men whom I would trust with my life. I was struck with the power that these otherwise unassuming guys had. It’s a great feeling to be a part of something that has strength that so obviously is beyond one’s normal ability.

Amy later reminded me of another blessing that was given to Katelyn when she was in the hospital. Katelyn had just had her second seizure and had to return to the more intensive part of the NICU. Before this point she had been doing well and we had begun to discuss when she could come home. She then had two seizures and really went downhill fast. After not needing any help breathing for a long time, she had to be put back on a C-Pap machine. The medication she was given caused her to swell over her entire body. She also got some water in her lungs. In short, she was in terrible shape and looked very bad. It was heartbreaking to see our little baby girl in this condition especially after she had been doing so well for so long. We had a conversation that was so overwhelming it brought the doctor to tears . It was touching to see how much he cared as he talked with us about how a second seizure meant it was very likely that Katelyn would continue to have more seizures. It was also likely she would have some brain damage as a result. This news was very hard to handle and left us, once again, very saddened. This was our baby that was doing well just a couple of days before.

This time my cousins were visiting the hospital and able to assist me in giving Katelyn a blessing. It was a very sincere and powerful experience however, it was hard to evaluate her condition because we were always watching for new seizures and we never felt that she was out of danger. The great news is that Katelyn never had a seizure again and has fully recovered with no noticeable side effects.
Even thought it was hard to recognize at the moment, looking back now it’s easy to see how significant that blessing was to Katelyn. I know that with both Brandon and Katelyn we have been very blessed as a result of priesthood blessings.