The Power of Prayer

January 29, 2008 In retrospect, reading my last entry makes me want to delete it. I actually though a bout of croup was a big deal. Since Saturday, I have almost lost my sister for the SECOND time in 13 years and have witnessed the power of prayer again. Saturday at lunch, Laura had a splitting headache. She has been sick on and off since September with cold/flu/sinus/ear illnesses. The pain was so intense, she decided to go to the emergency room. With her medical history of a brain aneurysm, they decided to play it safe. The CAT scan was normal, so the ER docs sent her home with some strong pain meds and antibiotics for what they thought was just a serious sinus infection. After going home and laying down with the pain meds for a couple of hours, she apparently went into raging fits, thrashing, pulling her hair out, screaming etc and her husband and my parents called the ambulance to come back and get her. Hours later, the diagnosis was made--bacterial menigitis. Thirteen years ago, TO THE DAY, Laura almost died with a brain bleed in Athens and here I am driving the same interstate from Athens back to Greenville, just as I'd done that fateful day, wondering if I'd lost my sister. The Lord saved her again, and me, too. After 24 very frightening hours not knowing whether the attack had caused any permanent brain damage, we now feel certain that she is on the road to a complete recovery. She will be moved out of ICU tomorrow, is speaking, recognizing, and even showing glimpses of her awesome sense of humor. Before this happened, I often wondered why God chose her to put through what she went through 13 years ago when I am the stubborn child, the one pushing the envelope, testing the limits. And now again, why her? Hasn't she endured enough hardship in one lifetime already? I do not know why He works in the ways He does, but I do know that prayer works. We take so many things for granted every day, but yet He knows how to put in all back into perspective, align our priorities again, show us what really matters and how powerful and mighty He is. Thank to you, every single person who prayed for my sister and our family and I will keep you posted with her amazing progress in the coming days.