Meekness is not Weakness

Dear Friends and Family,

I thought I'd post a journal of sorts to give you an idea of life here at Shands PICU (Pediatric Intentsive Care Unit).

Day 1 Meekness is Not Weakness

A lexicon I consulted recently defined "meekness" as "gentle strength". That sure is a lot to think about. As I meditated on that further, I thought about Jesus as he faced the throng just after leaving his prayer time in the garden. It was happening...the beginning of the end. He could have called in a huge force of angels to deliver Him. It could have been over in an instant. But Jesus knew that the events about to happen needed to happen that scripture would be fulfilled. For Jesus to KNOW His place and Who He was (Almighty God) and yet walk through a very dark place for you and me is meekness. Not weakness.


The PICU at Shands can be a dark place, both physically and spiritually. The cries of children can be heard in the halls, little ones with no hair shuffle around with their "chemo poles", parents give verbal run downs of "meds" their child takes, equipment sounds alarms of varying degrees and volume, nurses talk in "nurse-ese": meds, peds, stats, pulse-ox, vitals......foreign language that quickly becomes a parent's language as well. We learn to speak this fluently and learn to listen carefully for more. Alertness is necessary. This morning is Santi's first day post-op. He is doing great! He spoke to his nice nurse, Callie, last night in the dark after asking about Mama and Daddy. Callie explained that Mama and Daddy needed to get some sleep. He completely understood after he asked the time. Santi is very time conscious and so when Callie replied "3:30. Are you allowed to stay up this late, Santi?" He replied, "Oh, no, ma'am!!" His spine is amazingly straight. I'll try to get a picture of it soon. He is swollen from the anesthesia as you can see, but that should soon subside. He is on pain medication and moving hurts...understandably so. I help the nurse move him from side to side periodically. He doesn't like to move, but he must and in about 30 minutes, Santi will be required to attempt a sit in a chair! I can't imagine....this is meekness...gentle strength. His color is good, he's talking and saying he's hungry! Doctors are OK with that and may give him some food this afternoon along with a move from ICU to the regular floor. Wow. Thank you all for praying for our boy. He's a toughie.

More on Day 1 a little later.............. Ana

Mama with Santi

Mr Fordham with Santi

Heather talking to Santi

Santi with Heather and Mrs. Fordham

Twins Cami and Emma with Santi