Anniversaries and those to come

Today is the fourth anniversary of my pacemaker surgery. I think the reason I can remember the date is because of tax day. Good planning on mom's part. ;)

Thinking back to April 15th, 2009, I remember being worried. Since it was my first time having surgery and a very serious surgery who could blame me for having sky rocketing anxiety? Though I was fretting over the future I was also purposely being very oblivious. I blocked out what I wanted so it would be an easier process on myself. On the way into the opporating room I was surprisingly calm. Sadly I admit that the anesthesia was my favorite part. I'd have surgery again in a heart beat. (Laugh out loud) Get it? Pace maker? Heart?

When I first found out about my heart condition I was a wreck. I've written before in one of my first blogs that I cried and cried over hearing I have to have a pacemaker put in my body. No one wants to have a computer implanted in their body. Especially when you're a 13 year old girl, and already dealing with too much medical stuff as it is.
I would tell you I recovered quickly and felt great after. (However I was on a lot of nasty tasting yet happy painkillers) My mom might tell you otherwise of how I recovered. Hence she always shakes her head and rolls her eyes when I say I love surgery.
I am sitting here thinking that had I not gone to the heart doctor that day for that appointment I might not be sitting here at all. (It was close too that we were going to cancel) Two of the three conductors in my heart weren't working and had it not been noticed my life could've ended at just thirteen years old. God is so amazing! Through the hardest times He works miracles! What we see as things that aren't good for us sometimes ends up being the best medicine.
Today will also be the day we look back on and say, "that was the day Boston was bombed at the Boston marathon." As much as it makes me sad as the next person, we need to trust God. Pray for those who have lost family members and friends and pray for those who caused the senseless killings.
John 15:13 teaches us, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."

Before today's tragedy even happened, last week my dear friends the Andersen girls both mentioned this verse. Dani, brought up John's words of wisdom in her awesome blog http://hisloveiswrittenonmyheart.blogspot.com/. I couldn't help but smile when I read the bible verse Dani posted because I had been hearing it a lot that week. It was a confirming moment of which I still smile on.

Again last week this quote came up only this time through Dani's sister, Elizabeth. It was the same verse, verse John 15:13, but Elizabeth put it into perspective for me. "Lay down your life for your friends but also your enemies." (Elizabeth's blog, Allured Heart is awesome as well!)  Both these beautiful women inside and out again have me in awe. This is an extremely hard time with the terrorist attack whether Obama will own up to it as one or not. Prayers for our world we live in. Prayers for those involved. Prayers for our hearts to be unhardened. Especially when our enemies are terrorists including our president. God help us!