Life Turned Topsy-Turvy

...yet we need to keep it in perspective. Without going into too much detail, our lives have taking a rather shocking and upsetting turn. It's very much like the shifting kaleidescope: you are looking at one pattern and in the matter of a few seconds, the whole view changes into something else. More details will follow in the coming weeks. But to quote Rachel Lynde from Anne of Green Gables, "You're never safe from surprise until you're dead!"

To put it in perspective though, my co-worker and I were talking to one of the nurses on the unit we both used to work on prior to working in the Peds clinic. She told us some very upsetting news about another nurse we have known for years. Her teen daughter was in a terrible ski accident over spring break, has a head injury, a spinal injury, and is on a ventilator.

Here is the story that always helps me through the tough times, that is so applicable in this situation:

The Cross Room (author unknown)

A young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out he dropped to his knees in prayer. "Lord, I can’t go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear."
The Lord replied, "My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."
The young man was filled with relief. "Thank you Lord," he sighed, and he did what he was told. Upon entering the other door, he saw many other crosses, some so large the tops weren’t even visible. Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against the far wall. "I’d like that one Lord," he whispered. And the Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in."