Finding some roses along the thorny patch

Megan is resting again now. She had a good day overall. She made eye contact with us quite a few times when people were talking to her. There were only a few times that we thought she was having pain - mostly during the peaks of her fever.

We formally admitted her to the hospice service this morning. She had a new PICC line (more permanent IV) placed this morning so that we will not have to poke her to draw blood if needed or replace IV's gone bad. (Although she was upset with the process of the procedure and voiced her opinion on the fact that she was getting "messed with," everything went well.) This is good because they got it in before the three day weekend and I certainly did not want her to turn into a pin cushion again.

They are using the IV for more continuous control of her pain medication and the medication is also absorbed into her body instead of being digested and processed like the g-tube pain medications she has been taking at home. They usually took about 30-40 minutes to kick in once they were administered.

We are still making sure she gets all her medications and feedings as we were keeping for our schedule at home. While we expect her bodily condition to worsen, we do not know how long we will be here with her. We are taking advantage of the moments of alertness we have with her, comforting her when she is fussing, and doing our best to be positive in her presence.

"The Rose"

Some say love, it is a river
that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor
that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger,
an endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
and you its only seed.

It's the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance.
It's the one who won't be taken,
who cannot seem to give,
and the soul afraid of dyin'
that never learns to live.

When the night has been too lonely
and the road has been to long,
and you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong,
just remember in the winter
far beneath the bitter snows
lies the seed that with the Son's love
in the spring becomes the rose.