Gruss Gott!

A friend has, for months, been urging me to write a blog, but only now am I inclined to do so, as there may be those who would like emailed updates on Nathan's condition without having to wade through my thoughts and feelings as I write. So I will try to keep my emailed updates to-the-point and reserve my "musing" for this blog.

Yesterday was a difficult day. Our hopes had been climbing higher and higher the last couple days, only to have Nathan take a (life-threatening) turn for the worse yesterday morning. The ICU doctor who had been so cheery, even bubbly, a couple of days earlier seemed somber as she told us that the inter-cranial pressure on his brain had suddenly soared. They had to grab a bag to ventilate him (hyperventilate him) to bring the pressure down as they ran through the halls to the CT scan in an attempt to discover the cause. To no avail. No inter-cranial bleeding showed up on the scan; so they have no idea what caused the inter-cranial pressure to spike. They know he needs rest more than ever, so they have deepened the level of his sedation. And explained to us that the prognosis is uncertain with trauma to the brain. They emphasized that the outcome of brain injuries is less predictable than the outcome of injuries to other parts of the body.

When evening visiting hours ended, the doctor told us that we should go home. Like Nathan, he said, we need our rest. But I told Hannah over dinner that Nathan's setback had "taken the wind out of my sails" and wondered if I would have as much trouble sleeping as I have the last few nights. To my surprise, God graciously gave me a good night's rest. When I did wake up in the wee hours of the morning, I happened to read Psalm 3:5 and Psalm 4:8: "I lay down and slept. I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me....I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." And I managed to go back to sleep and get a couple more hours' rest.

And I was encouraged this morning to read Lamentations 3:20-33. My paraphrase, based on the New Living Translation: "I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over Nathan's loss. (Every day I get a kick out of the quaintness of Salzburg and hate to think that Nathan will miss it all. Right now as I type this, great big fluffy snowflakes are falling; and Nathan is missing it.) Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By the Lord's mercies Nathan has been kept from complete destruction. (Imagine! Nathan's eyes and his teeth emerging unscathed when the bones under his eyes and his jaw were broken! And virtually no injuries to his internal organs!) Great is the Lord's faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, 'We are God's children. So we can count on him to be there for us!' The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord..... The Lord does not abandon anyone forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion according to the greatness of his unfailing love; he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow."

To my amazement, Austrians customarily greet one another, not by saying "Guten tag," but by saying "Gruss Gott" ("greet God" or "salute God"). People on the street are routinely urging one another to acknowledge God! What an appropriate way to honor Nathan's savior from death! (The police accident investigator yesterday showed us how the huge van that struck Nathan was damaged. The heavy side mirror was completely sheared off by the force of hitting Nathan's head, and the wheelwell and mudflap were splashed with blood from Nathan's legs.) It is a miracle that Nathan survived at all. Gruss Gott!