"Into our lives a little rain must fall?" WHAT ABOUT WHEN IT POURS?

The surgery that was scheduled for Thursday was moved up to today. The surgeons decided that there was no need for the Tuesday/Wednesday "test" days. She drained so much CSF fluid over the weekend, that they felt her brain was not absorbing nearly enough CSF fluid to keep the ICP (Inter-cranial pressure) at a safe level.
So we had a Mom & Meghan vs Dad challenge on Battleship! Any game that we taught Meghan before the surgery, she remembers clearly!
Then our favorite music therapist, Laurie, came in to see us. Meghan loves to play the electric drums, I just have to help leftie hit in the right spot.
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Finally at 5pm, we went for surgery. They are putting a shunt into the ventricle in her brain where CSF fluid will flow through a value and drain into the stomach. Sadly, the surgeon doesn't want to use the left side of her head because it has been opened so many times. So he will create a brand new incision on the right side of the skull. Being bald was a whole lot easier when she was 8 years old--it's just a big deal now.
Protocol in a hospital is to always ask the patient for their name (to make sure they have the right one). Meghan has not lost her sense of humor. The nurse asked, "Who are we operating on today?" Meghan retorted, "Mallory Showalter." Then she burst into laughter, relieving the poor nurse of her confusion.
Not only are parents allowed to come into the operating room (which explains the sterile garb) but the anesthesiologist likes the parents to be a part of putting their child to sleep--the child finds it comforting. I am administering oxygen while he gives her the anesthesia via an IV.
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Tonight, Stephan and I realize how drained and emotionally empty we are. We are truly living the adage "One day at a time". We have forced our minds to stop even anticipating tomorrow--it's just too difficult to even process. It's an immediate coping mechanisms that stops fear.

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We both felt that we were drawing close to where challenges are beyond our capacity to meet them, so we read about Job. Job was a weathly, upright man and he faced a test that could destroy anyone. Stripped of his wealth, scorned by his friends, afflicted by his suffering, shattered by the loss of his family, he refused to “curse God, and die." Stephan and I found strength because we are not as Job...if he could endure and overcome, so can we.
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One of my favorite quotes is from Abraham Lincoln. He said:
“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true.
I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.
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Thank you to all our family and friends who support, encourage and love us. We do not have the light that Job had, but we will live up to "what light we have."