Reunion Weekend

It was different than anticipated this year. I've never spent our reunion weekend like this before. We arrived Wednesday evening after a long and pleasant drive through the gorge. And we were greeted exuberantly by the early arrivers. Over the next few days more family trickled in to the Qualls' Nest. Friday I waited and worried as my two teens drove themselves to the gathering from home. Finally around noon they were there and I could relax, enjoy the rest of the weekend, laugh with my sisters, love on the new little ones in our clan.

Or so I thought........
I'd changed to go down for a swim when my Autumn Rain came looking for me. "Mom, I think M needs help." I found her upstairs shaking and incoherent, in obvious need of help. We hauled her downstairs and out to the car for the scariest ride of my life. I really thought we were loosing her. I prayed and willed her to hang on until we arrived at the hospital twenty minutes away. The staff at this little country hospital are my heroes. What a relief to hand my young charge over to their care. They knew what to do, what tests to begin, and knew that she needed more care than they had to offer. So into the ambulance we went and off to a bigger hospital with a pediatric care unit.

For two days I played "mom" to my niece as we waited for her own mom to arrive. It's an uncomfortable place to be in, making decisions for someone else's child. I just had to do what I would do for my own. She's being treated for Meningoencephalitis, but the cause is still unknown. She's still in the hospital 6 days later waiting to be strong enough to travel home to Iowa.

So the weekend was different, but I'm glad I was there for my niece. I know she won't look back on the time with fondness, but it will alway be a special memory for me. No, I don't have pictures to share this year. But I have a beautiful niece who is getting well!