Trust

I planned a trip to Disney World for our family to have fun. I wanted to go away, get away from the routine and stress of every day life. Get lost in the magic and all that jazz.
The night before we left for our trip I put the kids to sleep, all of us excited about the adventure we were about to embark upon. A few hours later I was awakened by the sound of my little buddy coughing and crying. I hardly put a hand on him before discovering he was burning up with a fever. A million things flashed through my mind all at once. I knew instantly that he had the flu. What I didn't know was what we should do. Should we cancel our trip; stay home and play it safe. Or, should we take our chances and press on. I spent the rest of the night on the couch holding Cooper, trying to calm my own worrying stomach and talking to my mom. By daybreak we had decided to leave for Orlando. We had made our decision though I was not sure it was the right one.
On the way to the airport I started praying. I kept it small at first. Just let us get to the airport without any incidents I prayed. Once we got that far I figured I would worry about the rest. On the plane I prayed for a safe flight and when we landed 1/2 hour early in Florida I silently gave thanks. In my head I heard a small voice reminding me over and over to simply trust. And so we pressed on. And I began to feel like maybe we would be okay.
That night I put Cooper to bed and again awoke a few hours later. He was burning up, coughing, and I could tell his airway was swollen. His respiratory rate crept up and up. For an instant I had the feeling that I was in over my head. Here I was, thousands of miles from home with a sick baby on vacation. What was I thinking. What had I done. What should I do next? A hundred more questions. Do we go the nearest emergency room, is there an urgent care center, do I go alone, should all four of us go, can it wait a few more hours, how bad will this get? And then again, I felt it and heard it, I needed to trust. Trust that we had gotten this far, trust in what I'm trained to do, trust that it would be made clear what could wait and what could not. A few hours later Cooper turned the corner and slowly began to improve. It appeared that we were once again through the worst.
I will not lie and say that I was not in some ways still disappointed. What parent would plan a big trip to Disney World of all places and then have their kid get sick. I wanted Cooper to have fun and I wanted all of us to have fun.
Later in the day when we felt that Cooper was up to getting out of the room a little bit we went to the Magic Kingdom. I think you'll agree with me that it was more than coincidence that one of the first families we saw inside the gates was a father pushing his small daughter in a wheelchair. It hit me like a ton of bricks, not only how lucky I am but how selfish I had been also. Suddenly, instead of feeling bad that my son was sick on vacation I began to feel so blessed that his illness would soon pass. I felt blessed that my kids can enjoy a place like Disney World and all it has to offer. I felt blessed that the worry of where the nearest emergency room is and when the next dose of medication is due is not a routine worry that I have. I felt blessed that my perspective on the entire week was changed.
Lots of people have asked me how my vacation was and I tell them it was one of the best weeks of my life. Some of them who know that Cooper was sick kind of look at me funny, wondering how a sick kid on vacation could be so great. TRUST me, it was.