Riverlyn's road to home...🏡 - Update 2 -

Last week God encouraged me to "not be afraid of surgery." It was an interesting thing to hear and I wondered if it wasn't preparatory... 

Riverlyn was discussed at the cardiology conference earlier today and they want to move forward with mitral valve repair/replacement surgery next week. It hasn't been scheduled just yet (we will write again once it has) but it will be performed by the same surgeon who did her coarctation repair successfully. 

We feel a mix of things, some of which feel contradictory; but in it all, we are staying present. When we got the news this morning, this epic speech immediately came to mind for both Matthew and myself, independently (From the movie The Matrix Reloaded from 2003)...

"Zion, hear me! It is true, what many of you have heard. The machines have gathered an army and as I speak, that army is drawing nearer to our home. Believe me when I say we have a difficult time ahead of us. But if we are to be prepared for it, we must first shed our fear of it. I stand here, before you now, truthfully unafraid. Why? Because I believe something you do not? No, I stand here without fear because I remember. I remember that I am here not because of the path that lies before me but because of the path that lies behind me. I remember that for 100 years we have fought these machines. I remember that for 100 years they have sent their armies to destroy us, and after a century of war I remember that which matters most... We are still here! Today, let us send a message to that army. Tonight, let us shake this cave. Tonight, let us tremble these halls of earth, steel, and stone, let us be heard from red core to black sky. Tonight, let us make them remember, this is Zion, and we are not afraid!"

Our girl is strong and she's being held up by so many whose prayers avail much. We've been receiving encouragement throughout the day including having one of our favorite songs playing when we took a walk to grab coffee: Beautiful by Mali Music ... Life can be so real, I'm amazed by all your strength, I am, And I'm grateful you come through.

Thank you for Standing with us! As details surface, we will keep you posted.