Thanksgiving 2009 Pain & Joy

We had a great Thanksgiving day. We started out at 7:30 this morning at the OC cafe. Our duties included cutting pies, topping with Cool Whip and putting in individual boxes to go out. We probably cut about 100 pies and there was another table cutting also. Then we took 100 hot meals to Edmond Hospital then about 20 to some families here in Edmond. There were well over 1700 meals delivered by about 500 volunteers today. A wonderful Thankgiving Day in the City! Thanks goes to all those who plan it, the Neil Arters, Jimmy Arters, Muellers and Schaefers!

Here's a couple of cute workers handing out the rolls!

Then this afternoon Avery and I went down to Children's Hospital to hold a 4 month old baby boy who had major heart surgery. He had a feeding tube in his nose and was hooked up to about 10 different tubes and lines. That is all sad enough in itself, but this is the real heartbreaker - he has not been visited by any family that the nurse knew of in his 4 months of life. The nurses and doctors fought for DHS to take custody of him, which recently happened. Our church has joined efforts with a group called Anna's House that goes to shelters and hospitals to hold babies that don't have anyone to hold them at that time, and that is how we found out about Baby G. As I sat holding this sweet baby, I felt pain and joy at the same time. I am so blessed that I have found my calling, fostering babies and holding these babies, and that gives me great joy. Of course the pain is obvious - it is heartbreaking what innocent babies have to go through, a lot of times because of their parents, so if I can take a little time to give comfort to a sweet, sweet baby, oh what joy that gives me! So like I said in the title, pain & joy, but the joy definitely outweighs the pain. If you would like more information about volunteering with Anna's House, let me know and I'll get you the information.
Here's Avery holding sweet Baby G.

And a lady on the elevator said Bob Stoops had been up at the hospital and visited her granddaughter this morning. A friend had told me that he often goes up to the hospital to visit the sick kids and Thankgiving was no different for him. Is this a great state or what?