The seasons have been rapidly changing in our house. It amazes me how that works- we get caught in some seasons that seem to last forever, and then suddenly the seasons start rushing past so fast I can barely catch my breath.

But even more amazing is the fact that the same God who stood over the last season is already at the end of this season… He is in the beginning, the middle, and the end of it all, and while my head may be spinning, not a single second catches Him by surprise. Daniel 2:21 says, “He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.”

So often I think it’s up to me to figure all the things out, especially when there’s a season shift. I want to plan and organize and make arrangements and assign tasks- I make schedules and lists and timelines and expect everything and everyone to follow my guidelines. I try to singlehandedly control the season, and then I get frazzled and frustrated when everything implodes and the season doesn’t go the way I anticipated.

But God is the season shifter. He holds all time in His hand and effortlessly moves everything into just the right position to fulfill His purpose and plan. These seasons are not my seasons, but His.

The changing seasons in our household have been impacting everyone. My oldest daughter started navigating some new health issues while making big decisions about her own education and career path. My middle girl entered this new high school season with hurricane force, making me wonder if we somehow skipped some seasons along the way! Job shifts have led to big changes in family dynamics and responsibilities.

And then there’s Harper.

There have been a lot of seasons shifting in her life as she is getting older and we are figuring out what works best for her. This year she has shifted to homeschooling, which proved to be one of the most difficult decisions we’ve made with her. We’ve reached a point where she needs a lot of extra support in certain areas, and there are gaps in her learning patterns. Every day is different in what she remembers and how her moods are, so we are embracing the flexibility that comes with homeschooling in order to zone in on the skills she needs and build her confidence and independence without overwhelming her. It also makes it a lot easier to let her body rest on those days she’s just exhausted and to work around all of her appointments!

One month ago Harper experienced one of those major seizures that resulted in emergency calls and a hospital stay. It was a difficult experience that we had not had to face in a very long time, and brought awareness to us all that we need to ensure she is getting the ideal treatment to gain the best seizure control possible.

So, this week we travel to Johns Hopkins for an extended EEG study in-hospital. She will have one full day of neuropsych testing, then will be admitted into the EMU where she will get an IV and EEG leads. She will be confined to the bed and monitored for around seven nights (the exact number will depend on the data they get). During this time they will start to wean her off of her medications under a doctor’s supervision to try to catch as much seizure activity as is safely possible.

The goal of this is to better characterize the types of seizures she is having and to try to pinpoint their origin. This will help to decide if she would better served with surgery, device implants, or a particular medication.

We have not shared much about this before, but Harper has also been experiencing an underlying digestive issue. Over the last year we have tried multiple medications to try to relieve her pain, but so far we have had no success. We recently got connected with a fantastic pediatric GI specialist who had us try a few more things at home, but they also did not work. She is to the point of needing more scans and tests run, and has said that depending on those results, we may be looking at another hospitalization. Thankfully, she is going to make efforts to connect with the doctors at Johns Hopkins to try to get that testing done while we are there to make it easier on Harper.

That being said, there are a lot of specific prayer requests for us in the next week. I’ll just list them here for those of you who like to pray over the details:

• Safety in traveling- we are driving, and it is a full day of travel with a lot of traffic. Baltimore is also not known for being the safest city in the country, and Kirby will be staying in a rented space, traveling back and forth to the hospital each day.
• Wisdom for doctors who will be making decisions about weaning medications and treatment options.
• A safe weaning of medicine! We have experienced some life-threatening situations in the past with this process, so this has to be done very cautiously.
• Overwhelming peace and joy… Harper’s moods have recently become more challenging to navigate and she gets very anxious- couple that with the fact that she is now adult-sized and it can be difficult to manage, to say the least! BUT GOD… He can fill her to overflowing. (And Mom and Dad, and big sisters waiting at home, as well!)
• A quick admission, a smooth EEG hookup, and easy IV access. We will be waiting around for an available room when it’s time, and sometimes that can take a while. With an EEG of this length, there are more tools involved for set up, and Harper tends to be bothered by the noises and smells (yep, that’s really a thing!). And IVs are never fun for a kid who has a rough history and scar-tissued veins!
• Seamless communication between all the different doctors on her team.
• Definitive EEG data. She has a history of being very complex, which can make it difficult to know exactly what to do.
• Good lab results and clear abdominal scans so we can avoid another hospitalization back home.
• For each of us to be aware of and embrace opportunities to share Jesus and encourage others along the way. These extended stays are challenging and it can be easy to pull in and become focused on what we’re dealing with, but as is stated in 2 Corinthians 1:4, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others…”

We are so thankful for your prayers this upcoming week- and for all of our social media tribe who have sent blessings to encourage Harper while we are away. We asked for some cards to cheer her up, and we’re hitting the road with a car loaded to the brim! It has been overwhelming to see the love and support and encouragement for our girl.

In every season, God is good…