What a great week!

Whether you have heard the news or not, let what I write settle in for a bit before you jump all over me.

This week has been jam packed full of drama for the Vogel family. Since this is John posting, I will make it brief- Kirsten is much better at the detailed and heartfelt posts.

Tuesday- I had to fire someone. Contrary to what some might think, it is never fun, and always leaves you with more work to do.
Wednesday morning- Jake goes to the doctor for what we think is a UTI (I will let you guess if you don't know) and he is diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Kirsten called me at work and I turned into a little girl- serious tears (for those wondering, I was able to make it into the solitude of my car before anyone saw me).
Thursday- I had to be in Chapel Hill first thing in the morning for a conference. It is always good to see your boss (I see mine 4 times a year) and he makes you feel like poo. I managed to get back to Greensboro in time for Kirsten to call me about waiting in line for the PS3 (long story) so I quickly made it to position 12. After a few hours, the store manager came out and announced they had 8 units available. I went home and relayed the news. Oh, and Kir got an email that said we may not be able to adopt because I was a less-than-stellar 14 year old.
Friday- Trying to wrap up a very hectic week. Kirsten and I were on the phone trying to deal with the miles of red tape from the adoption nightmare, I mean process, and my cell phone rings. It is Kim, from up the street, telling me Jake was in an accident and it's an emergency. I relay to Kirsten who is on the other line and Kirsten drops everything.
We find out that Jake was skitching and fell. Kirsten took him to the emergency room and had his head dermabonded.. He was admitted to the hospital for the diabetes and is set to be released today.

Oh, and Lilly Birthday was yesterday- trumped by the aforementioned turn of events.

So why would I call that a great week? Because I felt closer to God this past week than I have in a long time. God drew me back to Him, and I am so glad for that. God sent encouragement from friends and family who I thought might not care. God gave me (and Kirsten) the strength to be the rock for our kids. God gave me hope. And isn't that what He does best? He gives us hope. For what is life without hope?
Hopeless, I guess.

Knowing that God performs miracles in the midst of a storm does not make travel through the storm easier, but it does give purpose to the storm.

Thank you God for my many blessings- You, Family, Friends, Job, and stuff.

-john

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