We began talking about grandchildren and showing pics, as grandparents are wont to do. He said that his daughter was finally home but his new granddaughter was still in the hospital at twelve days old. She had been having seizures with no explanation. He told more of the story and we all listened and adored his pictures, as you do at such times.
At some point I said how optimistic I felt because his granddaughter was at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, one of the foremost children's hospitals in the nation. As a teaching hospital, Cardinal Glennon offers excellent and innovative pediatric care. We are fortunate to have it here in
St. Louis and available to our children.
Grandpa's reply to this, God is good. We welcome your prayer.
Everyone else said that they would pray for the infant.
I stood there with a look of concern and support on my face and said I'm grateful for the highly-trained specialists at CGCH and I'll be thinking of all of you...
I accepted the look, knowing I would never, ever be able to even pretend to pray...and certainly not to a god that gave a newborn seizures.
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The "God is good" commnent sets me off big time. I once read where people were saying "God is good" because a person pulled through one of those awful shooting tragedies in the US. I felt like saying what about all those people who died, if there is a God was he/she bad then! I just walked away from it as I didn't really want to get involved in an ongoing argument with crazies.
ReplyDeleteI know...it's like children of abuse thanking their abusers.
DeleteIt's just so...sad. And frustrating.
I loathe sentiments like “God is good” or “God has this” or “God has a plan”. Sorry, not sorry—I want NOTHING to do with some supposedly all-living, all-powerful being who would allow for newborns with seizures or any other diseases or violence or abuse. It is mind-blowing to me that I used to subscribe to this absolutely simpleton, childish belief system—and that people still do.
ReplyDeleteThat is EXACTLY where I am with this.
DeleteSometimes I'm thoroughly disgusted.
Sometimes I'm sad.