Life often imitates art

My love of reading takes me many places, to many topics and experiences.  I learn so much because of the variety of styles and authors I read.  Recently, I picked up "Heart of the Matter" by Emily Griffin.  I figured it was a light, quick read but found myself entwined in the characters lives and tragedy.  Without giving away the plot, I found myself grateful that my experience with a similar situation was different and yet there were parallels that drew me in and touched my heart.
You see, I had a son who had second and third degree burns on his face and chest when he was six months old.  Six year old Charlie, in this book, had third degree burns on his face.  The plot of the story centers around Charlie's surgeon and his dedication to bringing this little boy through a horrible accident and healing him.  Valerie, Charlie's mom and Nick, his surgeon struggle with their own issues of trust and balance in their lives.
There are times in our lives we have to give up our own feelings and trust someone else.  When our baby was burned, everything within me said he would be ok, just let me hold him and feed him and we will be fine.  But, medical protocol for burns is generally isolation of the patient.  Tell that to a mom of a six month old!  All I wanted to do was to hold him.  After 18 hours, the staff finally relented he seemed to heal much quicker than expected.  We were told he could not have any liquids except from a bottle so they could monitor intake and output, but after the iv was taken out the next day, I was able to nurse him easily.  We were told we would be there eighteen days but we went home in four.  We were told his ear was severely burned and they were planning on skin grafts, but on day four, the plan was scratched.  I had to trust the doctor in this case to do all he could but also trust my own feelings that we could work as partners to bring out the best results.
While reading this book, my heart ached for little Charlie and his mom.  The fears I had experienced thinking our child was going to die came back so strong, I would have to put the book down to recover and then pick it up quickly because I wanted to know how this was all going to end.
While this is not a literary winner or on Oprah's Book of the Month, "Heart of the Matter" is a good book, well worth reading and reflection of how you respond to your heart.