Has It Really Been FIVE Years?

It's 8:25 in the morning and I am sitting exactly where I was five years ago at about this time when the phone rang. The news we heard in that one phone call changed our lives forever. We were told that Jon had collapsed at a retreat where he was chaperoning a group of students from our church, and that 911 had been called. As we quickly and frighteningly shared Jon's medical history (which was virtually non-existent since he had always been so healthy) with the doctor on the retreat as well as the EMTs, we scrambled to figure out what to do. As soon as we learned that the decision had been made to LifeFlight Jon to Grady, the nearest Level 1 trauma center, we drove there to meet him. We spent the next four weeks at Grady, practically living in the ICU waiting area. For those who have followed Jon's story, I won't go into the details as you have all so compassionately shared your hearts and support with us over these past five years. For those who don't know the history, it is recorded in the Forums section at http://www.prayersforjon.com/, a site created within just a few days after Jon's collapse. As Jon's journey began, we posted news of his progress and setbacks for our faithful friends, family, and often strangers to keep them informed of his status.

A year after the aneurysm, we celebrated in a big way with a cake and guests to commemorate the One-Year mark. That particular post is here. It is both humbling and amazing to realize just how far Jon has come! I remember when the doctors told us that recovery from such devastating neurological damage could take YEARS and thinking, "Years? What does that even mean??" Months, I understood........but YEARS? I just didn't get it, but here we are........years later (five to be exact) and the recovery continues. Jon is walking with minimal assistance and no longer uses his wheelchair at all; he is able to totally care for himself; he has been able to return to college; he is--for he most part--totally independent in his personal life. Are there things he CAN'T do? Yes, there are. He can't drive, but he will quickly add a "yet" when talking about his inability to drive. He has very limited left-side peripheral vision, but he can see! What he cannot do or has not recovered, he more than makes up for with what he CAN do and HAS recovered! God has been so faithful to His promises! He has given Jon hope AND a future!

I often reflect on the scripture in Lamentations that Jeff brought to us and that we claimed during the early days of Jon's journey: "I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: 'Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.' You came near when I called you, and you said, "Do not fear." God indeed has come near and when the fear threatens, He speaks to me, reminding me of all that He has already done and of His promise to each of us--that He will never leave us or forsake us, and that in Him ALL things are possible!

Happy Anniversary, Jonathon; you've come a long way, baby! God has been gracious.

LATE APRIL 2005

NOVEMBER 2009

Packing and Planning

We've been busy packing tonight for a little NYC weekend getaway and let me just say it now, we are beyond excited! We began making plans before Christmas and when we both realized that we had next Monday off for President's Day, this seemed like the perfect time to go. Of course, the decision was made easier with the fact that tomorrow is our daughter's birthday--something we wouldn't have been able to celebrate with her without making a trip to the Big Apple. We aren't exactly thrilled at the forecast of 12-18 inches of snow in NYC tomorrow, but hopefully by Thursday when we leave Atlanta, we will be able to arrive there safely. We have tickets to see "Wicked" on Friday night so needlesss to say, we are pumped about that. We also have plans to visit the Empire State Building (amazing that we haven't ever done that) as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On Saturday night, we will meet some of our daughter's friends at a little birthday soiree in the East Village. It's so wonderful that our children are now old enough to view us as suitable guests at their parties! (To think of all the fun we've missed over the years! Or maybe it's all the fun THEY'VE missed?) At any rate, we're excited. Sunday, of course, is Valentine's Day, and the plan is for our two favorite guys to prepare dinner for my daughter and me. Who knows? Maybe the next top chef will be right in the East Village of New York!

Coupled with the excitement of our trip is that next Monday we should learn the gender of our grandbaby! It's crazy to me that halfway through the pregnancy you can learn whether to "think pink" or "do blue". I know this--no matter what the sex of the baby is, it will be one well-loved baby! Of course, determining the gender depends largely on how cooperative the little munchkin is during the sonogram. Guess we'll have to wait and see......Stay tuned on that one!

Now for a little random enjoyment: http://tinyurl.com/ygn8akb . Get ready for Wednesday! Happy Birthday, B!

An Attitude of Gratitude

I recently began a Bible study called, "Lord, Change My Attitude", a study that I'm thinking could teach us all something. I mean, how many times a day do we complain about things.......and I'm talking about little things as well as big ones. We complain about the weather; we complain about our bodies; we complain about our hair; we complain about our jobs; we complain about our busyness; we complain about having nothing to do; we complain about our ________; you get the idea. We seem to be complainers by nature, but what if we all started turning our complaints into gratitude? What if we took the time to turn our thoughts to thankfulness everytime we opened our mouths to complain about something? So instead of complaining about the weather, we would be thankful for God's provision; instead of complaining that we're too busy, we would be thankful that we have our health and the ability to BE busy! We could all be such happier people if we made a concerted effort to turn our negative thoughts into opportunities to praise God. (I admit, it's not easy.....I've struggled since we started the study a couple of weeks ago, but I'm prayerful that God will continue to touch my heart in such a way that I will learn to turn my complaints into praises.)

One of our recent assignments was to write a poem, verse, or prayer thanking God for all of the little things we often overlook in our daily lives. Since I like to write rhyming verses, I wrote the following:

1/18/2010

For the dawning of a new day
And for the setting sun
I lift my voice in praise to you
For Lord, you are the one

Who showers me with blessings
Though I don’t always see
How all of my life’s journey
Was created just for me

I thank you for my family
Those near and far-away
And for the friends I’ve made through You
To make it through each day

For things I often overlook—
My home, my health, my all
I thank you for your patience;
Help me always hear your call

I thank you even for the strife,
Because of it I’ve grown
And learned that even in the dark
You always find your own.

Yes, perhaps of all the lessons I've learned in the past few years, it's that even when we feel overcome by the darkness, God is always there waiting to bring us into the light. Oh Lord, please always give me an attitude of gratitude!

You Say It's Your Birthday? It's My Birthday, Too!

So today's my birthday......double nickels, as my brother called it. I was born in 1955, and today I turned 55--seems like there should be some sort of special name for a birthday like that. Whatever it may be called, it's amazing to me how grateful I am to get to celebrate another one. I AM, after all, growing older and definitely showing signs of it, but I am so blessed to just GET to grow older. More about that in another post perhaps.........I have much to say on the subject.

My day started out like most of my birthdays from recent years--I got a beautiful card from my wonderful hubby, the kind that is so unbelievably sweet that it brings tears to my eyes. How blessed I am to be married to that man. At work, I arrived to a gift bag on my desk with a bottle of chardonnay tucked inside and a card about "not being old if you can still bend over and touch your toes". Surprise! I actually CAN still do that, although I don't think that excludes me from the "growing old" club. I just happen to still be pretty flexible...for an old broad, that is. Throughout the day, my friends and family called, brought me cards, and popped in to my office for a chat. The highlight of my workday, however, was being serenaded by no fewer than eight different groups, from co-workers to students, the students all being under the age of six and more precious than I can begin to describe. One by one, several of the kindergarten classes came into my office and proudly sang "Happy Birthday" to me--there is absolutely nothing sweeter than the sound of little voices joined in song. One class even came bearing gifts: each student in the class proudly gave me a paper clip upon entering my office--too cute! This class, in particular, then sang to me, ending each "Happy Birthday to you" with a resounding "cha cha cha" complete with a little booty shaking! I wanted to squeeze each one of them. So adorable.

I came home to a fabulous home-cooked meal, prepared by our favorite girl from Savannah--the one I call my "daughter from another mother". What a lovely surprise! She even baked a red velvet cake from scratch! I didn't know people even did that anymore! Isn't that what Betty Crocker is for? Nevertheless, it was all delish! I felt so pampered watching someone else do the cooking! And now it's after 10:00 and everyone has gone to bed except me. Man, and I thought I was the old one! Haha! Guess I'm not so old after all......although at double nickels, I sometimes don't feel worth a dime! (Ha!)

Cheers to a New Year

and another chance

to get it right.

Christmas Reflections

Another Christmas has come and gone. With great anticipation, the day arrived and all too quickly became history. I love Christmas.......the sights, the sounds, the smells, the last-minute preparations (I seem to ALWAYS have too many last-minutes), the celebrations, and most of all the time spent with family. From the time we were first married, David and I have spent every Christmas day with his family at one home or another--some years at our home, some at his parents', and some at other family members' homes. We begin the day at our home with our immediate family and then travel to the "host" home for lunch and fun. This year we travelled to the home of David's cousin and spent the day with a group of 26 (and that's our count with one family of four missing!) What a glorious blessing it is to celebrate the birthday of Jesus surrounded by our loved ones.

Another of our blessings of the season was having our beautiful daughter, Blair, come into town from New York and stay with us for a whole week. After spending almost a week with us at Thanksgiving, this was such a bonus! I remember when she first arrived, thinking how great it was that we had SO MUCH time to spend together, and now the day has come for her to go back.......and I'm just not ready. I admit; I'm never ready for her to leave. I always have more on my "to do" list that we didn't do, more that we didn't say, more that we just "didn't". I am filled with such a mix of emotions each time she leaves, but the most profound of them all is always a blend of pride and joy--pride in the woman that she has become and joy in knowing that she is living a life she loves and returning to a city she loves and people she loves. So as we leave her at the airport later today, I will cry just as I am now, but I have learned that my tears are just my way of saying, "Goodbye, my sweet girl; I'll be counting the days until we see you again." (And in the meantime, just keep on living your dream!--Oh, and remember who you are!)

Of course, this blog began almost five years ago as a way to celebrate and share Jonathon's recovery with friends and family so I would be remiss not to mention the blessings of his life and the joys we've experienced in watching his progress. He is truly a miracle, and we thank God every day for letting us keep him here with us and using his life as a testimony to others of God's grace and faithfulness. This past semester brought new challenges to Jonathon and forced us to make some painful decisions, but through it all we tried to remain focused on the blessings rather than the difficulties. We decided mid-semester that it was in Jonathon's best interest to withdraw and regroup, so with heavy hearts we moved him back home in October. We are in the process of working out arrangements for another type of therapy, called Cognitive Reorganizational Therapy, to teach him new ways to process and recall what he learns. We are hopeful that this new therapy will help him become more pro-active in identifying and expressing his educational needs to prevent feeling so overwhelmed with the workload. Additionally, we are working with his Vocational Rehabilitation counselor to gain approval for a reduced course load. If and when that all falls into place, Jonathon should be able to return to classes next fall. Please join us in praying for yet another hurdle to be jumped.

This is beginning to look and sound like a "Christmas" update letter so to continue along that path......Jeff moved out about two weeks after Jonathon moved home. As happy as I was (and am) for him to find his own place, I admit that it would be nice for him to be around for Jon's sake. I know that Jonathon gets lonely (and probably bored) being here with David and me most of the time. On the positive side, though, Jeff is really great about taking him over to his place to hang out. Just last week, he bought a new couch and announced that now Jon would have a place to sleep if he wanted to stay over! I'm confident that Jon will take him up on that offer. Jeff is a gem and extremely committed to Jonathon and to seeing him become all that God desires him to be. He clearly loves his twin brother and wants the very best for him. Jeff is a truly unique young man and a blessing to each of us every day.

And finally, in other Clark news.....we have been given the "green light" to share our newest (and smallest at the moment) blessing: Drumroll, please.......We will be welcoming another little Clark into the world next July! Taylor and Portia shared this most wonderful news with us at the beginning of November but asked us to wait to announce it for a few more weeks. For two excited and proud grandparents-to-be, that was a huge request, but we somehow managed to restrain ourselves and wait for the go-ahead. I waited for them to make their announcement at our Christmas family gathering before posting it here, but now I can no longer contain myself--I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMARY! SO EXCITED! God has once again blessed our family. Please join me in lifting Taylor, Portia, and their precious little gift in prayer during this new season of anticipation. Christmas Blessings to you and yours ~ Mary

Christmas Day 2009

(and baby makes eight!)

Thanksgiving '09

It's almost 7:00 p.m., and our Thanksgiving Day is pretty much over. We're already in our "hanging out" clothes (a.k.a. pajamas) and feeling too full (STILL), somewhat sleepy, and ever so blessed. We had the joy of celebrating Thanksgiving with each of our four amazing children and our beautiful daughter-in-law. In addition, David's two sisters, brother-in-law, nephew, and cousin were here as well as one of my brothers, his wife, and son. All in all, we had a group of 16......a small group compared to some of our other family gatherings!

As I reflect on the day, I realize how very much I have to be thankful for......things that I so often take for granted in the chaos of every day life. Of course, I will be forever grateful to my Lord for sparing our sweet Jonathon and giving him a future. I am thankful to have a God who loves me in spite of myself. I think, though, that too often as I recognize the miracle of Jonathon, I sometimes overlook many of the other blessngs of my life. Things like:
1. My amazing husband of over 33 years and the love that has grown stronger through each of our joys, sorrows, and trials.

2. The beauty of living in the same home for over 30 years--a home where we raised our four beautiful children.
3. Our son, Taylor, who is married to his "true companion"--a blessing beyond words--who has grown into a man of honor and integrity and who continues to be a source of immense pride.

4. Our daughter, Blair, who has grown into a beautiful, strong, amazing young woman--someone who makes me incredibly proud to call her my daughter, as well as my friend.

5. Our son, Jonathon, who is alive today purely by the grace of God and who knows that God has a very special purpose for his life.

6. Our son, Jeff, whose strength never ceases to amaze me--whose loyalty to Jonathon and concern for his future is beyond measure, the kind of loyalty that is based on a bond that has only grown stronger over the years.

7. My brothers, David's sisters, and their families--through the years we have become each other's support systems. Through the laughter and the tears, we've "been there" for each other, and I am eternally grateful.

8. My wonderful friends and co-workers who tolerate me and embrace me in spite of my shortcomings.

9. A church family that has grown more precious to us with the passing of time, a group that rallied around us in our greatest time of need and made sure that our needs were met.

10. Parents who left a legacy of love and the importance of family. The lessons they taught and the memories they left impact our lives every day and will, hopefully, carry through to the next generation.

My list seems pitifully short in comparison to the mulitude of blessings in my life. I pray that I never forget to be thankful.