Wheeeeeeee!

Telling ourselves that it would be great exercise, we broke down and bought a Wii........that's right, WE now own a Wii! What we didn't tell ourselves was how utterly ridiculous we would feel trying to play the darn thing! I mean, I can't even coordinate swinging my arm and releasing a button at the same time, and my sweet hubby isn't much better! Admittedly, the only game he and I have even attempted was bowling but so far, things aren't looking so good! We are definitely challenged in the eye-hand coordination area where the Wii is concerned. Do you think our age could possibly have anything to do with it?

Can't wait 'til we try out the Wii Fit, but the image in my head sure isn't pretty! I want to tackle the Yoga; however, I suspect that the yoga will tackle me! Truthfully, we are hopeful that it will not only be a fun way for us to get some exercise, it will be therapeutic for Jon as well. I truly believe that the movement, coordination, and stimulation he can get will be an overall benefit and won't feel so much like a therapy session. What I think I want most of all is for the family to have fun doing it together!

Weekend Update

Not exactly the SNL version, but here's a little update of last weekend with Jon:

1. We drove to Athens on Saturday afternoon to attend his fraternity's parent's weekend.


2. The three of us (David, Jon, and myself) had a FABULOUS dinner at a local Japanese restaurant--one of Jon's favorites. Coincidentally (I think not!) I sat next to a physical therapist from a neighboring town who was amazed at Jonathon's progress after hearing his story.


3. After dinner, we were THE FIRST arrivals at the band party. (Oh yay!) After chatting with the band members (which included taking promotional pictures of them) AND the bartenders AND the venue security AND the representative from the local police force (who, by the way, also does specialty cakes and photographs special events), the second set of parents arrived with their son followed soon (thankfully) by the rest of the fraternity! Seriously, we waited at least half an hour for the rest of the crowd to show up and get the party started!


4. We had a ball dancing the (rest of the) night away. For those of you who might wonder, let me just say that Jonny-Boy's still got it! He loves to dance, and can truly hold his own on the dance floor, even managing a few dips and twirls! (Perhaps I shouldn't mention the part where I took his cane and used it in my own solo-dance.........nah, I'll skip that part! Haha!)


5. On Sunday, we joined the rest of the fraternity for lunch at the Fiji house. It was a beautiful day with wonderful food and delightful company! Although this will likely be the last time we attend a parent's weekend, it will certainly not be soon forgotten. The young men in his fraternity are a wonderful group of men, and I am proud that Jon has been associated with them.


6. As always, it was difficult to leave. Jon has made so much progress and come so far, I still have a hard time stepping back and letting time march on. Perhaps it's just because I'm finally in a place where I can truly appreciate what "time" really means. Time is such a gift, and the older I get the more I recognize that.

"Yesterday is history; tomorrow's a mystery. Today is a gift; that's why they call it the 'present'."

PS--This one's for you, Kelly! Thanks for reminding me that I need to make the time to record our history.....

David with Jon

Me with Jon

Sort of like being on vacation where you take turns
taking each other's picture!

Wednesday Woes...or Should I say Wows?

Today was a rarity..........rare in that I didn't talk to Jonathon even ONCE all day! To most moms with college-age children, that's probably more "the norm", but for me it's pretty unusual for a day to pass without even a text! Even more amazing is that it didn't really hit me until just a little while ago that I hadn't heard from him--does that make me sad? Maybe a litte........but in a bigger way, it makes me truly happy. Happy because I believe that it means he has had a good day. I worry sometimes (okay a lot) that he is lonely at school, but not hearing from him makes me think that he is just too busy to bother with me! And isn't that how most college students deal with their parents?

Remember when David made a sign for Jon's room that read N-O-R-M-A-L? That was the goal all along.......for some degree of normalcy to return to his life. So now, instead of worrying that I don't hear from him for a day, I'll celebrate NORMAL, knowing that there are plenty of other moms with kids away at school who didn't hear from theirs today (or yesterday for that matter). Yay, for normalcy! (Now, Jonathon, if you're reading this, "CALL YOUR MOTHER!" )

"He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young..." ~ Deuteronomy 32: 10-11

Monday Morning Mumblings

It's now a little after 10:00 in the morning, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I have been out of bed for exactly 39 minutes! That is just crazy to me! Could it be the rain outside, the allergies that are making my throat feel like sandpaper, or the fact that I'm just lazy??? I'd rather go with the rain theory.......somehow labeling oneself as lazy just doesn't have that "feel good" effect--hmmmm. (Or, could it possibly be that I just needed the rest?--Actually, I'd rather go with that idea!) Anyway, it IS the beginning of another work-week for most of the Clarks, another school week for Jonathon, and another week of gratitude for life in general. It is a VERY dreary day outside, but hey, haven't we all learned that you gotta have a little rain before the sun shines through? Thank you, Lord, for sunshine AND rain! (Now, could we have a little more sunshine, please?)

Four Years? FOUR YEARS!

Today marked the fourth year since Jonathon's aneurysm--that's right, FOUR years! I guess to some it might seem a bit macabre to continue to mark each year, but to us, it merely marks another year of gratitude to our faithful and merciful God. To us, it is reason to celebrate all the blessings we have shared as a family. We have witnessed miracles, and we are forever grateful.

As a spring break treat, we took Jonathon to New York City for a few days. We left Atlanta on Saturday morning and returned on Tuesday evening and packed about as much of the "city that never sleeps" in between. We had been pondering the trip for a while and finally decided that he was strong enough to tackle it. Any of the fears or concerns that we had leading up to the trip dissipated pretty quickly upon arrival. As I said, we flew up on Saturday morning, and because the weather was so beautiful, we decided to spend the afternoon in Central Park. We must have walked for at least four or five miles, taking short breaks only when needed, and we only covered the east side of the park! What's so amazing is that Jonathon took every step we did! He was such a trooper; I couldn't have been more proud of him. Yes, he was exhausted at night, but so were we!!

The next two days were more of the same--walking, walking, walking (with even a few rides on New York's infamous subway system) as we visited the Museum of Natural History, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, Radio City Music Hall, Ground Zero, and Battery Park (and everything in between!) When I stop to think of how strong Jonathon has become, I am truly amazed. God has been so faithful to give him a future--He has never forsaken His promise.

The day after we returned from New York, Jonathon visited Pathways, the outpatient facility where he received his therapies. We had lunch with the mother of a current patient there so that Jonathon could offer her encouragement in her son's recovery. He shared with her some of his highs and lows, and at one point she paused and looked at Jonathon to ask, "Are you happy?" Without missing a beat, he said, "Oh yes, ma'am, I really am." To know that my son is happy is worth all that the past four years brought. For him to be able to encourage another walking a similar path to his is such a gift. And THAT, my friends, is why we continue to celebrate! God IS good........ALL the time!

Check out my guys checking out Grand Central!
Aren't they good-looking?

And a trip to New York City wouldn't be complete

without a visit to Radio City Music Hall!

Godspots and Legacies

David and I attended an event a few nights ago entitled, "Leaving a Legacy", expecting to gain useful information in planning for our children and their children--things we had perhaps overlooked on our estate planning "To Do" list. I have to admit that the presentation fell short of our expectations, BUT the knowledge we gained was invaluable! Oh, I don't mean ANY of the information that the speaker shared; I mean the information we gathered from another couple sitting at our table. As we chatted before dinner, one of the couples shared with us that they, too, had a son attending UGA. We talked a little about the campus and about the plans our sons had for next year. I mentioned that limited mobility is an issue for Jonathon, but at no time did I say anything about WHY mobility was an issue. As we talked, another couple at our table (who knew of Jonathon's experiences) asked me how he was doing. Although they didn't say more about his situation, it was almost like a "lightbulb moment" for the other couple. At that time, the husband looked at my nametag and said, "You're Jon Clark's parents: I didn't make the connection!" He then told us that he and his wife had actually been at Sharp Top when Jonathon collapsed. He went on to tell us that he, in fact, had gone to the First Aid station to get the back board to put Jon on. While we are always interested in hearing from individuals who were at the retreat, it was what they told us next that really hit home. When the husband told us that he had retrieved the back board, his wife said, "Remember you wore your tennis shoes that day." (Normally I wouldn't think one thing about that, but she seemed to think it was important to share.) She continued by saying that he typically wouldn't wear his tennis shoes, but that when she questioned him about it, he replied that he just felt like he should wear his tennis shoes that day. WHY he felt compelled to wear tennis shoes wasn't revealed until he became the volunteer who RAN to the First Aid station (which, by the way, was uphill from the dining hall) to get the back board. Do you think that was coincidence? I certainly don't! I think it was another Godspot! I believe with all my heart that God told him to wear THOSE shoes on THAT day because he was going to need to RUN!!!

Earlier in the evening, I spoke with the doctor who had accompanied the group to Sharp Top-- remember, this was the first time a doctor had been on this particular retreat--because I wanted to tell him that he had been the subject of a speech Jonathon gave last week for one of his classes. I wanted him to know that the nature of the speech, called an epideictic extemporaneous, was to praise (or blame) a person or thing. In presenting an epideictic (yeah, I can hardly even say it!) speech, the attitude of the audience should be taken into account, particularly if the topic is of an emotional nature which Jonathon's surely was. Jonathon chose to praise Dr. Don not only for electing to go on the retreat but also for his accurate assessment of the situation on the morning Jonathon collapsed because that assessment and the decision to lifeflight him to Grady was key in saving his life. I also wanted him to know that Jonathon received 9 out of 10 points for his speech, with very favorable comments from his instructor. (Jonathon also told me that the instructor said he rarely gave 10 out of 10 points, so he was pretty pumped about his grade!) As I told the doctor all this he added that one of the things HE found to be so important in the events of that morning was that Bob, the youth director, had my cell phone number programmed into his phone. Well, what Dr. Don didn't know was that it wasn't MY cell phone number that was in Bob's phone--it was Jeff's! When Bob called Jeff, he never expected him to be home for the weekend; he assumed that Jeff would be at school and that he would get my number from him. To add to the awesomeness of God's hand in the experience is that Jeff was standing about three feet away from me when the call came in from Bob. Those few moments saved by not having to make a second call to reach me surely were key. Being able to speak with Dr. Don so quickly and give him Jonathon's medical history were critical in his assessment and in the chain of events that next occurred.

Oh, and one more thing I learned--the "tennis shoes" guy told me that one thing he found pretty cool was that when the EMTs arrived to take Jon to the hospital (although soon making the decision to have him airlifted), he noted that the driver of the ambulance was wearing a NASCAR jacket! How great is that? Maybe in that one moment in his life, that driver envisioned himself in one of the most important races of his life! And to me........he was!

So here we are, almost four years later and I am still in awe of God's total control over the events in our lives. Yes, He is God who sees the big picture, but He is also God who scripts every single detail! He tells us when to wear tennis shoes, when to come home for the weekend, when to keep cell numbers stored, when to chaperone youth group trips, and even when being a NASCAR fan might hold the key to saving another person's life. He holds each piece of the puzzle and in His time, he places each one into its very special place in our lives. Whew! Now THAT's the God I want in control of my life!

Maybe attending that program on leaving a legacy wasn't all that I had expected it to be...but just maybe it was more than I could have ever hoped for! Maybe the more I see God at work in my life and in the lives of those around me, the more equipped I am to share His love, grace, and mercy with others..........and maybe, just maybe, that's what leaving a legacy is all about!

"I want to leave a legacy. How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love; did I point to You enough?" ~Nicole Nordeman

"Those who know your name will trust in you,for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." ~ Psalm 9:10

Buckhead Boys

So Jonathon got to experience another "first" this past weekend........he went to Buckhead, which--for those of you who don't know--is a popular night spot for the "older than college, but not read to settle down" crowd in Atlanta. His twin brother, Jeff, was meeting some friends from work and asked Jon if he'd like to join them. It never occurred to me that Jonathon hadn't ever had the opportunity to just go hang out there, although I have no idea when I thought he might have! Although I must admit that I was a nervous wreck knowing he was out (yeah, I know--he's a big boy), I must also admit that I was really happy that he had the chance to just go out and be young for a change! Of course, my happiness was somewhat dimmed by the fact that they didn't get home until almost time for the paper to arrive on Saturday morning!!!! (Yeah, I didn't get much sleep that night; THEY, however, got lots of sleep on Saturday!) All in all, it was a great experience for Jonathon. He got to hang out with people his age and BE YOUNG! He's missed out on so much these past few years that I guess a night of youthful debauchery every once in a while is okay.........I'm just glad they don't do it often--I'd NEVER get any rest! Ha!