Friday, May 7, 2010
Our New Yard Man
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The Proof is in the Resurrection
For most of us, Sunday represents the beginning of a week but the conclusion of a weekend. For Christians, Easter Sunday represents the very foundation of our faith. The birth of our Savior on Christmas marks the beginning of a life prophesied in scripture which would conclude not in death but in resurrection, also prophesied. Without the fulfillment of that prophecy, there would be no Christianity. Easter IS Christianity! As our pastor puts it, "Christmas is the promise; Easter is the proof!"
In concluding our weekend/starting our week, we attended church service and shared lunch with the family. After lunch, I asked the group to pack what we have come to call our "Grady Bags", the care bags that we deliver to the ICU waiting areas at Grady and that we have now made into an Easter tradition. Each bag was filled with cookies, crackers, trail mix, Easter candy, a card game, a notepad and pen, gum, hand sanitizer, bottled water, and a toothbrush and toothpaste. We topped each bag off with a note letting the recipients know a little about Jonathon's story and telling them that they will be in our prayers. It's funny really; I never know exactly how many bags to take, so it's a bit of a guessing game to determine. I remember the first year we took them (2006), we carefully planned and decided that eight bags would be enough (based on the number of family groups we typically encountered in the ICU waiting room when Jon was there). The eight bags were enough, but we left wishing we had taken a few more to share with some of the larger groups. Each year we have increased the number that we take, and each year we leave thinking that we could have easily shared even more. We always seem to have enough (thank God) but it is such a joy to share them, we find ourselves wanting to do more. This year we took 18 bags, and for the first time ever, we were left with one bag after giving them to each family group and giving more than one to larger families. As we left the hospital, we stopped at the Information Desk and shared the final bag with the worker there. Her smile and appreciation made the decision so right! I'm not sure if she was a volunteer or a paid employee, but the fact remains that she was not with her family on Easter Sunday--something that I hope I never have to experience. The families that we met were also so sweet and appreciative; each of them sharing their story and genuinely touched to be remembered. What they couldn't know was that the greatest appreciation was ours. We are so grateful to the medical staff and to our family, friends, and even strangers for the support that they gave us during those darkest days as well as the days that followed, this is simply our way of saying, "Thank You".
One of the other highlights of my day (and by far not the least) was the pure joy I experienced as my sweet daughter-in-law let me feel our little grandson move. As we ate lunch, she said that he was moving and asked if I'd like to feel him (ha, yes!). I gently placed my hand on her expanding tummy and felt the sweetest little nudge. It was almost as if he were saying, "Hi GrandMary! Guess what? I'll be there soon!" PURE, UNMEASURABLE JOY! I'm wiping away tears just writing about it! It was simply amazing......God is so good!
As I prepare to begin another week, I am counting the blessings that we've already seen and anticipating the miracles yet to come! I am so ready!!!
In concluding our weekend/starting our week, we attended church service and shared lunch with the family. After lunch, I asked the group to pack what we have come to call our "Grady Bags", the care bags that we deliver to the ICU waiting areas at Grady and that we have now made into an Easter tradition. Each bag was filled with cookies, crackers, trail mix, Easter candy, a card game, a notepad and pen, gum, hand sanitizer, bottled water, and a toothbrush and toothpaste. We topped each bag off with a note letting the recipients know a little about Jonathon's story and telling them that they will be in our prayers. It's funny really; I never know exactly how many bags to take, so it's a bit of a guessing game to determine. I remember the first year we took them (2006), we carefully planned and decided that eight bags would be enough (based on the number of family groups we typically encountered in the ICU waiting room when Jon was there). The eight bags were enough, but we left wishing we had taken a few more to share with some of the larger groups. Each year we have increased the number that we take, and each year we leave thinking that we could have easily shared even more. We always seem to have enough (thank God) but it is such a joy to share them, we find ourselves wanting to do more. This year we took 18 bags, and for the first time ever, we were left with one bag after giving them to each family group and giving more than one to larger families. As we left the hospital, we stopped at the Information Desk and shared the final bag with the worker there. Her smile and appreciation made the decision so right! I'm not sure if she was a volunteer or a paid employee, but the fact remains that she was not with her family on Easter Sunday--something that I hope I never have to experience. The families that we met were also so sweet and appreciative; each of them sharing their story and genuinely touched to be remembered. What they couldn't know was that the greatest appreciation was ours. We are so grateful to the medical staff and to our family, friends, and even strangers for the support that they gave us during those darkest days as well as the days that followed, this is simply our way of saying, "Thank You".
One of the other highlights of my day (and by far not the least) was the pure joy I experienced as my sweet daughter-in-law let me feel our little grandson move. As we ate lunch, she said that he was moving and asked if I'd like to feel him (ha, yes!). I gently placed my hand on her expanding tummy and felt the sweetest little nudge. It was almost as if he were saying, "Hi GrandMary! Guess what? I'll be there soon!" PURE, UNMEASURABLE JOY! I'm wiping away tears just writing about it! It was simply amazing......God is so good!
As I prepare to begin another week, I am counting the blessings that we've already seen and anticipating the miracles yet to come! I am so ready!!!
Friday, March 12, 2010
A Word from Jon......
After sharing with me the significance for him of today, Jon wrote the following:
Well, after five years I figured it was about time I actually posted something to the site!
I have so much to be thankful for. I do not remember much of anything that had happened in the month of March 2005; my first memories after my aneurysm weren’t until a month later at the Shepherd Center. Initially, I wasn’t confused about being paralyzed on my left side and needing a wheelchair in order to get around. Somehow I felt that’s how my life was, but didn’t know how long it had been that way. My family visited me daily, so I somehow felt like they were living there too, but in different rooms. In my bedroom, there was a large yellow banner across the wall that read, “www.prayersforjon.com” on it. I didn’t know why people needed to be praying for me, other than my release from Shepherd in order to go home.
I didn’t begin to question why I was at Shepherd until frustrations began to build on why I had to go through daily rounds of therapy. When someone on staff told me the reason I was at Shepherd was from a stroke, my mind refused to believe it. After coming home from Shepherd, , I began to accept the possibility of that reason through the extraordinary difficulties I experienced in the simplest tasks, such as dressing myself and getting into a car. When I finally came to terms with the truth of what had happened, God has done amazing things in my life! Almost eight months after my aneurysm, He “woke” my left leg up by allowing me to move it while being dressed in the hospital bed that was in the temporary bedroom of my home. And three months later, God gave me the ability to surprise my dad with a “thumbs up” from my left hand.
How amazing the first steps I took with a walker were, and how emotional was I when I saw my physical therapist say to my mom, “Jon’s gonna walk again!” I thank our Lord every day for the strength he continues to give me and for the independence I continue to gain from all the physical assistance I used to require from both my parents and medical personnel. I am also very excited to see myself typing this post at my personal computer with both hands, which is a skill I am certain will be very helpful in allowing me to play guitar and write songs for the first time in over five years.
Thank you all for your continued prayers over my family and me, and may God bless and keep you.
Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God every time I remember you.”
In His Precious Love,
Jon
Well, after five years I figured it was about time I actually posted something to the site!
I have so much to be thankful for. I do not remember much of anything that had happened in the month of March 2005; my first memories after my aneurysm weren’t until a month later at the Shepherd Center. Initially, I wasn’t confused about being paralyzed on my left side and needing a wheelchair in order to get around. Somehow I felt that’s how my life was, but didn’t know how long it had been that way. My family visited me daily, so I somehow felt like they were living there too, but in different rooms. In my bedroom, there was a large yellow banner across the wall that read, “www.prayersforjon.com” on it. I didn’t know why people needed to be praying for me, other than my release from Shepherd in order to go home.
I didn’t begin to question why I was at Shepherd until frustrations began to build on why I had to go through daily rounds of therapy. When someone on staff told me the reason I was at Shepherd was from a stroke, my mind refused to believe it. After coming home from Shepherd, , I began to accept the possibility of that reason through the extraordinary difficulties I experienced in the simplest tasks, such as dressing myself and getting into a car. When I finally came to terms with the truth of what had happened, God has done amazing things in my life! Almost eight months after my aneurysm, He “woke” my left leg up by allowing me to move it while being dressed in the hospital bed that was in the temporary bedroom of my home. And three months later, God gave me the ability to surprise my dad with a “thumbs up” from my left hand.
How amazing the first steps I took with a walker were, and how emotional was I when I saw my physical therapist say to my mom, “Jon’s gonna walk again!” I thank our Lord every day for the strength he continues to give me and for the independence I continue to gain from all the physical assistance I used to require from both my parents and medical personnel. I am also very excited to see myself typing this post at my personal computer with both hands, which is a skill I am certain will be very helpful in allowing me to play guitar and write songs for the first time in over five years.
Thank you all for your continued prayers over my family and me, and may God bless and keep you.
Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God every time I remember you.”
In His Precious Love,
Jon
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.
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
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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!
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!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, January 15, 2010
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!)
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