Hope

Jonathon and I just returned from a trip to the Shepherd Center to visit with (and finally meet) a young man for whom we have prayed the last couple of months. His name is Ryan but it could just as easily be Tom, or Bob, or Matt or yes, of course, Jon. Every patient there, in fact, has the same name whether they are male or female, black or white, Christian or not.......they each bear the name "Hope", and even though the patient may not be aware of his or her new name, it is ever-present in the eyes of family members and friends. To have survived whatever medical situation brought them to Shepherd is probably the first hope fulfilled for each patient and family there. As they each begin the therapy phase of recovery, a renewed hope is born. It becomes palpable. It becomes contagious. It becomes consuming, and to be honest, it can sometimes become tiring......not the hope itself, but the daily challenges that must be faced in order to continue to have that hope. I fear that I am rambling a bit, but if you have ever shared in the journey of a friend or loved one who is traveling the road to recovery, you will "get it".

After meeting for a short time with Ryan and his beautiful wife and a dear friend of hers, Jon and I took a trip down Memory Lane, touring the newly renovated Aquired Brain Injury wing. I can honestly say Memory Lane because even I was surprised at the number of faces and names Jonathon recognized and remembered. There were about five different nurses and techs that he called by name! I think that THEY were even more surprised than me! One, in fact, told me that while they are always excited to have patients return, it is rare for a patient to even remember them. He said that they understand this because of the way a brain injury affects the patient, but that it is so rewarding for them to have a patient actually remember their name or anything about them! He said it is far more common for a patient to return and for them to "carry on" about how well the patient is doing, only to have the patient look at them with a blank stare as if to say, "WHO are you?" I guess having Jonathon recognize so many of them was indeed a blessing.....

We also found Jonathon's old room in the "quad" and had the opportunity to speak with the wife of the patient who now occupies his old space in that area. Her husband had survived a near-fatal accident that left him comatose for six weeks, but who was slowly making his way back. She was gracious enough to let us go into the room and chat, and at the end of our visit actually thanked us for bringing them a renewed hope for her husband's future. They had travelled to Shepherd from Tupelo, Mississippi, looking for a miracle. As we left the room, the wife hugged and thanked us for stopping by and especially Jonathon for the inspiration he was for them. How awesome that God allowed Jonathon to do that for this family!

This post, then, is for all of those patients at Shepherd and everywhere who are struggling to return to their former lives....whose families hold daily vigils for them as they struggle to return to what will be the new "normal" for them. To each of those families, I lift my cup and say, "Blessings to each of you; may God be with you. You are exactly where God wants you to be, and HE who has brought you this far knows the plans He has for you!" Trust Him.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11