12 Weeks of Summer (and it's almost over)

What a summer it has been! It’s incredible to take a look back at last spring and even comprehend how much our lives have changed in such a short time.

There is much to share about Gary and his progress. He has gone from somewhere around 10 medications while in the hospital to a couple of weeks left on his ulcer medication and that's it. His blood pressure is usually stable, vision is hardly ever doubled anymore and his dizziness is much improved. Exercise really lowers his blood pressure, but he keeps at it anyway. He is determined to get stronger. His speech is almost back to normal and when he smiles now, there is no droop on the left. Dr. Kim saw him last week and he was grinning like a Cheshire cat after asking Gary about his improvements. He said he never knew for sure that some nerve hadn't been damaged.

This week saw the end of “chairs”. There is no more wheelchair in the early morning and the shower chair will be taken apart and re-boxed. The only special chair in Gary’s near future is a beach chair, as we have decided that we desperately need a short trip to listen to ocean waves and take long walks across the sand, assisted by a wooden cane, because yes, the walker is actually gone also.

Just a few short weeks ago, I shared with some friends that it was heartbreaking to see Gary unable to walk and I cried as I said that no one knew how long it would be before he could play on the worship team again. It was only a few days later that he came walking into the kitchen unaided because he forgot his walker and he regularly forgets his cane now also. And this Sunday, Gary played his first worship service. Alyssa and I were in the nursery when we heard the claps and cheers. At first we had been upset that we were going to miss him; then we realized that we would be crying so much, it was better if we just stayed in with the kiddos. As it turned out, we took turns peeking into the auditorium to see him sitting up there playing the keyboard. I’ll admit it…we took pictures. I'm pretty sure everyone totally understood.

In all honesty it seems like May 27^th was a million years ago. If I even start to list all the changes in our lives, I get overwhelmed. Gary is not the only one who has changed…the girls and I see life in a totally different way. There are some trivial things that mean more than anyone can imagine, like watching Gary setting up the sprinkler or walking through the grocery store. There are also many trivial things that make us all impatient; I’ll do you all the favor of not listing those here. Amy tells me that she has so much trouble now dealing with people who are constantly in a bad mood for no good reason (which is kind of funny if you knew her as a teenager:)). Alyssa struggles a lot with those who take good things for granted. She knows how incredibly quickly all of that can be taken away from you.

There is a country song called, “Live Like You Were Dying” and it expresses my feelings so well, “I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying…I was the friend a friend should be.” I think all of us realize that not only is our time on this earth finite, we should truly fill our days with the things that matter: God, family, friends, talking with one another, reading good books, eating good food, taking care of ourselves, going places, pursuing our passions and yes, even watching our favorite TV shows:). Alyssa and I have pretty much given up facebook. I check in a couple of times a day for a few minutes and she only gets on about once a week. I’m only on the computer to write or to prepare for another year of school. I’ve also found that housework is just as easily done once a month as once a week and the house still looks almost as clean. We love spending time with our friends, laughing together, trying new restaurants, going to movies…just give us a call.

Alyssa and I have been on a search for a “Big Adventure” and she finally settled on one. She is going to conquer her fear of heights by doing a zipline as soon as it cools off a bit. If you hear an echoing, unexplained scream on an early fall morning, just assume it’s her. She is also going to take some chances with some solo dance performances and competitions, just for the experience. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. I have some big plans for the school year, new programs to try and what I’m calling our “Downtown Day”. I’ve decided you can study at Central Market, by the lake or at the Arboretum just as well as the kitchen. And my goal is to see one movie a week, if there’s something even remotely interesting. Amy is interviewing for a childcare job and she is on a waitlist for her first ACC math class. Gary has always loved trying new things, so I won’t be surprised by anything he wants to do. We already have some new kitchen utensils, including the butane torch for cooking meringues (and it also comes in handy for browning sausages apparently, as he was doing that for lunch the other day). He did have some disappointments this last week, when his body, which still requires lots of healing sleep, didn’t allow him to experience some adventures with “the merry men”, but they’re planning a Texas BBQ Extravaganza soon that will help make up for it.

Honestly, the last few weeks have been a little shaky for Alyssa and me, as we are still dealing with anxiety over Gary and all that he is doing and trying to do (like exercise for an hour or two a day…I mean, who does that when they’re healthy, much less 3 months out from brain surgery). Just how much anxiety we were feeling was well illustrated this last weekend when Gary walked in from the garage and announced, “I’m bleeding.” I was out of the chair in a split second; both Alyssa and I felt the adrenaline shoot through our bodies. I literally felt faint. You will all be relieved to hear that he just scratched the top of his hand:/ and he’s now been asked to be more careful about his sudden announcements. We’re letting him do as much as he wants to do and take over the old jobs that he used to do, without being frightened (sort of) and this week has been good. I had a 2 ½ hour coffee time with a dear friend and didn’t tear up once and the last three days the house has once again been filled with Alyssa’s laughter. I think we’re finally realizing that this amazing man is on his way back, and like the summer, this is almost over!