Better Than Football

Continued forward progress on the Pops front....slow but steady. Therapy is going pretty well, and dad is taking advantage of finally feeling healthy after months of struggling with one issue or another. On the wall of his room was posted a story he had written himself...the letters are scribbly but certainly legible. I know he gets down about his abilities and how long it takes him to do things, but to see a paragraph he had written was very exciting. His story involved a fair maiden named Jean who lived in a castle with her grandchildren and a handsome prince...hmmmm...vaguely familiar...

It was great to see him trach-free, but since he loses some air through the hole he has to cover his throat with his hand to speak. But he sounds really good. His voice is a little weak, and he needs to take a breath after each sentence, but hopefully he will get stronger. Due to his accident and the damage to his diaphragm, he may never have the voice or breath strength that he used to, but to us he sounds great. His blood sugar has finally stabilized so he no longer needs insulin every day. For him that means no more finger pricks! Yahoo! The doctors still plan to send him home in 2 to 3 weeks, so mom is working on buying an accessible van to make the transition smoother. A sweet ride to go with his sweet chair...

The crazy snowstorm yesterday which began as a headache for me turned into a magical night with my Pops. As I headed to the hospital to stop in and see dad on my way home to Chicago, I spun out on I-94 and 360'd my way across three lanes of traffic without getting hit. A miracle in itself...but it spooked me so bad I told dad I wasn't leaving till the snow stopped. So my expected one hour stop turned into a long night hanging out with Pops...and what a blessing it turned out to be. For the first time ever, dad asked if I would show him the blog, so I followed him to the gym and we hopped on the computer. He has heard about the blog and how it works, but has never quite been ready to face reality and all that has happened to him in the past four months. He was pretty blown away...the pictures of him in the beginning, his very critical condition, all the people that have been reading about him and praying....he just couldn't believe it. He cried...a lot. I kept asking if it was too much, if we should go back to his room, but he said, "No, no, I want to read it." Even I had forgotten much of what he's been through, and it was good to go back and realize just how far he's come. Unbelievable. We only went through a few of the first posts and the most recent, but he really loved it. I think it's good for him, sort of helps the healing process, I suppose. Know that he greatly appreciates the prayers and comments...he was blown away to say the least.

The night only got better...he escorted me down to the cafeteria for dinner (well, I ate and he watched, but it was precious nonetheless) and it hit me harder than I thought it would. I looked around and wanted to yell, "Helllllo, people, yoo hoo!...do you see me over here?? I am eating dinner with my Pops!...do you have any idea how amazing this is?" But the general public seemed pretty oblivious to the fact that the cafeteria was offering much more than Swedish meatballs that night. It was offering a slice of 'normalcy' for us as, day by day, we seem to get a little piece of our Pops back. Yes, it's going to be very tough moving back into the real world, but I have never been more sure of God's perfect timing. His absolute, precise, never a second late timing. Mom is still readying the house for dad to move home, but it should be done in about 2-3 weeks. Perfect timing.

I had said goodbye and was leaving dad's room last night when he said, "Ames?"
I stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"
"Better than playing football, right?"
I smiled. "Yeah. Without a doubt, Pops, better than football."

God is smart. Way smart. What a privilege to be used by Him in this way. And how awesome to watch as before our eyes He is turning pain and suffering into something beautiful. God is good.