What A Day

Wow. We had a pretty great day today. For the first time, dad was able to leave the hospital, and this time he went farther than the parking garage. (Mom got an awesome new accessible van and yesterday she and Pops went for a cruise. But they were feeling a little nervous about leaving the safety of the hospital, so they ended up driving from the first floor of the parking garage up to the fifth floor and back again. Not the most scenic drive, but we're all about baby steps here.)

But today was a different story! Fans and I met mom at the hospital to pick up dad, and I'll admit we were all feeling pretty anxious. Dad also had mixed feelings about the day. After almost five months in the hospital, it's a major deal to load up in a van, leave the nurses behind, and head out on the road. Basically, Pops has to trust us to care for him in case something were to go wrong, and that can be a little scary....for all of us. But we did it! And we're all feelin' good...

We got to show him the house Fans and I will be moving into soon, and then we headed to Mike and Becky's where he and mom will be living when he leaves the hospital permanently. We weren't quite sure how easy it would be for him to get around the house, but it turned out to be really quite accessible for him. Mike and Becky designed it well, and he was impressed with all of it, especially his huge bathroom that's been customized for his needs. We spent the rest of the afternoon outside playing with the grand kids, hanging out in the sunshine. It was beautifully normal. Well, there was one minor mishap, but we dealt with it. (And by "we" I am referring directly to the B-Team.) Yeah, that's right...we came, we saw, we boweled. It was empowering. It was fantastic. Well, I guess it's mostly mom who should be proud, but we were able to transfer dad with no problem, and it was a relief to know we could do it, and do it well!

The quote of the day came when Mike and Fans were moving a heavy sofa into the garage. As we watched them strain and grunt, dad said, "Hmm. Finally a moment where I'm actually happy to be a quad." See...there are benefits...

All in all, a great day. A chance for dad to live in reality, if only for an afternoon. A chance for all of us to see what our new life will be like. A much different life, but life nonetheless. We agreed that we'll probably be spending many future Sunday's much like this one. Hanging outside, watching the kids play, chillin' on lawn chairs. Sounds pretty normal, right? I love normal. Normal is nice.

We got Pops back to the hospital by 5:30 p.m. and he was pretty wiped out. He agreed it was a great day and went better than expected. I think we all realized that, as a family, we're going to be okay. There will be surprises and mistakes and challenges, but you know what, we're going to be okay. I am in awe of how God is working this out, how he is bringing us together in ways we may have never experienced otherwise. What a blessing. Thank you God for leading us through today.

And tomorrow could be just as huge. At 9:30 a.m. Pops will be taking the swallow test for the third time. We pray, pray, pray that he finally passes and it's bye-bye stomach tubes. This has been a challenge for him the last few months, so we are praying the third time really is a charm. We have no doubt that whatever the outcome, it's all going to be okay. Not because of our own strength or our own abilities, but simply because with God all things are possible. It's only because of Him that we are able to do anything, we are never beyond the reach of his grace.

We give Him all the glory.