WEEKEND UP-DATE

Could someone tell me why weekends in Baltimore, MD are longer than in Franklin, TN? Is it that time zone difference or what? It sure would be nice to have a Saturday and Sunday this long when you're trying to get the weekend chores finished before Monday morning.

It was nice to have David, Ken's brother, here for a few days. I must have forgotten since the last time I was around him, orneriness runs through him as well. We had a good visit and he made sure I ate - thanks.

It was a weekend of progress for Ken - a little bit of a roller coaster at times - but there was progress none the less. His "new" heart has been able to hold the blood pressure up on its own a majority of the time - that is HUGE! The percentage of oxygen running through both the by-pass machine and the ventilator have been lowered - that is HUGE! The doctors and nurses were able to remove some of the lines in his neck and groin - "taking out" is definitely going in
the right direction. The heart has still been in "A-fib" at times and the hiccups continue to torture him off and on. The nurses can't believe he has the hiccups - they have not seen that before with someone who is incubated. As long as he is sedated they are not an issue; however, the nurses are trying to find more of what his neurological status is so they have to bring him to some of the time. His kidneys are still producing urine (a lot of it) - and that is HUGE!

Tomorrow, Ken will once again be taken to the O.R. and I pray I will be able to report that he has been taken off, at least, one of the machines. As I mentioned in a previous entry, this part of the journey never crossed our minds. We had pictured Ken running up and down the halls, harassing the doctors and nurses, and being well on our way to healing and the process of getting back to our home in Tennessee. As I've always heard, "Life is what happens when you're busy making plans".

Several years ago there was a young preacher, Ridley Barron, whose wife and and baby were killed in a car wreck only blocks away from their home when coming back from an out of town trip. He was interviewed by the paper and I have re-read a part of what he had to say so many times. "I don't want to miss what God has to show me. I don't want to get so wrapped up in feeling sorry for myself that I miss what God really wants to show me that's greater than that one event in my life. God didn't make this happen. We live in a world that's got bad in it. Bad things happen. Could God have stopped it? Yes. We have to remember that God looks at the world with the big picture in mind. God sees more than the 70-plus years I may be given on this earth or the 33-plus years Sarah was given. What God is more interested in is two things: No 1 - His Glory and No 2 - my character."

I know God has touched Ken's body and I can't wait until Ken is aware of that as well - To God Be The Glory, Great Things He Has Done.