DAY COUNTING?

I know you all think I have stopped blogging - not so our faithful prayer warriors. I need a voice activated computer that could be operated in the car while driving. If it could just read my mind that would be even better - sometimes I am just too tired to even formulate a sentence that makes sense. It has become even clearer to me that we were exactly where we needed to be for all of those months in Baltimore. Ken is still progressing in a forward direction and for that we are extremely grateful. There have been some days in the last several weeks that I wasn't convinced of that though. He continues to remain in the hospital and not in a rehab facility and there are times I wonder if he is getting stronger at all. Occupational and physical therapy come every morning to work with him and then he still has dialysis on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Since I was off work on Labor Day I had the opportunity to go sit in on Ken's therapy sessions. It was good to see how they were working with him, I just don't understand why his progress is so slow.

When I last shared with you, Hannah was to soon be back in Nashville for a visit before she had to return to work. Although Ken seemed very tired that week, they were able to visit quite a bit. She did not miss a day going to the hospital so it was "quantity" as well as "quality" time. She even prepared a chart that listed the goals she and her dad put together. The top goal is still to take Jack fishing, well that is after GOING HOME. Ken had a chance to see the teacher coming out in Hannah first hand - she awarded him two gold stars for accomplishments in his therapy. She even left me some stars to award for other accomplishments - I thought motivating himself 65 feet in the wheelchair was a great one to be added. I went and bought some weight training gloves that have open fingers and a padded palm to help him grasp the wheels and protect his hands. He looks pretty cool to me with those leather gloves and hospital gown racing down the hallway - OK, maybe not racing, but to those of us watching it was exciting.

Wii- do you know what that is? GREAT FUN!! For a few of you who may not know, Wii is a gaming console that is used to experience interactive games. I had heard that the Wii was being used in different facilities to promote some physical activity as well as interaction with others. I was wondering if it might be good for Ken - I wanted to try it before buying. Our gaming guru, Riley, set me up with his for the weekend. This was the same weekend Hannah was here and Josh, Melanie and Jack came to visit. Talk about a crazy hospital room - it was definitely filled with laughter. We were bowling, playing tennis and baseball, golfing and even boxing. Ken played a little but mostly he and Jack just watched, it was quite a sight. We had a great time!!

It seemed like Hannah had to leave all to soon - that week just flew by. There is a church sign I pass every day on my way to work, and for a while it read, "Don't count the days -- Make each day count". I have pondered that thought a lot. Counting how many days until...........is not where my counting lies. Rather it is looking back and counting how many days it has been since.............. Especially lately. Did you know that from February 22nd to September 6th is 198 days. If you you tack on another 51 days, that takes you back to January 2nd, when I had to call for the ambulance and that puts the total at 249 days. Whether it is counting since.... or until......I am not living in the present. How can I make the day count if I am not in it? Lately, I have been so frustrated and stressed out. I find myself getting extreme road rage when I am driving from one place to another. I just want it to all be over! For whatever reason, (most likely, taking my eyes off the One who knows the way, and feeling sorry for myself) I have lost sight of taking one step at a time and being content with God's time table. The only reason I should be looking back is to remember how faithful God has been and to give Him honor and praise - HE IS WORTHY!!!!!

Please pray for me! This state I find myself in lately is not good on me mentally or physically. Would you pray for Ken's mental and physical health as well. He wants to come home so much. Although I feel like I am tied to the hospital, I am still able to have a change in my routine and scenery. Ken has been very patient with his situation but he gets discouraged. As I said earlier, we are very grateful that he continues to progress. We are grateful that each biopsy continues to have a good report and shows no signs of rejection. The steroid dosage has been reduced each time and that is definitely something to be grateful for. He is scheduled Tuesday morning for another biopsy and we are praying that the same positive results will be the word. AS ALWAYS, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOU AND YOUR EFFORTS TO GET US THROUGH THIS PART OF OUR JOURNEY!!