Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Milestones!

Today was a day of milestones for my honey. This morning they changed his trach to a smaller one. Afterward the speech therapist came in to work with him and got him to whisper a few words! He responded to a couple of questions first with a yes and then a no. Then the PA came in and asked him his name and he told him!! While working with the PT he moved his left leg a little!!
This afternoon I accompanied Ray to his second session of OT, which was followed by more PT. During OT he was asked to write something, anything. He wrote, "I feel good." ALRIGHT!!
The therapist then asked him to write the answers to a few questions she had written down. What month is it? March is what he wrote. He could answer everything else. What hospital are you in? Gaylord. What is your wife's name? Deborah. (Getting a little formal are we? I don't think he has ever called me that!) Your sons names? It took a little time, as I think he was getting tired, but in the end he answered; Eric, Matthew, Jon and Tim!
His writing was tiny and all scrunched on the left side of the page and sometimes on top of other writing, but he wrote!! He seems to be having trouble with his vision, possibly the peripheral.
When we met up with the PT, she was bubbling over with how he had made her day by moving his leg that morning! Then we crossed paths with the ST, who was nearly dancing with joy that he had spoken! This place is wonderful; the staff is so encouraging!! And encouraging is what a person needs when they are in such a position.
Ray is still adjusting to the condition he has found himself in. Imagine that you wake up what feels like tomorrow morning and discover it is nearly six weeks later and you cannot do anything for yourself. You can't eat or drink a thing; there's a tube directly into your stomach that feeds you. And that's just for starters!
After Ray had written his first words saying he felt good I asked him if that was physically and he nodded yes. I then asked if that went for his mental state also. To this he responded no. When I look into his eyes I can see that he is struggling. I told him it must be a shock to wake up and find himself in such condition. He grimly nodded yes.
By the end of the afternoon Ray was growing uncomfortable and said that he was experiencing pain in his throat and chest. He had also reached his limit of sitting and was eager to get to his room and his bed.
Back in his room we prayed and I again read a devotion to him. It was discussing John 5:1-9 where Jesus healed the invalid of thirty-eight years and was entitled "Becoming Whole." It was a good reminder to both of us that Jesus is the healer of not only the physical, but of spiritual, emotional and mental brokenness also.
Papa keeps bringing two different scriptures to my attention: 1 Corinthians 2:9 and Ephesians 3:20. He has so much in store for those of us who love Him and it is so much more than we can ever imagine!! What is He saying to me? Well, I think Brennan Manning says it best in his "Reflections for Ragamuffins"- Hope your wildest hopes, dream your maddest dreams, imagine your most fantastic fantasies. Where your hopes and your dreams and your imagination leave off, the love of my heavenly Father only begins!"
So today's milestones are nothing in comparison to what we will see in the future! What a joy and privilege to be able to entrust today and tomorrow to such a loving God!!

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