Wednesday Today is our first borns 20th Birthday. We have been truly blessed. Ryan is kind and gentle, but can be alert and protective. He has always looked out for the underdog and has a firm grip on what is right and what is wrong. His young life has not been cake walk, he is often asked to step in as a third parent to his younger brother. And to wait on his own plans because of the rest of his familys needs. He is tall and strong, but will still lay down and let his brother dog pile on him. I will hear a big groan... followed by a Kyle giggle... My reaction is always the same Kyle, dont hurt your big brother!... Ryan rely is always the same too Mom, please... He cant hurt me. Ryan has been Jims constant companion anytime I couldnt. He has pushed his Dad not to give up, and to do his best... All the same lessons his father taught him. Jim, in turn, wants to show his son what working through the pain really looks like. I love seeing my duo in action. Jim will look over at his son and meet his eyes, Ryan will do the Guy Nod back at his Dad... the whole interchange takes less than 10 seconds, and Im so glad I didnt blink and miss it. Today, we are practicing getting into a tub in the Therapy Rooms simulated bathroom... We will be converting our tub into a shower with a seat for Jims recovery. The reality of Jim coming home is now becoming real outside of our dreams! Jims favorite phrase during therapy is Oh, come on! The people around him (including me) thinks he is complaining to them about the action he is trying complete. But the other day, Jim clarified I am talking to my body, I am telling it to move and it is slow to respond... It is very frustrating!. Today, Jim has a stress headache. He is worrying about me trying to get the house ready. He is stressing on how all our loose ends will tie themselves together. I get an ice pack for his noggin. It helps a lot. One call to his dear friend lifts some of the stress away... As most of you know - it is SO HARD for us to ask for help. Jim went into law enforcement to help his fellow human, calling for help for ourselves is just not in our DNA. Even pushing the nurse call button is hard for us to do! A tray arrived for Jim at lunch... Other than the yogurt and the ice tea... It will go back untouched. You can led a horse to water... but you cant make him drink it, if it look icky! I ask Jim if he would like a grilled sandwich from the cafe, his eyes gleamed for the first time today at the mention. As I paid for our lunch I see Ryan joining his Dad at the table by the window. I am so glad I had included a sandwich for Ry in our order... He had perfect timing. Tara wants to practice Jim getting into our SUV... Ryan brings the car to the entrance and the session begins. The hardest thing Jim had to do today... as exit his own car and go back inside the Rehab Center... We could have been like Kyles escaped balloon from Monday, and just take off as soon as that car door opened! We have one more week here... And then we will escape back to our new reality and new life. May your Thursday be filled with good surprises, And rest assured Jims recovering strength is feeding his whole family with appreciation for every thought and prayer said in his name. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 12:24:31 +0000