Spring brings many new things our way

May came in with a beautiful,sunshiny display. The temperatures are rising and it feels so nice to be dry and warm outside at the same time !

The warmer days of spring have been so good for Jerry. His thermometer in his body still doesn't quite work. Usually he is always cold, kinda like me. Usually he does not like the warmer weather, unlike me !

The cold seems to increase his spasms in his body, so having warm weather has been a blessing. It has encouraged him to get outside most days. Now, we just have to remind him to not overheat. His body doesnt't sweat, crazy nerves !!

He works in his shop and has been doing little projects around the house as well. He is walking more, I catch him wobbling to his shop when he doesn't want to use his cane. (Though he is getting so much better ) Seeking his independence !! I really need to find him a more personalized cane for his spry age. If you see something that would be fitting, let me know ;-)

He is still doing Physical and Occupational therapy two times a week. We have changed his days to Mon/Wed for the most part so he can come to the Y with us on Tues/Thurs eve. That keeps him pretty active with exercising 4 days a week and has helped keep him up and going most of the rest of the time as well. He is building up his strength on the bike and a few weeks ago he actually floated in the pool. Which seems like such a simple thing,but for some reason with his nerves his buoyancy has been off. Every new accomplishment is a huge victory ! I am so proud of him and how hard he has worked with therapy and not giving up. He still has lots of nerve weakness throughout his hands and lower body. We are hopeful that with time this will all return. Knowing that our timing is not God's timing is the key to all of this !

For those of you whom have not seen him in a while, he stopped shaving in Sept !! It was hard to hold a razor and I guess you could say he didn't trust me with the razor ??? I have a few pics....

 

In April we went back up to Seattle VA and he went through Driver's Rehab. He passed his cognitive and his drive test and is back behind the wheel, officially. He is mostly building up his endurance for it now. Between his meds and his back pain , those are the two things keeping him from any big excursions so far.He does the drive to Church now, and has been driving at least one way to therapy in Bremerton. It's been a lot easier budgeting gas for one vehicle anyways ;-)

Meanwhile, the rest of the family is staying busy and keeping Dad on the move.

In Feb, Jerry's daughter, Rhiannon, whom lives in Connecticut, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. The first Grandbaby... Miss Lena. It is lovely seeing Rhi as a mama.

A.J. Is in his last quarter of Running Start- a dual credit program for High School. After beginning this Homeschool journey 13 years ago,he will be graduating in June.

Katie is staying busy with her studies as a sophomore, getting into some photography, and making her paper flower bouquets...and she helps out so much with meal prep when I'm on the road.

Sarah is usually tucked away in a book and is on swim team this past year and loving it.

Isaia has really hit a spot in his speech therapy that had us looking for new ideas. This winter he was diagnosed with CAS- Childhood Apraxia of Speech. This has opened a whole new world to us with working with him and seeking new ways to help him communicate better. If you know him, he has lots of grand things to share. Our biggest desire now is that he doesn't get frustrated and stop talking when he is not understood.We just received word that he has been accepted into a camp this summer at WSU in Spokane just for kids with Apraxia. We are still learning all the details but are very excited for this opportunity.

New seasons mean changes, and for me that means something new too. I am going to go back to school. We have talked about it for years and have decided this is a perfect time. Jerry is going to do more of the homeschooling and I will be working on my pre-reqs this fall for applying to Nursing School at Olympic College. I am really excited and looking forward to whatever is ahead.I am sad to step away from homeschooling the kids but looking forward to being able to help the family out in a new way.

Jerry goes back in to the neurosurgeon mid May to discuss his lower back. It has been so hard watching him struggle with this back pain for so long. Not sure what is the best thing for treating him but praying for wisdom as we seek more info.Please pray for comfort from the pain, He is tired of taking meds and would love relief.

Mostly we just want to share progress and continued thankfulness to all of you for coming alongside of us during this past year and a half . Your love and prayers mean so much to us.

Blessings~Tammy,Jerry and family

 

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2016 ~ How it began

 

I finally have a load of words floating around in my head again...this is one of two blog post coming out just to update you all. We sure Love you all. Thanks for following along :-)

Here it is May and life keeps us going in so many directions. Mostly , moving forward. That's the goal, to finish each chapter well. Somedays , I have to remind myself over and over, that this story isn't over yet.

This winter brought us all through a season of discouragement. I will be honest with you and say that it was one of the hardest couple of months I have ever journeyed. We were blessed by many during the holiday season and reminded of how much the Lord loves us and has surrounded us with such amazing support.

January brought me through the unjoyfulness of kidney stones, to say that they were bothersome is an understatement. I spent weeks, 3 to be exact,comforted by heat packs and consuming enormous amounts of water and pain meds. It gave me a new perspective on Jerry's consistent back pain, which to this day seems to be a non-stop battle for him.

Jerry was realizing that it had been a year since he stopped working. That in itself was discouraging,but then to see that physically his body was worse in functioning than Jan 2015 was defeating to him. A year later, his lower back injury is still bringing intense pain, but he also has the dealings of spinal cord injury to add to it. There are moments when you can see the "woe is me" and it can suck you into this dark place where life is simply a moment to moment struggle. We both know there is Hope. HOPE is the Light in those dark moments. Our HOPE is in the Lord. HE is omnipresent. He is steadfast. He is orchestrating every good and difficult part of our story. HE is waiting on us to call out to Him. Like any loving parent is. I am thankful for His arms that rescue us with Love and Grace overflowing.

I spiraled downward in Jan and Feb, myself. The weariness of the last year became heavy on me. The reality of what was ahead was not what I wanted. The dreams we have had and looked forward to all have to be changed, I was overloaded with responsibilities. I did not like the 'new normal'.

I was yearning for the normal I used to know. Wanting my hard working man to just walk in the door from a long day of work so I could be his biggest fan and welcome him home to a nice meal and restful evening. Those days are gone, for now. The winter in the NW, cold, wet, gray and gloomy had welcomed the mood of sedentary, unmotivated life in him. While I just felt lost to myself. I came to a place where I was tending to the needs of 5 people whom I love, trying to make school days productive, pouring out what little energy I still had in me. I felt like I didn't know who I was, Tammy. Not wife or mom, just me this girl from a map dot in Louisiana. Wondering what it was that I even liked anymore. What color made me happy or food do I like. But even feeling all these things, I felt guilty for even thinking about me !! Although, I just wanted to curl up in a dark corner and just be alone...let me tell you.. In a 700 sq ft house with 5 other people, THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE :).The weariness was so heavy but the Lord is strong and HE does prevail.

Those two months brought me to a new place of trusting the Lord and his plans. I had to fight to get my JOY back, to even desire to seek joy again. Yes, that's how I felt. But I didn't do it alone, friends stayed close, they let me have those hard moments but were ready with prayers as life preservers to pull me out as soon as I went too deep. I hope if you are struggling through a dark time you have friends who can be that lifeline between you and the Lord to carry you out. IF NOT, message me, call me..I will pray with you.

Jerry and I both had to get real, find TRUTH in the hard days that we were walking through. Not to be ashamed of things being hard, but to admit that it's not easy right now and we can sure use some encouragement and a helping hand to see the Light of the Lord shining through.

To be reminded of all the good and glorious things that have happened in the last year. Sometimes, it's just redirecting our eyes. It seems so easy but it's an action that takes willpower to fully achieve.

We both had a weekend where we were apart and trusting God to move our hearts back to a place where they could be filled up again and revived. My weekend consisted of a women's retreat. Surrounded closely by women whom were life speaking and loving. The speaker started the night off with this phrase "Your story isn't over..." And an activity that was about "Discovering who you are again". In those first hours of the weekend my heart began to beat again, knowing that this was all part of this great journey we are on and going through another difficult time is really okay; as it too, can bring glory to the Lord. He allows us to overcome and come out stronger on the other side of each and every circumstance. Great is thy Faithfulness.

Jerry, also, had a filling weekend. He was able to share His Story at a Men's breakfast. The Lord's plans laid out perfectly, and he shared the great things and the hard things. he was surrounded by men to lift and encourage him. We both came away from that time apart renewed and ready to move forward again. I am truly greatful for the experience, though I hope to not repeat that, Lord willing.

We covet your continued prayers as we move forward in our story each day. Thank you for being beside us on this journey.

We are blessed and so thankful for each of you.

If you really need a prayer partner please leave a comment, I would be honored to pray for you in whatever is going on in your life ~ Tammy

 

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