Update 12/14/09 Day 36

Dear friends,

Here's a sobering thought: Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-15

I certainly am not trying to greet you with a downer tonite, and I am definitely not preaching at you. This verse is for ME. I read this and can truly say I know the reality of it. I can tell you with certainty that a catastrophic car accident was not written in my planner for November 8, 2009. Since we don't know what will happen tomorrow, how much more essential that we live today with passion and purpose? Between the lines of making breakfast and going to bed, there are people who desperately need someone to care about them. I see them at Sunnyview, I saw them at Albany Med, and some of them live with us. They are EVERYWHERE. It's always "the Lord's will" to care about people. How remarkably you all have demonstrated that to me.

My home was like air traffic control today. Judy the Good on the phone, coordinating this, that and the other. Creative Cathy Rose painting the most beautiful bears and trees ever. Arlene the Terrific wrapping and baking cookies so my house would smell good. Other merry souls like Sally the Sweet and Fab Phyllis stopping in to help. Later, Dear Doreen played Mad Gab with Miss Rejoice while I visited Superman at Sunnyview. Can you stand it? And other names I did not mention are busy in the background, pushing the Smith family wagon up the mountain. I wish we could go downhill, and feel the wind in our faces. Maybe someday. Sigh.

Hannah is tackling her homework as I knew she would. Once an over achiever, always an over achiever. Catching up wasn't on her agenda either, but she is diligent, and doing the next right thing one day at a time. Dr. Hesham (trauma doc) was delighted when he saw her today. He told Miss Rejoice that he was sorry he had to "leave you for a little while to tend to your father". Tend he did.
Save his life would be the more accurate description.

Stephen was very tired tonite. He is really fighting to get strong enough to come home. Today he may have overdone it. His left leg was very swollen, and the skin graft looked kind of inflamed. The wound specialist will take a look at it tomorrow, but I am a little worried about that blasted left leg again. This was not on the calendar. There seem to be new humps when you get over old humps. Such is life. Sigh.

In the midst of it all, horror of horrors, Hannah can't find her phone charger. I must go now, because the sky is falling. Oh, she just found it. Life goes on. Sigh.

Listen, I wish I could make a cup of hot chocolate for every one of you who has slogged through this blog with me all along. Some nights I just can't write well. But I will continue to do so, regardless. Every day is a world of its own. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Only the Great One.

By the way, I had 6 bottles of Drano in the cellar.

Your friend on the pilgrim road,

Loriann