Update 1/4/10 Day 57

Dear friends,

The man and I had an outing today! Don't get too excited. Even when Steve was ambulatory, our dates often consisted of trips to the grocery store, or Home Depot, or Powertane. Thankfully we seem to make our own fun so the location isn't all important. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like a nice trip to a warm place with him someday. It just means given our present reality we find a way to enjoy the every day. So, today's big destination: East Greenbush DMV. Yep. Believe it or not, Stephen's license came due during this mess, and to increase the comedic effect, this is the year he had to take the eye test. We thought we would be able to mail the paper in with a signed form from his next doctor appointment. But I called and no dice. They don't do eye tests in trauma offices. By the way, he passed with flying colors despite that blurry vision in the one eye. That only seems to effect close-up vision, so the driving thing will be ok. But believe me, he's not going anywhere anytime soon, what with 2 broken legs and all. In fact, he's feeling a bit gun shy about getting behind the wheel. Are any of you surprised at that revelation? I guess almost being killed in a head on with a 6600 lb. pick up truck will do that to a guy. The first time I drove after the accident I was a wreck. Some of you have told me you feel differently driving now too. Maybe it's good we're more cautious. But some things no caution can control. Life is still risky business. And we still have to live it anyway.

Wheelchairs don't know how to wipe their feet! Going out in the snow gets them all gunked up with frozen mush, which then makes its way up my BEAUTIFUL ramp into my kitchen. I have an old towel down to dry off the drips the best I can, but alas, there is no perfection to be found on Meadow Lane. Praise God this isn't the Taj Mahal! We really are in the dead of winter now. But sometimes the light at this time of year is nothing like dead. There's a quality to it that is hard to describe, with the sun staying closer to the horizon even at the peak of the day. There's a clarity and freshness in the cool strands of the spectrum that only come in winter.

The same is true for life. There's a loveliness to be found in the cold, glacial places on our road. It's not as apparent as the luscious golden rays of those warm rich days of summer, but it carries a hope and promise for what is to come. I'll try really hard to remember that as I work through all the emotions of the new normal. Our relationships are different in ways I can't describe. I grieve over that, but I trust the Great One to put everything together rightly, even if not the same. Love is an amazing adjuster. We'll all make it over this mountain. In the words of Huey Lewis "that's the power of love..."

Thank you all so much for your prayers for Hannah's first day back. She survived and so did momma! The wonderful Sharon D. (her guidance counselor) is taking care of her accommodations that fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act. She will have a special fitness program for gym where she'll use the treadmill, weights and other wellness center equipment to fulfill her phys ed requirement without the risk of any collision or contact with her head. She'll also be given a little bit of extra time on tests. I'm hopeful she won't need it in the near future, but I'm grateful for every bit of help along the way.

On my way to church tonite for our week of prayer and fasting, a phrase came to mind that hasn't let me go. "A meaty relationship with God costs something, but it pays a great deal more." Whatever the small sufferings we go through to learn more about the friendship of the Great One, they are worth the sting. His faithfulness is like the cool light of a winter afternoon. Full of hope. Packed with the promise of things to come. Making things clear.

I want that for me and for all of you, my friends on this purposeful, if sometimes cold and windy, pathway.

Your friend on the pilgrim road,

Loriann