Update 2/9/10 Day 93

Dear friends,

We got some of the "crooked" off of Smitty today, when his PT (Mary) put a 5/8 inch lift in his left shoe. If only other things in life could be straightened out so easily! Alas, only the Great One can ultimately make "the crooked straight and the rough places plain..." He's walking to beat the band, but the price has been quite a bit of pain, especially in his right knee. Turns out when the femur was fractured, one of the many broken pieces jutted down right to the top of his knee joint. The injuries were severe, and the scar tissue, along with fluid build up from not being able to move for so long, add up to limited range of motion and... pain. But the man is a trooper, determined to push through and get better. What a miracle too, that he hasn't plunged in to any kind of depression which is very common for trauma patients. His recovery has been without any setbacks so far. The glory goes to the Great and Mighty One, who stands alone. We are ever grateful for His mercy.

Elena the Sprite delivered a meal to us this afternoon. She has been a friend of our family for a long time, our lives wangling together and apart over the years, but always merry when together again. She, along with many others has been a fellow traveller on this highway, and a blog companion, and an encouragement with her emails, and comments and facebook postings. Though I can't respond many times to all your wonderful notes in their various forms, please know how dear they are to me. I cherish every word of hope and care, every kindness, every joke! I hope you know that. Communicating through this challenge has been God's medicine for me. Thank you again for listening. What a fabulous bunch you are!

I'm not sure if I told you this or not, but we bought Steve 2 pair of sneakers the day he got the okay to walk. One pair (for the right foot) is a size 13. The other pair (for the left) is a size 11. His old size was a 10! Dr. B. said it might take 6 months for the right foot (that was the one that was really trashed!) to go back down to size. Both his feet may be permanently a bit larger. The PT told us that New Balance will sell shoes, one of each size, for the price of one pair. Anyone know of another company that does this? Eventually Stephen will have to put dress shoes on again for work, and those can be a bit pricier, especially if you have to buy 2 pair. I told him this morning that his right foot looks like it belongs on Shrek. Nothing like a gentle, encouraging wife! Still, the truth is the truth. Hopefully he won't send small children away screaming on the beach this summer between his Shrek foot and Frankenstein skin graft. If they run away, we'll just have more room around our spot on the sand. Ha!

Hannah has expressed an interest in guitar lessons. She already plays piano, and loves to sing. I wonder if any of you could recommend a teacher for her? Music and writing have always been a key for her in expressing herself. She's so different from me, and I could plumb the depths of Hannah and never get to the deeps of her person. She is a poet and and ponderer. Though she is struggling now, I know the One who loves her will restore all her ways of being. But she never was an extrovert. She tells the world her story through the subtle transmission of music and words. How I love her! We are cut from different cloth, but the same Maker weaved both of us. He loves variety. I do too.

Time to go pick up my teenagers at Generation Church worship practice. I love you all dearly! Thought you might enjoy a photo of Steve washing the dishes. You go ahead and appreciate the picture. I'll continue to relish the reality!

Your friend on the pilgrim road,

Loriann