Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Well we have had a great week with lots of wonderful things happening in our family. Last Thursday, we got to go to Hurricane Harbor with some of our Aunts and Uncles. This is the first time that Elizabeth, Sarah and Jonathan have ever been. I really didn't figure that there would be much that Jonathan could do and I thought he would probably get tired of it pretty quick. Just the opposite happened. Jonathan did a fabulous job and thoroughly enjoyed his day there. Jonathan is proud to say that he only went down a couple of slides in the kid’s area and he was able to ride about 3 of the big rides. Once again, this formerly cautious child had a great time on some pretty big, fast rides. It was so fun to see his excitement before we rode them and then to hear him say, “That was awesome!” every time we got to the end. He also floated around the lazy river quite a bit and played in the wave pool. We went out in the morning and he didn't start wearing down until about 5 pm. It was a very proud accomplishment for Jonathan. On Sunday, the Sanctuary Choir at our church presented the musical “Experiencing God.” Sarah and I had the opportunity to sing solos in this musical. As I reflected on the songs that Sarah and I got to share with the congregation, I realized that we both sang songs that testified to what God has done in our lives this year and our relationship with Him. Sarah sang, “You are my Abba, my heavenly Father, You know my tears and my smiles – You are my Abba, my heavenly Father, and I am my Abba’s child.” Our children know God not only as their Father through salvation, but as the only Father who could take care of them and heal them when no one else could do anything. Back in January of this year, we were able to go to church one Sunday while Jonathan was still very critically ill and in a coma. During the invitation of that service we sang “Have Thine Own Way”. Before we finished that song, our pastor had us sing that song with Jonathan in it. “Have thine own way Lord, have thine own way. You are the potter, he is the clay. Mold him and make him after Thy will, while he is waiting, yielded and still.” My heart and mind were flooded with many memories as I was able to sing that same song on Sunday. The next part of the song I sang is about giving our lives to the Potter’s Hand to take, to mold, to use, and to fill; to call us, guide us, lead us and walk beside us as we live each day of the life that God has given us. Jonathan is a constant reminder that our lives are held in the Father’s hand and that as we allow Him to have His will and way in our lives; He molds us and makes us to be just like Him. Jonathan is still doing a great job playing handbells, singing in the choir and going to his classes at church on his own. On Sunday afternoon, Jonathan actually went to handbells with his Sunday School teacher who came to our house and picked him and Sarah up, then went on to choir with Sarah, and did it all without my being there to help. So he is making progress with his independence a little bit every week. Jonathan is still doing a great job with his school work. He is writing, reading, spelling, adding and subtracting and he can even quote you the list of prepositions from his grammar book. Tuesday brought us a wonderful blessing. We were invited to attend the ground breaking ceremony for the expansion of Our Children’s House at Baylor in downtown Dallas, where Jonathan was inpatient for about 2 months. The CEO of Baylor shared Jonathan’s story, recognized him during the ceremony, and invited him and a number of other children to help by wearing the hats and turning the dirt. It was such a special time for Jonathan and our whole family. Everyone treated Jonathan like he was a celebrity and the huge smile on his face showed just how special he felt. We saw our therapist, doctors, nurses and techs again. We thank God for each one of those special people who cared for Jonathan and who were used by God to help bring about Jonathan’s healing. Today, Jonathan got his new camouflage braces before he had his therapy. He has really been looking forward to getting these. He even wore his camouflage shorts to match, his muscle shirt, his new sweat bands and he even had on his biker gloves, just to get his new braces! After he got his braces and had them adjusted, he went down to the gym and walked 10 minutes on the treadmill at 2 mph, which is the fastest he has ever walked on the treadmill. He did it without any problems. He did a few squats before going back upstairs to work in the office. His balance is continuing to improve, as is his stamina and endurance. We are praying that the braces will help to straighten his feet so that he doesn’t walk on the sides of them, as well as provide some stability for his ankles. Overall, we are pleased and thankful for all the progress that we continue to see in Jonathan each day. Please pray for Jonathan, that he will continue to make progress each day. Pray that we will see progress with the new braces. Pray that his feet will begin to straighten out and that he will be able to walk properly on his feet. Pray for increased strength in his ankles. He has begun to complain about his ankles hurting more recently, mostly after he has been up walking a lot. Pray for increased strength in his legs also. Pray that Jonathan will continue to do well in school. Pray for continued progress in his independence. Continue to pray for complete healing of his brain, his vision and his diabetes. Jonathan is doing pretty well with his bladder control at night. Pray that he will be able to conquer this soon. Also pray for his eating and weight to level out. Our family is going camping tomorrow through the weekend. Pray that we will have a safe, relaxing, enjoyable time together as a family. We love each of you and are grateful for your prayers and support. Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

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