A grateful heart...

It is hard sometimes during the difficult times to see much good.  The good is all around, but the pain feels like more than we can handle at times.  I must say since my dad had the stroke, I have seen a lot of people come out of the wood work to be there for me or my family.  And I know there are countless others who are thinking about and praying for my dad and our family on a daily basis.  Today I was thinking about how people have stepped up - I know I am missing some things on this list but I will continue to add to it as we continue on this journey....

The friends and family who showed up the day we sat and waited for my dad to come through the life threatening surgery to clear out most of the blockage in his carotid artery. 

The snacks and drinks brought by one friend.

The pastors who showed up to pray with us.

Church friends who showed up to pray with us.

School friends who showed up to just be there for my mom.

People we didn't even know, praying for my dad.

He made it through surgery - we rejoice!

Then another surgery is needed. 

The skull is removed and the swelling on his brain begins to go down.

The texts and phone calls and facebook messages continued.

My mom received a nice card with cash in her teacher mailbox.

A friend of my moms showed up with a complete Thanksgiving dinner for us - even if it took place in the ICU waiting room on the fourth floor at mayo - and yes we invited everybody in that waiting room to eat with us. 

Blood clot is found in my dads arm. It's in a vein, not an artery - we rejoice!

He recognizes who we are.

The texts and phone calls and facebook messages continue.

His charity application is accepted at Brooks - we rejoice!

The occupational therapists teaching my dad how to dress and clean his hands and brush his teeth.

The speech therapist teaching him how to communicate with us. 

The physical therapist teaching him how to walk again.

The teacher who quietly put a card on my moms desk one day, to encourage her.

My grandpa for keeping up with shaving my dads face.

My grandma for keeping her home made vegetable beef soup made.

The people who call to check on my mom.

The stranger in South Carolina who gave my cousin a power wheel chair for my dad.  

The Thursday morning ladies group leaving giftcards and gifts and notes of encouragement on my front porch one day.  A day that had been rather difficult.

A friend of the family and her church who donated the resources and some of their friends who donated their time and showed up to build a ramp for my dad for when he comes home.

The neighbor across the street from my parents how makes sure the garbage is taken out each week.

The texts, phone calls and facebook messages. 

This list is incomplete but it is quite a list - and really just skims the surface of the good things that have happened, in spite of this crisis. 

So many times we want to do something to help others during their time of suffering when the best thing we can do for them is just show up, just be there.  

There are so many things that I took for granted and never thought twice about but are things that my dad has to concentrate on in order to achieve. Talking. Walking.  Looking forward while walking. Eating. Clearing out his right cheek. Brushing his teeth.  Washing his hands.  Getting dressed. Getting his shoes on. Rolling over in bed. Sitting up.  Standing up. Reading. The ability to go where I want to go without a second thought. The ability to voice how I am feeling or what I am thinking. 

Today I enjoyed listening to my husband and my father sing the national anthem together!  I love how my husband cares for my dad. I enjoyed watching my dad play some golf with my boys.  Dennis put a real golf ball and a real golf club in his hand and it was nice to see my dad participating!  Seth gives my dad hugs now every time we get ready to leave.  And today, for the first time since everything happened my Ivan gave my dad a high five!  He was also playing peek a boo with my dad.  Everything is going to be ok. We stick together.  We never give up on those we love. We've got this. We are never promised an easy road to walk, but the blessings that come from the pain, we wouldn't ever get to experience if it weren't for the pain.  And there have indeed, been many blessings that have come out of all this. 

I love my dad.  He is a fighter. Everyday I see him do things they said he probably never would.  I love my mom.  She is a fighter. Everyday I see her encourage my dad and believe that he can and will do things that they said he probably never would. 

"...if you focus on the needs of others you will discover that you have more than enough..." Mark Batterson 

Christmas decorating at Brooks

I took Ivan to school and then made my way up to Brooks.  It seems to be my new routine, but it is one routine that I will be happy to change when my dad is cleared to return home!  By the time I get there at 9:15 he has already had breakfast, speech therapy and occupational therapy. I was setting my camera up to determine the best place to get a family picture when my dad wheeled over to the camera and said 'cheese'...of course I have no problems taking a picture with him!  Then he heads into physical therapy where everyday the therapist just look at him with complete awe over all that he can do in such a short time period.  ALL the therapists, not just the ones that are assigned to my dad.  It is pretty neat to see how my dad gives them hope and encourages them to continue working hard, because it does make a difference, and he is the proof.

After spending the morning with my dad, I made my way towards Ivan's school, a little earlier than usual so that I could watch his Christmas performance.  It was so adorable! Ivan was one of the three wise men.  I am grateful for the love and dedication poured into my Ivan by Mrs. Liz,  Mrs. Sharon and Mrs. Martha - they are great!

Then as the sun set and evening hit, it came with some cooler temperatures and a lot of emotions. What my family has had to endure has brought about positive things in our lives, that all of us would be willing (at this moment in time) to forego if it just meant that Dad could be back to his normal self.  But don't let my encouraging, uplifting blogs cast any doubt as to how difficult these days are for us. There are many trying times, but my dads accomplishments far outweigh the difficult moments we endure.  He can't even begin to understand how far he has come or how incredible it is that he has made so much progress in such a short period of time.  But we can see it.  I do believe that my dad will overcome this.  Nothing has ever been easy for him but that has never stopped him.  If anything it has made him work harder.  This afternoon was his first follow up appointment - just about a month since his surgeries.  Let me just remind you that the doctors told us, as he was hooked up to machines and in ICU that it would be quite a while before he walked, and that he would probably not comprehend or understand things and that he would probably never talk.  If he did talk it would probably be a year and maybe only a few words.  Every times the doctors would say 'if' then my mom would say 'when'...she corrected them a lot. Today they informed my mom that the swelling on his brain was still there and that they could not yet put his skull back in.  They went on to say that my dad might not walk again, and that what he says now is probably all he will say, that we shouldn't hope for much more.  I know doctors have to be realistic - but stop and look at what he has done in this short amount of time, stop to look at the fact that he is doing things you didn't think he would ever do, and then DO NOT say in front of him what he will 'never' do again.  That was very discouraging to my dad, he has been working so hard.  It was discouraging to all of us. Meanwhile, we were all gathering at Brooks so we could set up a tree and decorate it for his room.  He definitely wasn't in the spirit for that but we stayed anyways.  I told him that he needs to listen to the doctors and therapists at Brooks who see him every day. Rebecca and Uriah were passing out Christmas gifts since they will be heading to Oregon tomorrow and my dad picked up the card, and it looked like he was reading it but couldn't say the words and he got really upset and started crying, we all told him it will come back in time and that we just have to practice.  Most people at Christmas gatherings pass around chocolates and cookies, we were passing around a Kleenex box.  It hurts all of us in a different way, and the powerless feeling and intense hurt ....it sucks. More than a few nurses have commented on his progress.  One even stopped tonight after we had all left to tell my dad not to lose hope, that he is a strong man and that the doctors don't have the final say - God does.  My heart is hurting tonight.  I love my dad so much and the last thing he needs now is any discouragement. I still believe he will make a full recovery.

 On the way home we heard this song on the radio.  It is so hard to believe.  "The more broke you are the more the light gets through...." Others have told me I am an inspiration during a time that it feels like all I am doing is moving through the days, trying to keep it together and keep going.  I know this is part of a bigger plan, that I can't comprehend at this moment in time, but I do trust that God will reveal bits and pieces when I am able to understand it. In the mean time, I will continue to show up and be there for my dad (and my mom) because I love them so much! 

Head up!

Another amazing day! The progress that my dad is making is great. At his team meeting today the therapists each started with, "wow!"  What he has accomplished in such a short period of time gives them all hope.  They are eager to work with my dad.  Today in physical therapy they did not have to wrap his foot while he was walking because he was able to move the ankle in a walking motion and take good sized strides. His balance is a lot better.  Vince was only holding his hand but he wasn't leaning on him like he used to. The physical therapist actually had to tell him to slow down because he was moving too fast her.  She said, "Mr. Evans you aren't quite ready to run just yet but I am sure you will be one day." She worked up a sweat while working with him and she had to stop for a breather and a drink of water.  Today's big accomplishment - at least while I was with him - was seeing him hold his head high and look forward when he was walking.  That is a first.  I stood in front of him and walked backwards as he walked forwards and he kept his eyes on mine! Prior to today he would look down at his feet or struggle with balancing his weight on his right leg.  Also the therapist told my mom he is having to think about everything- engage the hip, bend the knee, lift up your foot, bend your ankle, move your leg forward, put your foot down, put you weight on the foot, now left side, lift up your foot, bend your ankle, etc...The fact that he could look forward as he walked and still keep walking means his brain is processing that he is walking without having to look at his feet.  Isn't that amazing? I love my dad so much and am so proud of him!  He always told me that he was so proud of me, now I get to tell him how proud I am of him!

Just be held....

Today was another busy day.  They all seem that way.  I guess the nurses at Mayo were not joking when they said Brooks was like the Boot camp of rehab! I enjoyed helping my dad at his therapy sessions. Today was a lot more hands on with physical therapy.  They have him walking with just one person assisting him, yesterday it was two and also without using the cane.  They put an ace bandage around his foot to keep it held at a 90° angle so that it doesn't drag.  Today he would kick his foot forward in a walking pattern. During therapy children from a local school came to sing some Christmas songs.  They were from Seacoast Charter Academy and it was so nice to see them singing and see the patients watching them so closely.  One of the students made a point of looking at the patients and saying Merry Christmas - it was so sweet.  It's just singing a song.  But it just reminded me that in our everyday life we can see all the Christmas festivities and hear Christmas music and go to Christmas performances.  For the people who are here, they don't get all those experiences during this time.  

 The singing provided a short break, but then it was back up to practice walking.  This is the therapist having him walk without the assistance of a second person or a cane. He walked beside my dad and would tell him to kick his foot and look up, but as they started to go the therapist moved a little bit away from him so that my dad was having to put his weight on his right leg.  The therapist said the one thing he likes about my dad is that he comes in here for his physical therapy sessions and he works and he works hard the entire time he is in  here.  His physical therapist has been giving him extra time because of how hard he works and because he feels he will be up and walking in no time.  The second picture there is when they had him stand up beside the bed and they wanted him to lift his left leg and put it up on the bed with his knee bent, which would force all the weight on his right leg and then with all the weight on the right leg the therapist basically pulls him up and down by bending at his right knee.  This is a strength building exercise but extremely difficult.  So in that picture the therapist has his right knee held so that it doesn't buckle.  The therapist aide is holding his right arm and shoulder back.  They then asked him to pick up his left leg.  I mean can you imagine that - they are basically saying stand on this weak, unstable leg, and we are going to take the strong one out from under you.  I mean I see the benefit of the strength building exercise but I imagine it is terrifying to my dad.  So it took me getting down on the floor, holding his left hand while using my other arm to pick up his left leg and get it on the bed.  And he is strong.  And he is a fighter.  And he didn't want me moving that left leg.  BUT....we got it up, we got him to then stand up straight and tall.  I am glad that my aunt Pam was there during this and snapped a picture.  I do a lot to help out, in any way I can while he is in his therapy sessions but prior to this picture had no picture as to what that looked like.....

My dad also had music therapy today.  It was fascinating to watch but also sad.  Seeing my dad know what he wants to say but unable to get it out and getting upset, breaks my heart.  He kept saying "I can't" with her.  Now I am not trying to sound judgemental or harsh and I don't have a degree in whatever it takes to be a music therapist but I really think if she would have slowed down, taking into consideration that the processing might take a little more time then maybe he wouldn't have been as frustrated.  But then again maybe I am just partial to my dad being upset. 

Every day is progress.  Every day is doing something that he couldn't do the prior day.  Every day brings with it new challenges and frustrations.  Every day brings accomplishments beyond the doctors expectations.  

"In the midst of suffering, God makes some of his most profound and precious self-revelations. Perhaps he does so because only then are we ready to hear them." Randy Alcorn 

This song....totally speaks to our hearts during this time....

 Oh and my husband solved the Rubiks cube today!!!

Giving back...

Oh what a day!  I love the story behind this stuff that my dad was working with.  During occupational therapy they start out by teaching my dad how to get dressed and wash his hands and brush his teeth and then he gets to go to the brain gym.  There is so much fun to be had in there!  It is also enlightening to my dad as he looks around and sees people who have a much longer road on recovery.  I was talking to the occupational therapist about finding things to help keep his mind busy in the afternoons when he has no therapy sessions and I was telling her about an idea I had that would require some nuts and bolts.  I told her how my dad was always tinkering around with stuff to fix outside and that he had added on to their house.  She said well lets try this, I bet he would enjoy it.  She pulled out a box of pvc pipes and connectors.  There was a round piece of wood that had a connector attached to it and then there was a book of templates of things that could be made with the pieces of pvc in the box.  My dad enjoyed picking up the different pieces and making sure both sides were the same.  It was something that was kind of familiar to him.  Then when she was done she said that there was a patient who had a stroke, near the same age as my dad who went through rehab in that same room and then after he got out he actually made this and brought it back to them so they could use it with other people who had a stroke.  How cool is that?  My dad was using something today that was inspired and made by somebody who sat where he sat at one point.  I thought that was pretty neat. Everybody can give back in one way or another.

He got done with that and needed a snack.  All that brain power left him feeling hungry, or else he just really wanted some of grandmas vegetable beef soup.  He chowed down on that and had some ice before heading to physical therapy.

He got quite a work out in physical therapy.  He practiced sitting and standing.  He walked with assistance.  He actually moves his right left now on command.  He is stepping forward with it.  Yesterday he could not do that. While sitting they asked him to lift his leg up kind of like he was marching and he was able to do that, again something he could not do yesterday.  They put him on this bike where his arms and legs worked together, at five minutes in they said he could take a break but he kept going.  It was great to see that fighter side of my dad.  They took him up and down the stairs today too.  It was quite an intense workout.  At times I could see his body trembling but he didn't quit.  He kept giving it his all.  He is so inspiring. He won't give up. 

When I left to go get Ivan I told my dad if he ate all his lunch I would bring him back a milkshake. The chocolate milkshake the other day really hit the spot for him.  He can not have straws due to concerns with swallowing but he never really was a fan of straws anyways. I poured some into a smaller cup for him to drink, he pushed the smaller cup aside and tried to take the bigger one. I put the smaller one back in his hand and he started drinking it and seemed to really enjoy it. Whether he ate his lunch because I said that or because he was hungry, I still would have brought him back a milkshake!  I am just happy that he is eating.  When I looked down into the cup look at what I found.  A heart.  I found a heart while taking care of somebody I love!  

"Give to us grace, O Father, not to pass by suffering or joy without eyes to see; give us understanding and sympathy; and guard us from selfishness that we may enter into the joys and sufferings of others; use us to gladden and strengthen those who are weak and suffering; that by our lives we may help others who believe and serve you, and project your light which is the light of life." H.R. L. Sheppard 

I love my dad so much!

Wow...

On December 2, 2015 I posted a video of my dads toes moving.  In the video you could hear what I would do with my dad every morning that I was in the hospital with him, point to his toes, move each toe and tell him that they all still worked.  With a lot of concentration he could make those toes move. But it was just his toes.  And this was something the doctors didn't think he would do for quite some time.  We were happy that his toes were moving.  In case you missed that video - this was from 12 days ago. 

This is video that I took from today. He has been moving this foot prior to today. In not even two weeks time, look at the improvement from the video above and this video.  He is not only moving his right foot up and down, he is also talking as he does it.  And they said it would probably be a year before he said a few words and quite some time to walk....its only been 24 days.  Turn the volume up and you will hear him speaking!

During occupational therapy today he was able to brush his teeth, actually brush them.  Prior to today, even just comparing it to last Friday he would chew on the brush.  Today he was rotating from one side to the other and using that brushing motion.  His occupational therapist was very pleased, and so was I.  Did you brush your teeth this morning?  Did you think twice about doing it?  We take so much for granted.  The next part of occupational therapy took us to the gym - they strapped his arm to a board with wheels and he practiced pushing and pulling his right arm.  There was slight movement. He would look at his arm and say push, and I would encourage him and tell him to keep telling that arm what he wanted it to do.  Then his therapist started moving his arm and she asked him if it was hurting and he said yes and then she said are you in pain and he said yes, since his yes's and no's have not been consistent I asked him does this feel good....to which he replied no.  The therapist gave him a break and then asked me if I wanted to do the exercise with him.  I wasn't sure I could do it but I was willing to try.  So I held his arm and we rotated it out and up and back, to keep the shoulder lubricated. While I was doing it she asked him if it hurting and he said no and then asked if he was in pain and he said no and then asked if it felt good and he said yes.  Then she said do you just like when your daughter helps you to which he said yes.  This probably made my day.

After occupational therapy it was right on to physical therapy.  He definitely got a workout today.  He went almost a mile and a half on the bike, he was on it for 10 minutes.  And the motor only worked for just under 2 minutes of the total time.  

After that they took him to stairs where they were working with teaching him how to shift his weight and he went up and down a flight of stairs.  

After that they hooked him up to a zero gravity walker. There is a track in the ceiling and they put a harness on my dad so that he doesn't have to worry with leaning on anybody or anything. They then would push his right leg along as he moved with his left. They were happy with his balance, he was able to stand on his own while they put the harness on him.  His physical therapist feels that he is young and strong and can be pushed more!  He even got an extra physical therapy session this afternoon so that he could continue to practice his balance and start walking.  The therapist said that this afternoon he was actually pushing off and trying to step forward with his right leg.  This was pretty incredible to see.  I have a short video of him using this.

This afternoon my grandparents came and he got his face shaved again! When grandma walked in and said hi and said I love you, he responded with I love you too.  He didn't have to be prompted and responded beautifully!  When I walked in this morning he said 'hi'....its so good to hear him using that voice.  Vaughn and Vanessa were with him for music therapy which I hear he responded well to and was singing silver bells, he even started singing it in the room when he got back.  Rebecca and Uriah stopped by to say hi as well. Also in between my brother and sister leaving and my grandparents getting there I asked him if he remembered Mrs. Mary from church, he shook his head yes and I proceeded to share with him the bible verse Isaiah 41:13 "For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear, I will help you." She shared that on our facebook page last night and followed it up with a reminder that He has my dads right hand and a reminder that He is not finished with my dad.  He shook his head like he understood everything I was saying.

Another day is done.  I look forward to tomorrow, and walking with my dad every step of the way.  I love my dad so much!  I am so proud of all that he has accomplished!

"Sometimes God delivers us from suffering, and other times he sustains us through suffering. Sometimes God calms the storm, and sometimes he calms the heart." Randy Alcorn

The weekend....

I didn't spend the morning with my dad on Friday.  My mom took the day off so that she could see what his days were like.  She spent the entire day with him.  I made plans with Vanessa to make sushi.  I had a taste for her sushi. What I find kind of interesting is that according to facebook, two years ago around this same time I had posted on her facebook that I had a taste for her sushi. Maybe its a seasonal thing. We still went up to see dad just before heading out to pick Seth up. He had already had quite a bit of therapy and it was only 2 in the afternoon. 

Saturday I slept in.  I don't know what it is but for some reason I sleep really good from 7 in the morning until about ten. The boys are usually up by 6:30 regardless of what day it is. Dennis tends to them and lets me rest.  We made some breakfast and then headed up to see dad.  He was sitting up, had already had some physical therapy and my grandparents had already come. My grandpa shaved for him again.  He has always felt better without all the facial hair. When we got there Mr and Mrs. Hathaway were visiting.  They are my parents neighbors and my dad always says that Mr. Hathaway is the mayor of Forest Blvd and that if you wanted to know what is going on, he is the neighbor to talk to.  Dad always said between Mr. Hathaway and me and him we have the best neighborhood watch! It was nice that they came up to see my dad.  I look forward to the day that we go outside to look for him and find him sitting across the street talking to Mr. Hathaway again!

After they left it was about time for my dads lunch group. When mom and dad went to that we went to pick up some lunch for my mom and a milkshake for my dad.  We got back in time for her to eat and him to have a sweet treat before it was time for physical therapy. I loved watching my husband help my dad with his chocolate milkshake and loved how he took care of him. My grandfather said something this week that really stopped me in my tracks and make me appreciate even more what my husband does. He told me that he was happy that I was a stay at home mom and able to be there for my dad during the days and how different it would be if I wasn't a stay at home mom.  For that I have my husband to thank.  He puts up with a lot of crap at work and he doesn't really like working there but he keeps working hard for us.  I am grateful for that. I am grateful for him. He also topped off the fluids in my dads truck that Vanessa has been driving.  I think it is kind of neat how we all find a way to help each other during this time. My mom thinks so many people are picking up her loose ends, when really we all have just found our own way to help out. 

 During physical therapy he had another long time friend come to visit.  He always had a lot of respect for Mr. Haynes. My dad played softball on the church team for a number of years. They were there for some of his physical therapy and also walked with us out to the healing gardens.  Sometimes my dad looks so discouraged.  It is heart breaking.  He has already come so far, and I know that there will be more progress. 

Sunday we had a slow start to the day.  I made my dad some Hershey's chocolate pudding and had heated up some leftover beef stew that I made last night to take to my dad.  He has not had much of an appetite and hasn't been eating much.  He has been drinking an Ensure with every meal but any solid foods he just would turn down.  When we got there today he was just getting back from his lunch group.  When I showed him the beef stew he took the spoon to eat some! He said carrot when I put a carrot on the spoon.  He didn't eat much of the meat but he did eat the carrots and potatoes.  I have been told this is the first food he has eaten since being at Brooks.  He also ate some of the pudding.  We went for a walk down to the recreational therapy room and watched the boys play Foosball and air hockey.  After that we went for a walk back out to the healing gardens, only this time the boys had brought some golf clubs and plastic golf balls.  My dad was following the ball but seemed very discouraged when it came to trying to hit the ball. 

When we got back up to his room my mom was working with him and the exercises he can practice when he is not in therapy.  It is amazing to see how much more movement there is in his right leg.  To think that for, I think my mom said, 9 days his leg did not move at all.  Then when we got it moving, It was us showing him that his toes still moved and we would get movement in his toes.  Today he can move his foot up and down similar to pushing the gas pedal. You can also see the muscles in his leg working.  It is amazing.  To see this and remember the doctor who said he would probably never walk again.  In this picture his using his left arm to lift his right arm. Even doing that is sending signals to his brain that his right arm is still there.  There were a few times today I saw the muscles in his upper arm trying to work to move his arm.  I am confident he will get use back of his right side. He also greeted each of us today by saying, "hi" followed by our name. 

Looking forward to hanging out with my dad tomorrow and witnessing just how amazing our God is as I accompany him to his therapy sessions. I was encouraged by this today - and since I am writing these blogs for my dad to read at a later date, I am including it.  At times my dad is very sad and very discouraged.  They tell us that is 'normal' after a stroke, but it breaks my heart. From Randy Alcorn's, "If God is Good"---"In your moment of crisis, when you are suffering most, he cares about you in particular.  The Shepherd goes after the one lamb who's most in need. Sometimes God intervenes by removing our suffering.  Often he comforts us in our suffering. We are quick to say that God is good when the test results are negative or we survive an accident, but even if we are faced with great trials and suffering, God is still good."

"God is good even when we can't see it."

I love my dad so much!

Standing tall!

This week has been a tough week, every day I have had to put on the game face and be encouraging even though it didn't really seem like it made much of a difference.  This morning my dad gave me just what I needed! When I got there he had just finished speech therapy and occupational therapy came in.  She helped him get dressed and then invited us back in as he washed his hands and brushed his teeth.  He had already been to a breakfast group for occupational therapy as well.  From there the occupational therapist took him to the 3rd floor gym.  She was given approval from his doctor for electrode therapy.  She explained it to us that with these two plastic plates and kind of like a bar in the palm of his hand, there were electrodes throughout that would stimulate his muscles - to show my dad that his hand still works, and that it is just a matter of the brain getting the signal to the hand. They even used this to pick up things and practice using that right arm.  It was so amazing to watch.  It was also very encouraging - his arm and the muscles in his arm still work - its just a matter of his brain rerouting the signal and completing the circuit to make his hand work.  That was very hopeful.  He was a little frustrated with it, probably because it was not in his control, but I hope that as he reflects on his dad that provides some encouragement just knowing that it is still working. Since he was in the gym he moved right into physical therapy. They put him near the bars and had him stand.  He stood up so tall, held his head high, his shoulders were back.  That was so good to see.  She then guided his foot and they talked the length of the bars in the gym, which wasn't really too long.  She decided to take him out to the hallway and have him hold on to the railing in the hallway and that way he could walk further.  He stood up, the therapist was sitting on a chair with wheels and guiding his right foot as he moved his left food.  You could see the muscle flexing in his right leg. I stood behind the therapist, face to face with my dad, telling him I was so proud of him, that it was so good to see him standing.  About 20 steps and we clapped.  I am so proud of my dad. 

 After he would walk they would have him sit down and then push him back to the starting line, rest for a few minutes and do it again.  He did this at least 5 times in about a thirty minute period. I still am so amazed and so incredibly proud of him.  After physical therapy he had a break for two hours, during which time my grandfather shaved his face for him and he had lunch all before starting the afternoon rounds of therapy. It was neat to watch my grandfather shave him, my dad just looked like he was totally enjoying it, he hadn't been shaved in over a week and he has never liked facial hair. You can definitely see a fathers love in how my grandfather took care of my dad.  Sometimes parts of this recovery seem so backwards - me celebrating my dads 'firsts'....my grandfather shaving my fathers face...but its so unique and special.  My dad would do anything for us, and now is our time to show him that we will do anything for him. 

                    

 He seemed a little discouraged with speech therapy this afternoon, but we are assured that it is one of the last things to come back completely, and very difficult.  He had such a busy morning, I am guessing he had to be exhausted.  He got a shower today, first time he has been able to get in a shower shower since probably the night before his stroke which was twenty days ago. So he got his face shaved, he walked, his right arm was stimulated, he moved his right ankle for the physical therapist and he got a shower - busy day!   He also had some visitors, a softball buddy who used to carry me around on his shoulders.  He recognized him and reached out for him.  And also Pastor Tom stopped by to see him.  I can definitely say that his spirits were lifted after these people came.  Sometimes I think we think that family has an obligation to stick by us, when a friend shows up - its different and its encouraging and its good.  My dad was very attentive to everything these two had to say, and appropriately answered all of Pastor Tom's questions, which makes me realize that sometimes with speech therapy he just plain has had enough.  It was encouraging to see.

 I am so incredibly proud of all that he has accomplished today.  My dad always used to tell me that he was proud of me, I don't think I ever fully grasped that.  There are no words for how proud I am of my dad.  He is overcoming the odds.  He is a fighter. I love my dad so much.