Happy Anniversary!

"We have a bed available at Brooks in a private room."  The best anniversary gift this year!  I love my mom and dad.  They set such an example of what true love looks like....in all circumstances.  I have seen them argue and make up.  I have seen them smile and cry.  I have seen them build each other up.  I have seen them support each other.  I have watched as my dad worked a full time job and cut yards so that my mom could stay home with us as we were growing up.  I watched my dad support my mom as she went back to school to finish her education and become a teacher.  I watched my dad be overcome by years and year of fighting anxiety and depression on his own.  I watched my mom continue to believe in him and encourage him even when he pushed her away.  The longer I live the more I see that while they might not always like what the other person has to face, while they might not understand the struggles they are having to endure, they love each through anything and everything.  Today is my parents 31st wedding anniversary.  And I am happy to report that my dad was moved to Brooks.  I am happy for the move.  I hope that he is encouraged by the progress he will make at Brooks.  I also hope that my mom is encouraged. I can't wait for him to be home.  

 When they were giving him his morning bath and getting him cleaned up and ready to leave the hospital I went for a walk.  I didn't realize how fast I walk or how far I can walk in a short amount of time.  They said it would take about 20 minutes so I made my way out to this nice little courtyard of sorts, where I found this guy catching some rays....he was literally only about 10 feet away from me and I thought that was so awesome!

When I went in this morning I asked him if he wanted to sit up, if he wanted me to order him some breakfast, he shook his head no to everything I asked him.  Then I asked him if he was sad and he shook his head yes.  Then I asked him if he was scared and he shook his head yes.  He started crying.  I told him that it was ok to feel sad and feel scared, that we all feel scared right now.  But I followed that up by telling him that I will not give up on him, mom will not give up on him, Vanessa will not give up on him, Rebecca will not give up on him, Vaughn will not give up on him.......it was a long list but we went through a lot of names of people who wouldn't give up on him.  As he settled down I noticed I was teary eyed and a tear fell and hit his arm and he looked at it....his right arm....if he had no feeling in that arm he would not have turned to look at it when my tear hit it.  So we both stopped and looked and I said, "see its all coming back!"   I never would have thought that I would be drying my dads tears and telling him that how he was feeling was ok.  That seems like something a parent would say to a child.  I felt honored to have the opportunity to comfort my dad. We dried our tears and practiced some writing, and I brought along some toys of the boys. He was intrigued by the car. 

With today being their anniversary, my dad was always so good about picking out the perfect card for mom.  So I went down to the gift shop and bought a few cards that could apply for an anniversary.  Then I took them up to my dad and read each one of them to him, he chose the card with the butterflies and got teary eyed when I was reading this one.  He always would say that the best thing he ever did was marry my mom.....and I believe this card ends with something along those lines.  I helped him get the pen in his hand and he signed his name, I put it in the envelope and he licked it and shut it, all on his own - he is trying so hard to be independent.  There might have been some of his new favorite orange cranberry smoothie on the envelope - but that was just fine!  He held the card and then I told him when my mom came in to give her the card so he proceeded to open it and it was almost like he was trying to read it to her. 

Oh, also the paramedics that were called to transport him to Brooks tonight, well it was one of the people that came to the house on the morning of November 21st right after the stroke happened....and she was surprised that he was doing this well, she told my mom and dad that she didn't think he would make it to the hospital, she remembered it being 'really bad.'  What are the chances that she be one of the paramedics that show up to transport him tonight?  I hope my dad holds on to those words and is inspired by the fact that things were really bad.  While things seem really bad now, and the road ahead will be tough, he is 'medically stable.'...which is truly a miracle! 

I can't even begin to imagine what must be going through his mind.  Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt. He is so strong.  He is so brave.  He is a fighter.  He will overcome this.  We will be there to hold him up and cheer him on.  I love my dad!