This Thanksgiving Day is unique in my experience. We have so very much to be thankful for this year, with Lisa’s amazing recovery and rebirth. But today has a bittersweet side too… There were two holidays that Mom would sometimes double down on. Sometimes her birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day, and occasionally Mother’s Day fell on my birthday. I didn’t mind sharing, and she was cool about it too. So this Thanksgiving, November 23, would have been Mom’s 93rd birthday. I do miss her, but I am thankful that she’s now basking in the light of Jesus with Dad. Happy birthday Mom, and thanks! So yeah, Thanksgiving. How could we not be? Lisa’s diagnosis, surgery and recovery have redefined our lives in a way that I could never have predicted. Every day she’s a little more of the person she used to be. The kids are happier, Lisa is happier, and I am happier. Mostly. All trajectories are very good, but I’m the quality control guy, and we’re looking for optimal results. Lisa told me yesterday that she had a dream that she could smell again. We’ve procured some essential oils with the notion of exposing her to strong smells other than just me. Firing things up. Brain remapping. Maybe. She researched and bought and is now taking an array of brainy supplements. She is on it! Anyway… there are still some hills to climb, but Lisa is a climber! I am really proud of her. And of my kids. So much so. They endured a lot over the course of their childhoods. An increasingly emotionally distant Mom, courtesy of the evil monkey. And an increasingly frustrated and angry Dad, courtesy of an Irish heritage. And through it all they each genuinely and deeply loved us both, and they left no question of it. We are richly blessed. And now – like finding Jesus – suddenly a new light makes you see the whole world differently. We’re understanding our past in the light of this new knowledge of the evil monkey’s role, and a whole new future appears to be unfolding before us. Such an incredibly positive list of things to be thankful for today. Once again feeling like we live a charmed life, and knowing that the credit goes to all of our family and our friends that knocked on our behalf and prayed for Lisa. Thank you! Don’t stop. God is good, all the time! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
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As opposed to procrastination. Two big old five syllable words, but procrastination is the one that comes naturally. For those of us blessed with that gift. But prognostication seems a bit more challenging for me. Even predicting my own actions – like when I might write the next post – seems beyond my grasp. And I’m left contemplating arguments like the meaning of “a few”. I say I’ll post every few days, and now it’s been nine. I’ve always believed that nine is several, not a few, and I just can’t abandon that belief now. Better to abandon trying to predict me. Discipline deficiency syndrome? But in my own defense, much of this delay is directly attributable to my slowly coming to grips with an impending death. Not of any person, but of my laptop. If it were a person, it would be the one with whom I have spent the most time over the last seven years. By far. All of those hours designing structures and systems and 3D models that carry me inside of my work. Writing and planning and creating and editing… all on this now decrepit old Dell laptop. Respected clients have started to make fun of me for it. She can still push out a complex 3D model in AutoCad as my most trusted and powerful tool, but she now takes a really long time to boot up. Like fifteen minutes. And sometimes she just stops dead in her tracks, like she forgot what she was doing. I have to hard power her down and try again. Sometimes several times. And recently, she lost a sense altogether. No sound. No way. The IT guys gave it several valiant attempts, but she seems incapable of recognizing her own sound card or reloading the drivers. It’s really sad. I think she’s trying to say that she’s done; that I can no longer procrastinate. Or not for much longer, anyway. She’s been so sick over the last few weeks, it’s making it easier for me now to accept the inevitable truth. To let her go, and move on. To get a fresh new partner, one that DOES have an HDMI port, and then start down that path of loading all of the software… learning how to work with her. Or will the next one be a dude? The future is not mine to tell. Right… so the blog is generally supposed to have something to do with Lisa. All reports are positive. She continues to make great progress. Full of energy, engaging, she even drives differently. V2 was like riding with your grandma… easy as we go, no strategy, and soo slow. Lisa V3, however, is an aggressive but good driver, like V1 was. She’s rocking on down the road, changing lanes, passing… keeping her passengers attentive to the road; knuckles a little white. Fun stuff! Jake has remarked about it – another facet of his Mom that he is seeing for the first time. That said, there are still some gaps. They are fewer and farther between, but there are those moments when Lisa says or does something that is totally disconnected – like you can almost hear the sparking sound of a mental short circuit. But now understood. A shared laugh, a correction, and continued healing. Lisa’s three month post-op appointment with the neurosurgeon is December 5, and she’s anxious to see her new MRI. Me too. Please do continue to pray for Lisa, for her recovery to be complete. And if you don’t mind, when you’re done with that throw in one for me – key word: discipline. It’s always best to begin with the apologies. Or maybe that’s just for those of us who tend to drop the ball and have apologies to make. I’m really sorry it’s been so long since my last post. I will endeavor to do better. Rest assured that I intend to keep writing for the foreseeable future. The story is still interesting, Lisa still needs your prayers, and writing these things down seems to make a difference. It really pleases me to know that reading what I’ve written has meant enough to some of you that you’ve protested my dropping the ball. Thank you for hanging in there… assuming anyone still checks this site! I have to share with you a recent horoscope for Lisa; she’s a Cancer. Wow... I don’t think I can really add anything to that. But is the hair standing up on the back of your neck too? Over the last few weeks I’ve had Jake comment to me that he “just doesn’t recognize Mom”… in that case because she knew and advised him about motor oil. V2 wouldn’t have known that or connected about it. Friends have remarked at the astounding change in Lisa. Elise has commented at separate times but with equal surprise – first to me at an art exhibit she helped build that I was smiling, and then to Lisa and I at a separate gathering that we seemed really happy. Smiles and happiness were in desperately short supply at the end of V2… during the apex of the evil monkey’s reign. Speaking of evil monkeys… we’ve just passed through Halloween once again. Lisa and Jake and I made it out to the annual Halloween River Campout with our extended family of friends known as Camp Bayou Love – the group we met at Old Settler’s Music Festival, now a 20 year annual Powell family tradition. Unfortunately Elise and Zac had to work and missed the Halloween party. In recognition of Lisa’s recently cracked coconut, the Powell three in attendance were given the little river cabin and beds to sleep in, while all of our friends caught our first real taste of winter in their tents and trailers. God bless them, one and all! For years we were invited to the Halloween River Campout, but each year we would end up bailing at the last minute for lack of decent costumes. These people take their dressing up seriously. But this year, Lisa V3 took the bull by the horns. She got a little creative input from me and Jake before doing all of the procurement to make it happen. Then I get to do a small painting, and we have costumes for three! I’ll make you guess the theme… We had a really great time. Lisa’s recovery really is remarkable, but there is still healing and recovery that we are praying for. Important stuff. So please don’t stop! Please pray for Lisa. I know me too well to make any promises, but I will really try going forward to write a post every few days. Thank you for prodding me, and thank you for checking in after all of this time! If I’m going to take the time to write, it’s really nice to believe that there’s someone who will read it – and be glad that they did. Peace! |
AuthorWritten by David, with review and approval by Lisa before posting Archives
January 2018
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