SUNDAY - Yesterday I was able to go to the 8:00am service at church. I must say it was good to be back with our FMC family. Singing with the rest of the Body of Christ, seeing good friends & experiencing the power of God's Word (Pastor Dave knocked it out of the park; check out the website at www.fmcfw.org & hear it for yourself!) were good for my soul.
The highlight of the day for me (& later online for Suze) was the "My Journey" video. Each Sunday, we feature the story of an FMC'er living life in the way of Jesus in the hopes that others will be encouraged & challenged in the process. Yesterday the journey of James Elkins was featured. He is a young man who has become very near & dear to our hearts. We were so blessed by his courage, his heart for Christ & his smile -- when James smiles, his whole face lights up! I would encourage you to go to the website & watch the video!
MONDAY - Today we had our "two week" appointment (2 weeks & 4 days, but who's counting?) at Dr. Yahanda's office. Everything is healing well, digestive processes are right where they should be, etc.
Another small victory happened just this afternoon; Dr Yahanda's office called us back this afternoon & gave us the green light for the removal of the drainage tube (technical term is J.P. drain; we call it her "grenade," because that's what it looks like). This will happen tomorrow morning & will leave only the feeding tube which will be removed in two weeks. FYI, she's not using the feeding tube as she's able to take in enough calories by mouth, another praise at this point. However, it has to stay in until the internal healing is further along.
Suze is very dialed into her pacing as she fatigues quickly. She has short bursts of energy where she feels almost normal but then starts to fade. She naps frequently & take short walks throughout the day. Her pain is very minimal & she's not dependent upon the pain meds, only using them when she has to. We're grateful & amazed by her progress but are now in the part of the recovery where restoration is more slow & incremental.
This week I begin my transition back to work (catching up on what's been happening, attending a few meetings, etc.) & anticipate a more normal work schedule by next week. Although I am looking forward to it, I must admit that I've really enjoyed being fully present for Suze, night & day. We are grateful to our family & friends who will be stepping up in this transitional time over the next few weeks.
Thank you for your prayers & support. We are living in the reality of answered prayer on a daily basis & are continually being filled with awe & wonder at God's goodness!
You've come a long way, baby!! I'm so happy to hear all these good reports, Suze. Doesn't it feel so good to get back to some of your normal routine? Especially church. :)
ReplyDeleteLove you guys!