We are finally home for good! We got back to Lubbock week before last after slowly making our way back from El Paso. This past weekend we went back there for a follow up appointment and now we are home with no more planned outings in sight & it feels great!
Most of last week was spent catching up on sleep and reaquainting ourselves with the real world again. One of our biggest concerns as we were leaving El Paso was that Kate would be afraid of Jonathan with the staples in his head, nose splint, and scars on his face. However, Kate being the sweet little girl she is just saw her daddy and not all the extra stuff. When she first saw him she gave him a look over and then asked, "Daddy has an ouchie?" I told her that he did and she needs to be careful and she replied, "Ok, its ok Dad." Throughout the week she would go up to him & give him a hug then point out all of his "ouchies" and give them kisses. The pureness of her spirit overwhelms my heart. We've also been blessed with great friends and church family who have been bringing us meals last week and will continue on through this week. Something good that has come from the events of the last month is Jonathan finally decided that he is ready to officially join the church we've been visiting for the last few months. I've been ready for a while but wanted to be sure Jonathan's heart was there too. I know God put us in this church for a reason and I'm glad to accept this blessing from Him.
I must admit that around the middle part of last week I started to get angry about the circumstance we were in and have been in for the past month or so. I'm a planner and I hate when things don't go according to plan. Saying that things since April 23 haven't been going according to plan is an understatement! I was also frustrated that once Gigi's funeral was over I thought we would be going back to normal and then, yet again, our world was turned upside down. I think I was just going through the "why" stage of grief, if such a thing exists. Fortunately, God has given me the wisdom to know to speak to people who are close to me when I start to go crazy. After talking to the people God has blessed me with I got some great advice that has helped me accept the circumstance we are in and move on. I was told that our joy cannot depend on our circumstances. If our joy is guided by life circumstances then you will never be at ease because life is crazy. Joy is from within and comes from God who is with us no matter what life may bring.Our life hasn't been going according to the plans that Jonathan and I made earlier in the Spring but I am trusting that it is going according to the plan God has for us and it is the best plan possible.
Speaking of God's plan, one thing we have seen that God planned out for us in the perfect time is placing Jonathan in the job he started in the middle of all of this chaos. His office has been above and beyond great with all of the craziness of Gigi's illness, death, and then Jonathan's accident. Jonathan had really only worked in the office 2 and a half days before we left to El Paso for Gigi's funeral which turned in to Jonathan's accident. Even though he had barely worked the staff still treated him as one of their own. We were in contact with them everyday we were in the hospital and they genuinely offered any kind of help they could. Jonathan was feeling terrible thinking he had let them down and that they would be upset but his bosses kept reassuring him that everything was ok and he just needed to focus on getting better. I could go on and on about how grateful we are for everyone at the office but words can't even suffice. It was such a blessing to know that we were going to be taken care of, we had great health insurance to cover all of the medical bills, and that everyone was really understanding of our situation. Jonathan is now back at work and is even more eager to show them how much of a dedicated worker he is. I always knew that he was going to shine but now he has even more drive and excitement for his new job and the company. God has really blessed us by providing this job.
As I mentioned before, this past weekend we went back to El Paso for Jonathan's follow up appointment. He got the staples, which he called his zipper, removed from his head and everything else seems to be healing up well. He was having some issues in his upper arm and we were afraid it might have been a blood clot but after doing different tests we were told it was just a swollen vein. The doctors said it was pretty common to have that problem after being on an IV for so many consecutive days. That problem has now pretty much gone away. We are so grateful for the surgeon that God placed in our path to do Jonathan's procedure. He told me before he did Jonathan's surgery that he was just an instrument for God's use and I agree, he is an outstanding instrument!
Now that we're home for good, at least we hope we are, we're trying to get back in to a normal routine. Some things have still been an adjustment; it was sad the first time we got back home and were calling people to let them know we made it safely but then realizing that Gigi was no longer on that list of people to call. Please keep us in your prayers as we adjust to our "normal" life and as we still try to figure out what our life looks like without Gigi here. Please give prayers of thanksgiving for all the blessings God has given us even in the midst of all the chaos. One last request I have is for prayers for the guy I mentioned in a past post during Jonathan's stay in the hospital. Alex and his girlfriend Lauren went to high school with me; Lauren was actually one of my best friends in elementary school. Alex was in a motorcycle accident the day before Jonathan but he is still unconcious and in ICU. They have 2 kids who are old enough to know what is going on. Pray for healing for Alex and strength and comfort for Lauren and the kids.
Thank you for all the prayers you have said on our behalf and for all of the words of encouragement you've given us throughout this long and eventful journey. We truly appreciate it.
