Garren's Latest Swallow Test

It's a long journey. We continue to pray, as I know many of you do, that Garren will one day learn to swallow again. I never get tired of the parents who come up to me and say "My son/daughter won't go to bed at night until they have prayed for Garren!" Thank you.

The other day, someone asked me about prayer. They weren't sure if maybe after asking God for something so many times, without getting an answer, if maybe we should stop. I looked him in the eye and said "I have an alarm on my phone that reminds me every hour to pray for Garren's swallowing. I don't plan to stop." We will continue to pray through this until we see an answer.

It's been several months since Garren went to see someone about his swallow, so we scheduled a swallow test check up last week. We had no idea what we would discover. Although Garren still cannot complete a swallow, the therapist immediately announced that she could see changes and progress. The base of his tongue has movement (toward the back of his throat) that was not at all evident before. Other parts are moving significantly where there was little or no movement before.

I will continue to pray, hourly, for Garren to swallow. This is progress. This is positive movement toward healing. We are so thankful to God for these small but significant changes. As the therapist said, it's neurological, and healing in the brain is a matter of time.

Thank you Lord for small steps.

Vote for Kara

Our oldest daughter, Kara, is a senior this year at CATA High School in Monroe. She has really made us proud with her passions and achievements. She has recently been accepted to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. It is her dream to go into acting. We are all very excited about this opportunity.

However, as you well know, opportunities like this cost money! Apparently quite a bit of money! So Kara has been tasked with seeking out and applying for scholarships. Lots of scholarships. She recently submitted an essay to WyzAnt College Scholarships. The finalists for this scholarship are chosen by popular vote. So we wanted to ask you to vote, and then ask all your friends to vote as well.

You can read her essay and cast your vote here.

Thank you so  much for your help!

Twists and Turns

Life is full of twists and turns. As I look back and reflect over the last couple of years, I think about the things that we have seen and experienced that I never could have dreamed were even possible, things that are just bizarre. Watching my only son go through a near death experience, come out of a coma, and begin the path of recovery from a brain injury. It's just bizarre! An unexpected twist on the path of life. 

Then to walk through the most stressful and heartbreaking church crisis I have ever been a part of. To see people turn on each other, watch people get hurt, watch pride pull people apart, and watch tremendous damage occur within the Bride of Christ - how bizarre! It all seems so surreal. Unbelievable. Who could have ever dreamed up the things that would have happened in the last couple of years?

The journey through these valleys has brought us to this point. Looking back down the path we see indescribable devastation. We also see unexpected highlights and blessings that we never would have experienced or appreciated had they not been surrounded by these circumstances. I helped Garren walk with his walker yesterday. We went 1/2 mile in about 45 minutes. Amazing progress! 

Looking forward into the fog, we beg God to give us a sense of what's next. We seek His face, asking for direction. But all we seem to get from Him is "just take another step." One more step. We trust His leading, but sometimes it's hard to take another step, not knowing where it will lead.

Our journey has been, and will continue to be full of twists and turns. We will never really know for sure what's next, no matter how well we think we have planned our journey. This is all another great reminder that God is in control, and we are not. God's plans are better than our plans. No matter what the next step of our journey brings our way, we can know that our God and Father already knows, and will lead us through it; all we have to do is trust Him and follow Him, each step of the way.