Hello Everyone,
I'm sorry it has taken me so long to send another update but many things have taken place in the last two months. Today it has been six month since Cindy passed away. It still does not seem real. Some days I find myself expecting her to walk through the door at any time and most days I wait for her to call me by name or laugh at something I said or wrote. It's amazing how much you miss things that sometimes made you mad like her correcting my grammar. Oh how I wish she were here to do that now.
Two weeks ago I had major surgery on my back L1-L5. I have been putting off the surgery for several years. The last two years for obvious reasons and I also wanted to wait as long as possible because honestly back surgery has always scared me. I am recovering and getting better each day. I have to admit the first week was terrible. My surgery was supposed to be out patient one to two hours. It ended up taking over seven hours and a week in the hospital. When I first got home I thought I might have made one of the worst decisions in my life because I was hurting so bad. But as I said things are much better now. The surgery did not go without its problems. During surgery the doctors had to work to regulate my blood pressure. First it was to low then to high. In the process my right eye did not maintain enough oxygen and for now I have lost some of the sight in my right eye. The eye doctor said it is nerve damage and will hopefully return to normal in the next six months. If it doesn't they can not do much to improve it since it is a nerve problem not an eye problem. It does not hurt but is very aggravating. Please pray for my sight to come back and that my back will continue to heel. I know from talking to many of you about this that you are concerned about whether or not my sight comes back. I too am concerned but please understand that this will not change my outlook. This is just another bump in the road and I will come out on the other side and do fine.
Emily and Jeannie are doing great. They both are maintaining great grades in school. (Thank you Cindy for your smarts!) We are able to laugh with each other and we have been spending real quality time with each other on trips to see friends and relatives or by spending time together at home. Both girls have been so helpful to me since my surgery and have stepped up to take on responsibilities that have helped them grow and helped me let go of some things. God has truly blessed me with wonderful daughters.
My family has helped so much and in so many ways. My family in Alabama and in Tennessee have all went out of their way to help us in the lat months and since my surgery. My church family has also continued to be a big part of our lives. Again God continues to bless us with loving, compassionate and giving people. It is so awesome to have such a family!
We are looking forward to this summer. We have plans to go visit many relatives and spend time together. I am looking forward to being over my back surgery and working hard to improve my health for the future. I am very lucky to have some very inspirational people around me. Brian, Julie, Josh, Olsa, Holly, Aaron just to name a few you know how much each of you have inspired me to do better with my health and grow as a Christian. Thank you.
The girls and I have ben going to counseling at Alive Hospice where Cindy was taken care of before she passed away. I truly believe it is helping us coop with our lose and it has also helped me to focus on the hurt that I and so many other people go through. I believe this is another path that God is leading me down to help get me ready for the future. One thing that really stands out from these sessions is how important it is to listen. Most of the time people do not want an answer they just need someone to listen. If you know of someone that is hurting or struggling find away to sit down and listen and be honest and let them know that you don't have all the answers but you can be there for them. God again has blessed me with people who care for me and my daughters and who listen. They do not pretend to have all the answers or even understand what we are going through but they care enough to be there for us anyway.
I pray that everyone had a great Easter and that each of you celebrated the fact that our savior rose from the grave. Without this fact Christianity would be just another religion. With this fact it is the only religion that provides a path to salvation.
Thank you again for your emails, prayers and friendships.
In Christ
Mark
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