Anne

Tonight’s service for Anne…

What a difference a year makes! This time last year, people were gathering at church pleading for God to spare Anne’s life. Tonight’s celebration service was a stark contrast!

Anne climbed the stairs to the platform at the front of our sanctuary (with the help of her former PT) and said into the microphone, “I made it!” She went on to answer questions from both Pastor Paul and Pastor Pete. She stayed on topic and seemed to really enjoy being on stage in front of everyone. She asked at one point, “Wow, can they hear me all the way in the back!”

A year and a day ago, if you would have told us that Anne would be on stage – talking into a microphone – and enjoying it…. Well, we wouldn’t have believed it. This is the girl that refused to sing in children’s choir because she was too afraid to stand up in front of everybody – and who cried in Sunday School because she had to go to the bathroom, but was too shy to tell her teacher… Wow!

The church staff did an amazing job putting together this service. The music was awesome, and the words shared were extremely meaningful.

Thank you to everyone who came. We had friends and family come from hours away to celebrate Anne. The Sanctuary was full of people we love and who love Anne. It was a glorious time.

Special Day

We’ve had a great day as a family today. We took a trip to Fernbank with some other families. Anne enjoyed being with all her friends! Afterward, Anne had a great OT session and then we went to a friend’s house for a play date. Anne was able to rest a bit, and now she’s watching her favorite video, Letter Factory.

Anne enjoying Fernbank

We’re very excited about the service tonight and very thankful that our church would go to so much trouble for our family.

I’ve prayed that today would be a good day. I’ve felt surrounded by God’s presence and pleasure. We serve a great God!

Celebration Service

The one year anniversary of our accident is this Wednesday, April 13th.

The past year has been extremely difficult, but Eric and I agree that it has also been a year marked by profound blessings and joy!

Our church is holding a short celebration service for Anne and our family this Wednesday evening at 5:30pm in the sanctuary. The purpose of this service is to thank God for preserving Anne’s life and for her current recovery. We hope it will be an encouragement to everyone who has prayed for our family as we celebrate God’s goodness in our midst.

If you are able, we would love for you to join us on Wednesday night. Thank you all for your faithful prayers for our family!

ChristChurch Presbyterian
81 Peachtree Park Dr. NE
Atlanta GA 30309

I’m doing better…

This week has been a good week for all of us. The more relaxed pace of spring break has been rejuvenating. Thank you for praying for me. I’ve been more aware of God’s mercy and faithfulness, and I’ve been encouraged by several friends this week. I’ve received uplifting text messages, fresh tulips delivered to my door, and one friend even came over to clean my toilets and fold my laundry. That’s love!

I think most encouraging is that lots of people are remembering April 13th. From close friends to casual acquaintances, I’ve had several encounters this week of people telling me that they are praying as the 13th approaches.

God has lifted the weight of grief (at least for now) and given me a single focus for the good He’s accomplished in Anne this year. We have so much to be thankful for! So when our pastor asked how they could best minister to us on the one year mark of the accident, I decided I wanted a celebration service to thank God for the blessing of Anne’s life and miraculous recovery. The details are still being worked out, but my prayer is that the service will be an encouragement to Anne and to those who have prayed so faithfully for Anne. I pray God is glorified as we acknowledge the work He has done in our midst!

Miss Debbie was over tonight watching our kids. Anne loves Miss Debbie! She made me a care package for wednesday… Lots of chocolate, diet cokes, candles, etc. But the coolest thing is a cd she made for me. On it is Laura Story’s new song Blessings. Miss Debbie says that every word reminds her of Anne. I agree. Listen to it if you have a chance:-)  And here’s the story behind the song if you’re interested…

I’ll post more about Anne’s service when I know details. It will be this Wednesday evening at our church, ChristChurch Presbyterian. Anne will be there, and I hope it will be a blessing for everyone :-)

One week and counting…

April 13th is one week away. I’m not doing very well as I approach that day… Basically, I’m going into mole-mode – where I just want to bury myself in a tunnel and pretend like the rest of the world doesn’t exist. My poor children – it’s all I can do just to keep the house running these days.

But that’s grief. It’s very familiar to me, so I’m not panicking. The laundry is in piles now, but I’ll come out of it eventually and catch up :-) And somehow (by God’s grace) I look back at the end of each day and see that dinner got fixed, the house is semi-neat and the kids have clean clothes. There’s even a little energy left for tickles and crafts – that’s all God.

April 13th represents two very different realities for me. 1st – it’s the day that God saved Anne’s life! After reading through all the medical records from that day – it’s a miracle she survived. But 2nd – that day represents the end of the “old” Anne. Brain injury patients are never the same after their injuries… Some might think that she is like her old self – just with a disabled body. No, her entire personality is different – wonderful – just different.

So, that day represents death and life to me. And right now, I just don’t want to think about any of it. You could pray for me. That would be nice :-)

Anne is tired.

Anne continues to be so tired. She’s sleeping 12 hours at night and taking two naps during the days. It’s spring break here, so we’re just letting her rest. She goes to the neurologist tomorrow, so hopefully we can find a new seizure med for her.

She’s tired, but she’s still progressing well. Her left arm is finally “waking up.” She’s definitely more aware of her left arm. She can reach a little with that arm, and she can even feel and identify different textures with her left fingers. These are all wonderful signs that the right side of her brain is making new connections!

Anne continues to be witty and fun – even if she is tired. We’re always amazed at her cognitive abilities. Her fluency skills are so good. This will be a huge advantage to her in school and life! She still has huge obstacles to overcome – specifically in her visual motor skills, attention, fine motor skills, stamina, gross motor skills… well, I could go on, but I don’t want to get overwhelmed :-)

God loves little Anne and has an amazing plan for her. We will trust Him and wait expectantly for Him to work His mysterious ways through her!

Thank you for praying! Kathryn

Pray for Anne…

April 2011’s prayer requests:

  1. Anne’s current seizure medication is preventing her seizures, but she seems extra tired. Please pray that either the side effects of this med will wane, or that we would find the right seizure med, or that God would heal her seizures!
  2. Please pray for Anne’s stamina to improve – that she would regain her joy and enthusiasm.
  3. Please continue to pray that Anne would eventually learn how to read, write and walk.
  4. Lastly, please pray that God would be very close to Anne and give her the comfort and peace she needs to persevere in her recovery.

Thank you!

Miracle of music

I’m thankful for music and Anne’s ability to sing along.

In the days after the accident, a new song by Josh Wilson entitled, Before the Morning, was released on the radio. This song ministered the most deeply to me in those early days. After one of my most discouraging days, I was driving home from the hospital just crying and praying. After much talking with God, I meekly asked, “God, would you just let me hear that Josh Wilson song…” So I turned on the radio, and his song was playing…

Would you dare, would you dare to believe,
That you still have a reason to sing,
That the pain that you’ve been feeling
Can’t compare to the joy that’s coming.

So hold on, you gotta wait for the light.
Press on and just fight the good fight,
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling,
Is just the dark before the morning.

Now Anne knows all the lyrics and sings along in the car. That’s a stark contrast to the dark days in the hospital, and a poignant gift from God…

Lost dreams

I miss the freedom of having healthy, independent, well-behaved children. I’ve been so sad lately. so. very. sad.

Next week is spring break. Last year during spring break, I took the kids to Anniston, AL to visit my cousin. It was my very first road trip alone with the kids… since they were all potty trained and old enough to buckle themselves into their car seats by themselves, I thought this would be the beginning of lots of road trips. We had a blast in Anniston. My cousin lives in a big, old house. We spent hours playing hide-n-seek and sardines. Here’s a (blurry) pic of my cousin and us “squished” in a shower while we’re playing sardines :-)

Playing Sardines 4-10-10

Back when my kids were younger, I used to dream of the day when they were all at least 4 years old. Four = independence and much more freedom to do things like… fun road trips!

Three days after we got home from Anniston, the accident happened… and then Kate turned four. We had her birthday party at the hospital.

Lost dreams are just that… dreams. God has different plans for our family. I believe that I’ll be able to take fun road trips with my kids – I’ll just have to wait a little bit longer :-)

New Seizure Medication

Anne’s new seizure medication seems to be helping her seizures. She hasn’t had a seizure in over a week! But the medication is making her tired – like she’s in a haze. Her eyes are droopy and she wants to be in her bed all the time. The side effects could go away as Anne’s body adjusts to the medication, but if not, we’ll be looking for another seizure med. It’s just too discouraging to see her so droopy all the time…

She still stutters, but I noticed a significant drop over the weekend when she was able to get more rest. Her speech therapist thinks we should take the “wait and see” approach. Typically stuttering in children takes care of itself without any therapeutic intervention. I’m praying that’s the case for Anne!

We’re so grateful for your prayers. It’s a constant source of encouragement for our whole family!

Gratefully, kathryn