Blessings

It's been a long time since I have posted. Life has sort of consumed us these past few weeks. Summertime should be a time of rest and relaxing, but we have been spinning our wheels to and from the doctors, and it seems to be a trip in futility lately. "What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near"...the words of this song ring very true in our house right now - for 7+ weeks Tim has suffered through what is now believed to be Parsonage Turner Syndrome, a rare disease that attacks the brachial plexus nerve bundles of the spine and shoulder, creating pain, numbness, and weakness and a now palsy in his left arm and severe, sharp pains in his right hand, making even the simplest tasks impossible.  Physical and occupational therapy appointments flood his calendar while he juggles full time work at  the Pentagon. Fortunately he has a very understanding work environment. He is seeking special equipment for keyboard and phone use to make his job easier, and there is a place within the building that will provide those. When he went to check it out the woman working there had no arms at all.  He said that was a real wake up call. We are blessed.

The neighbors and our kids are pitching in to help with the work Tim normally would be doing at home during the summer. Kayaking, golf, fishing, are all out of the question for now. The prognosis is a 2-5 year recovery with varying degrees of outcomes. That is a tough pill to swallow for someone who has always been very active, NEVER sick, never had surgery or even a sniffle.  So we go to the movies, browse Best Buy and Costco, eat out and try to stay busy with friends.

The little things found here and there on my recent MRIs and Pet Scans now pale in comparison, and while I am seeking to get to the bottom of a nearly year-long pain on my right side, it is not debilitating and I will get answers when it is time. For now, I am waiting to hear from my ob/gyn as to her thoughts on recent test results.  I leave on Wednesday with Kelli for Pittsburgh for her American Idol audition, which we are all very excited about! She leaves for college in just 6 weeks, a very exciting but sad day in our household, well, at least for me and Tim who are about to become Empty Nesters! I hope you'll enjoy the song below and remember as we are, that God's ways are not our ways, but His love is deep.We covet your prayers!