March 7th, 2012  6:30am on the ? day of the next 50 years!

My mind isn't working very well this morning.  Someone was up roaming the hall in the middle of the night - yup, he took 75 steps with the help of his lovely young nurse!  Didn't even wake me until he came back and announced very proudly he had just walked halfway to the nurse's station and back.  Took a quick nap and announced that he was planning his day.  So at o'dark thirty we set up his shaving and toothbrushing at the side of the bed and he did it all by himself and I shaved the back of his neck.  If you know Jim very well you know by this time it was difficult to tell where his head hair ended and his back hair began, but I did my best and he looks incredibly handsome to me!  By the time he gets out of here he will look like he's had a full body wax. 

We are anxiously waiting today for the doctors to tell us when we are going to Rio Rehabilitation.  It is located near 22nd and Burnside and you can click on this website: www.legacyhealth.org/rio for the address.  Be sure to call me so you know for sure where we are.  Jim's # is 503-969-2452, mine is 503-969-2449.  We are up for visitors, but if you call then you won't come in when he's in the middle of his bath or some other quite interesting procedure!  He has another MRI scheduled for March 22nd and then a follow-up with the Infectious Disease doctor after that.

I'm thankful every day that he is moving forward so well. (you know, this all is sounding very familiar - if I am repeating myself please forgive me because I don't read my blog - and I think I've misplaced my brain someplace).  I was at the post office yesterday to get an envelope to send some mail to someone and asked for postage and started to leave and the postman said, "Ummm, mam, you need to pay for that."  I said, "Well, I wasn't going to steal it." and he said, "Yes you were."  Ha, ha, ha! Then I went to the car and brought in a package that I needed to find a mailing box for, found it, got back in line, got to his station where he rang up the price of the box and the postage, I slid my card in the little machine and he handed me my receipt and thanked me.  I said to him, "Don't I get any change?"  He looked at me like maybe I was an escapee from some institution, and immediately I said, "Oh, I thought I paid with a $20 bill!"  Ha, ha, ha!  I go to this same post office enough that I think he already has me pegged as being just a bubble off level anyway, so he didn't call anyone to take me away.  How long will I be able to convince people that it's my husband's illness that has me this way?  I think I had better find a new post office until this blows over.

 Thanks to all of you who are helping to get some things done to get him ready for home.  You are much appreciated and I hope we can show our appreciation to you some day in the near future.  Since he is walking so well there will be less to do than originally anticipated. 

Those of you, my friends and family, that are struggling with your own illnesses and problems, I am praying for mercy and grace and God's comfort and peace.  We don't always understand, but we have a God we can trust.  Proverbs 3:3-5  "Trust in the Lord always and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."  Have a blessed day.  Is it snowing out there?!