Top Ten

As we've been walking through these past couple of weeks (sorry Honey, no pun intended!), we've been talking about some of the things we're thankful for. It's something we like to do when things seem to be kind of rough...especially when things seem to be rough. Despite the hardships we face at times, we still recognize that we're incredibly blessed. We have a peace in our hearts that can't be shaken by any of the external circumstances of our lives. We have a joy that can't be stolen by the sorrows that may come our way. We love, and we are loved.

And that's something to be thankful for.

Now with that said, I give you a Top Ten of some of the other things we're thankful for:

10. Family. In a matter of hours of Josh's accident, four family members from four different cities had come to be with us and the children. I was still feeling pretty overwhelmed at the time, and it was such a welcome relief to have them step in and take care of everything that had to be done. They've been there for us in countless ways during this ordeal. And I'm pretty sure the kids would think it was just perfection if they all moved in full-time!

9. Friends. Our friends have gone out of their way to support us in whatever we've needed during this time. Whether it was meeting us at the house to get Josh upstairs when he first got out of the hospital, going to the pharmacy to get his prescription filled, or driving him around while he can't drive himself, our friends have ministered to us in so many ways.

8. Children who can sleep through almost anything. I think I mentioned this in a previous post, but despite the chaos of what was happening at the foot of the stairs, the munchkins never made a peep at the top of the stairs. That was one of the first blessings we recognized out of all of this.

7. Wheelchairs, walkers, and bath chairs. Really. You have no idea.

6. Meals on wheels. Our church, family, and friends have provided almost all of our dinners since we got home from the hospital. And that's more of a blessing and a help than I can possibly express!! Our delightfully happy children lose a smidgen of their joy around the 5:00 hour. They're tired, they're in extra need of cuddling, and they're hungry. And that makes for a tough time for me trying to get dinner prepared (especially with another larger family member who's feeling the same way as the little ones!)

5. Laughter. Those first few days after Josh's accident weren't exactly teeming over with laughter, but we definitely found moments (in between Josh's morphine-pump pushes) to laugh together.

4. Outside-the-box thinking. Family and friends have really been thinking about ways to serve and help us. And it's been neat to see some of the great ideas that have come from that...storage containers to refrigerate leftovers (from the fantastic dinners we've been given), paper plates so that we don't have to worry about doing dishes every night, magazines to keep Josh entertained when he was stuck in the bed, bagels and cream cheese for breakfast the next morning, and the list goes on. I'm definitely tucking some of these ideas away for when it's our turn to serve someone else!

3. Yahtzee. Do you know how great this game is?!? We lay in bed and play it every night now!!

2. MedJet. In case that doesn't ring a bell, that's the company Josh works for. At the time of his wipeout, he didn't have a single day of vacation or sick leave; however, they gave him a full week of time off to spend at home healing (not to mention the two days they gave him while he was still in the hospital). Josh is so happy there, and he would love for you to check the company out (http://www.medjet.com). (Yes, that was most certainly a shameless plug. But really, check it out!)

1. The peace that comes from knowing that God loves us and that He works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). We don't always understand His ways, but we always trust in them.


Today was a big day for Josh...the surgeon had told him he needed to be out of work for at least two weeks, but just one week into that time frame, Josh felt like he could go back to work full-time. So after about an hour of getting everything ready last night (I felt like I was sending him off for his first day of school), he was ready to hit the ground running this morning. I'm just full of inappropriate puns today, aren't I? :-)

I was kind of resistant to his going back so early, but much to my pleasant surprise, he did great today. He's a little tired tonight, but he's feeling wonderful after "finally becoming productive again". His words...definitely not mine! Our prayer and the prayer of many others has been that he will have a fast recovery that defies what the doctors said was possible.

Looks like he's well on his way.