Rise and Shine

I know there have been long intervals in between the postings, but it has been a fast pace around here. Our days have just zipped by as we visited with the family. Their visit was exactly what we needed too! It has been a long 8 months and to have our house filled with love and laughter was the best medicine.

Apparently it was the wake up call Paul really needed! For most of my childhood, I remember my mother coming into the room and as she turned on the light she would say, "Time to rise and shine." Well, Paul has been a much better example of that directive than I ever was. He has been able to rise and shine better than ever. I don't know if it is because of his wanting to be with his cousins or if his shunt is functioning a little better or if the medications for his headaches are finally into his sytem well enough to relieve some of his headache pain. Maybe a little of all the above. Or just an answer to his daily prayer, which remains to be, "God, the Father, please help my headache not be so bad today. You know it hurts all the time and I need your help today." Pope Benedict XVI relates how dependent humans are on God. He states, "Humans are dependent. They cannot live except from others and by trust.....Humans are dependent - that is the primary truth about them.....Living in dependence on God means not being one's own master, not wanting to take charge of the world oneself; it means saying good-bye to the dream of autonomy and of being one's own boss, recognizing that we cannot do it on our own and learnng to accept our life day by day from his hands, without anxiety and full of confidence." It appears to be this confidence Paul has in God that has helped him become very active and able to participate in the daily activities with the California Fideros.

Last Wednesday night Paul went to bed early because he had a really bad headache. I went to check on him and he was praying out loud to God for relief of his pain. He asked me who was downstairs and I told him the California Fideros and Jerry (our friend and neighbor). He then asked me to hold his hand as he was finishing his prayer. He was thanking God for allowing him to live after the accident and for a number of other things and then he finished by saying, "I know I have had to ask you for so much, but I ask you once again to help me with my pain. As you know, the girls are going to be leaving in a coup;e of days and I would like to be able to spend more time with them, so please help my pain go away so I can be downstairs with them. And also, Jerry is downstairs and I would like to see him too." That was the end of his prayer. I stayed with him for a few minutes more, then said I had to get back downstairs for a little bit, but would come back to check on him. Before I was able to go back upstairs, Paul was on his way down. It was about 8:30 PM and he came down to be with everyone. He became very talkative, and was walking around without any ones help. He ate and then visited with everyone. The adults were sitting in the rocking chairs out on the front porch and Paul would walk out there every little bit and would chat with us, then went back in to be with his brothers, cousins and Jerry. At 11:17 PM, I finally suggested that Paul get some sleep so that he could participate in the next day's activities. He agreed and went to bed. We were all shocked at his ability to be up so late and to actually be so active. He had been downstairs alot since the family came to visit, but he would stay laying on the couch most of the time. He had not laid down in almost 3 hours Wednesday night! I had no doubt that it was God's answer to Paul's heartfelt prayer that helped Paul that night.

On Thursday, everyone went to DTSi to meet the people they had read about so often in the blog. Richard Watson took everyone to lunch at a local restaurant and I was told that Paul handled it very well. I asked Paul if he had a good time and he said he did and that he had sat next to Lisa Hanrahan (he shared an office with her and she is also the mother of Brendan - Paul's good friend). He said, "Lisa helped me cut some of my steak..........I take that back - she cut MOST of my steak!" He said that it was a lot of fun to see everyone from DTSi again. He would like to work again and says it often. We are really looking forward to the day he can actually do that. I asked him if he thought he would remember what to do and he said he knew he would and that anything he forgot, Lisa could show him and he would know it again. We are hoping that he can put in a few hours each day really soon. It is obvious from all that he has been doing while the family has been visiting, that he needs a lot more stimulation in his life!

On Friday, Paul and his dad went to the 9:00 AM Mass. Later, they came by GuideOne Insurance to bring me my cell phone (which I had forgotten again.........sigh). Everyone else was going on a private tour of CNN Center. Jerry was their guide! At the office, Paul visited first with Meredith Tarantino (Jonathan's mom), then with my supervisor, Bill Henn. As Jon, Paul and I walked back to Bill's office Paul asked me what people would say to Bill if they called in on the phone. I wasn't sure what he meant and asked him to explain. He said, "What would be something that they would ask Bill to do if they called in?" I laughingly said that they would probably want to complain about their adjuster! Paul then told Jon and I to wait before we walked into the office and he went in first. I heard him say to Bill, "Hello Mr. Henn, I am here to lodge a complaint against my adjuster, Rebecca Fidero." I heard Bill laugh as he said, "Well, hello Paul!" Jon and I walked in and proceeded to have a really nice visit with Bill. After that, Jon, Paul and I went out to eat our first lunch out since the accident. It was a wonderful time for us. At the restaurant, Paul could not find a place where a light was not shining in his eye. He asked our waitress if it could be arranged to move a spotlight in another direction. She was so kind and she got up on a chair and adjusted the light so it was not in Paul's direction. We all thanked her a lot and then Paul slid down in his chair and laughingly said, "AAHHH, time for a nap!"

On Saturday, we went to the Westin Hotel downtown and had appetizers in the lounge on the 72nd floor. As you sit at the tables, the floor moves and you can see the metro Atlanta area while sitting in the same place as you circle around. It was not a particularly clear day, but we could see most of the downtown area really well. Before we left home, I asked Paul if he remembered much of downtown. He said he really couldn't at the moment. He remembered being in the dorms at GSU and riding his bike to classes with his roommate, Josh Schmidt, but that was about it. Once we got down there, he remembered a lot more than he thought he would. He knew where we were and even when we were driving home, he told me which direction to head in. I was pretty excited about that.

Everyone was supposed to fly out on Sunday morning, but Kelly and Stephanie wanted to stay longer, so arrangements were made and they are going to stay until Thursday morning. Paul had been asking them to check with Rick and Debi to see if they could stay, and asked them a couple of times on Saturday, "Have you asked your parents yet?" At dinner, we announced to Paul that it was official..........the girls would be staying. Sunday was a very quiet day and the only thing that we did was to go to Mass. Paul's level of activity dropped and his head was hurting a good deal yesterday. He will be going to the 9:00 AM Mass today. He called Jerry yesterday and asked if he could be picked up and taken! He came and told me he had done that after reading a note from Jerry to our family. He, like all of us, have so enjoyed getting to know Jerry!

Paul's humor has defintely emerged since the family came to town. He has been putting out a huge effort to be part of the crowd and thus, his wit is more evident. It has brought a lot of joy seeing him share his love and receive everyone's in return. It has gladdened this mother's heart.

St. Paul said, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13) Our Paul has been the visual aid!

Entering this day with thanksgiving, blessed be the name of God!
Love,
Jon and Rebecca

p.s. - pictures will be posted later - too time consuming for this morning!