Tie A Yellow Ribbon ....

Jon called me mid morning on Monday and said that they were going to discharge Paul from the hospital and so they were waiting for the paperwork to be signed and the IV needle to be removed. He said he would call me when they were leaving so I would know about what time they would be home. At 2:15 I called him and he said they were still waiting for a wheel chair for Paul. He said he had checked with the nurse a while before and she said she had called for one. Jon had mentioned that Paul had been on a number of walks and they had taken a morning walk outside. I said that it was a shame they were running so late, and that they would be catching the Atlanta traffic jam after work. Jon said that since Paul was up and doing well, couldn't they just walk on out to the car? I said that they needed to be very careful and if Paul was that stable on his feet and wasn't dizzy or anything, that it seemed okay to just walk to the car. It was not a long walk. Jon asked Paul, "Hey, do you feel like busting out of this place?" I heard Paul say "most definitely" and so Jon said, "Then let's do it. Okay, we're out of here and I will see you in 4 hours."

I had gone home for lunch and on the way stopped and purchased yellow ribbons and balloons. I then stopped at Judy's house and gave her balloons for her mailbox and some for Jerry's, along with yellow ribbons to tie on the trees in their front yard. I then dashed home and decorated our yard with the same. After work, Jerry, Judy and I were buying things to cook for dinner - Paul's favorites - steak, potatoes, zuccini and salad. Judy made a fresh cake too. I called Jon and told him to give me a call as soon as they drove into the neighborhood so we could be outside. When the cell phone rang, we all gathered outside. Front and center was Abby and Emma with big yellow bows around their necks. Paul got out and of course went to his dog first! I gave him some dog biscuits to hand to Abby and Emma as treats. Jerry and I were snapping pictures while he played with the dogs. He then got up and hugged the humans who were waiting for him! It was so much fun to see him looking so well, albeit thinner. He stayed headache free for a few hours, then the pain started to come back later on and Jon took him home. I got home a little after that and stood in Paul's doorway just looking in at him sleeping on his own bed. The house was so quiet and it was such a peaceful moment for us all. Jon was already sleeping too. It had been a very long day for both of them. I thought back on all the noise and chaos in that hospital and just stood there and relished the thoughts of Paul getting a long and undisturbed night's sleep. When I crawled into bed, I don't think I was awake for more than 2 mintues. I don't remember getting past a couple of Hail Mary's that I was saying in thanksgiving for this day.

Paul walked into our room at 5:30 this morning. He had already been downstairs to see his dad and he took his morning medicine then came back up to my room. He laid down and it woke me up. I asked him how much he enjoyed getting into his own bed the night before and he chuckled and said as he climbed into that king size bed, all he said was, "Oh yeah". We talked for a little bit, but I fell back asleep until 7:00. Paul had fallen back asleep too and right below him on the floor was his loyal and loving dog, Abby.

Paul is wiped out from his stay. He has lost weight and strength. He is back to talking in short sentences as he has to get his breath more often. He has some work ahead of hiim to regain what he lost after 3 weeks in bed. His diet was not very good either - he never really felt like eating. So, this morning I got out the juicer and made a fresh fruit smoothie and brought it up to him with all of his vitamins. I told him I was putting him on the fast track for his overall health and to please finish the whole smoothie. He said, "So we are back to this" and I replied with great cheer "You betcha. We want to see you back up and living your life to the fullest. We'll get you there." As he drank, I asked God to bless us as we walk through this day.

I have found someone who knows how to convert the pictures I have to a format that this site will accept. I hope to learn how to get pictures on this site with greater ease - I am sure I have made it way more complicated than it is. No surprises there.


May the peace that comes from the love of Jesus, be with you all today.
Love,
Jon and Rebecca