Baby Jon
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Hope Till We See His Face
On Monday night the phone rang at 11:35 PM. Like most people, a late night phone call strikes fear into the heart. I picked up my cell phone and immediately my heart filled with joy instead. It was our son, Jon. I knew instantly why he was calling. And I was right. Our grandchild was on the way. He told me that, hopefully, we would be grandparents by morning. Marie had been in labor for quite awhile and they wanted to make sure it was the real thing before calling everyone. He asked us to pray for them and then the waiting began.
It was so late that I could not really call anyone to ask for prayers. I woke up James and Michael and asked them to please say a rosary for Marie and the baby. Paul was staying at Jerry's, so I called him. I knew he would be awake since he still has trouble falling asleep at night. He was awake and said he would start his rosary prayers right away. I called my sister Mary Beth and left a voice mail on her cell phone to please pray when she got the message. I thought she might still be up. Then Jon and I sat in our room, with only the moon bringing light through the windows and we said our rosary. I noted it was 11:55, and said happily, "Oh good, the Joyous Mysteries!".
We tried to sleep after that, but it was almost impossible. I had my rosary in my hand all night and my cell phone in the other! At 5 A.M. Jon took my cell phone and told me he would get it recharged........smile. He's a good man. He brought me my coffee and we sat talking for a little while about how tough it is to wait this out and how exciting it was. We went to the 6:30 A.M. Mass and I prayed with great fervency for the health and well being of the baby and strength for Marie. I had turned my cell phone ringer off, but left it sitting in the pew next to me so I would know if the baby was born while we were in Mass. It did not ring. The waiting continued. It struck me immediately during Mass that there was no better example for people to have about longing for Jesus, than what we were experiencing that morning. I asked God in that moment and I have asked Him numerous times since, to help me have an even greater longing for Christ. I dwelled on the thought about how I need to long for the sight of His face in everyone, to long for His words to bring truth in my life, to long for the love that is perfect. In this season of Advent, it is the gift we should all hope for. An even greater love for Jesus and the longing to know Him and serve Him. I completely forgot about the fact that I was waiting for my wonderful first grandchild and sat there, lost in conversation with God. I prayed fervently for this world to receive this gift of longing for the Christ Child and His love. By the time I received Communion, I was so joyous that I had a hard time keeping the tears wiped from my face. My life was so perfect in that moment of receivng the Body of Christ and realizing we are offered Christmas morning every single day. How precious the gift of Our Lord, Jesus. How tragic that the churches are not overflowing with people waiting to receive their daily bread, their gift from heaven. When I think about this perfect gift, given with perfect humility and love, why do I stay away? How do I let life keep me away? How do I let life get in the way? I am so easily preoccupied. Knowing full well my weakness, I have prayed with greater urgency in these past few days that I receive the best gift of all - the desire with my whole being to be more completely in love and union with Jesus.
By early morning, the extended family knew what the Fidero and Hennessy families were anxiously waiting to hear. The emails and phone calls were continuous. It was pretty tough having to wait until 1:00 PM to learn that a new baby boy had come into our lives. I stood outside on a sidewalk, crying as I got the news. I was with my sister Beverly and my friend Meredith Tarantino. We had met for lunch. I immediately called Jon and I could hardly stop crying. One reason was because I was not with him. I told him that it made me remember how we were not together when we learned the news Jon and Marie were expecting a child. Now we were again separated when we got this 'huge' news. Again, lots of phone calls as Beverly and I contacted everyone we could think of and whose phone numbers we had. I had to go back to work and when I got there, I told my supervisor that I honestly didn't think I would be able to get much done and promised that I would be careful to not make any mistakes! After work, all the boys, Jon, Matt Velker and I met at a restaurant and celebrated the birth of
"little Jon Fidero".
As always..........pictures will be posted later when I have time. This is the worst time of year for me at work, since everyone is out driving while preoccupied. Lots of accidents to handle and it is a crisis indeed for these people since most of them are heading to their families and friends in other towns. I have hardly had a moment to my name. We are also preparing to leave to visit Jon, Marie and Baby Jon. Paul is so excited since he will be the Godfather. He has talked alot about how he will be there to help his nephew learn all the stuff little boys need to know. I am sure he will share his love of Jesus with this baby boy too. The most perfect gift of all.
Hope when the sun is setting,
Hope through the dark of night;
Hope though the moon is waning,
Hope as we long for light.
Hope for the coming Savior,
Hope through the heart's slow race;
Hope for the kingdom's dawning,
Hope till we see His face!
At this time, I would like to ask a favor of everyone who is reading this. While we celebrate the birth of our grandson, there is a woman who has followed our story and who has asked for prayers for her granddaughter. The child's name is Cecelia and she is 19 months old. She has had to have a shunt put in, but it has not seemed to help. There are other complicating illnesses this baby girl is suffering from and I remember well how hard it is to watch a child suffer - so I know how difficult this has to be for this family. I ask that you bring the gift of your prayer for this child and family to the Baby Jesus. He will hear and answer them.
I know that all of you have very special intentions in your heart and so I want to say, that while I can't know them all, Jesus does. As we approach Christmas, I'll be praying that Jesus will look with great love and mercy on all your needs. I hope and pray that we all receive the gift of a more perfect love of the Child, Jesus, thereby turning our desire towards the gift of true life.
Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Love,
Jon and Rebecca
It was so late that I could not really call anyone to ask for prayers. I woke up James and Michael and asked them to please say a rosary for Marie and the baby. Paul was staying at Jerry's, so I called him. I knew he would be awake since he still has trouble falling asleep at night. He was awake and said he would start his rosary prayers right away. I called my sister Mary Beth and left a voice mail on her cell phone to please pray when she got the message. I thought she might still be up. Then Jon and I sat in our room, with only the moon bringing light through the windows and we said our rosary. I noted it was 11:55, and said happily, "Oh good, the Joyous Mysteries!".
We tried to sleep after that, but it was almost impossible. I had my rosary in my hand all night and my cell phone in the other! At 5 A.M. Jon took my cell phone and told me he would get it recharged........smile. He's a good man. He brought me my coffee and we sat talking for a little while about how tough it is to wait this out and how exciting it was. We went to the 6:30 A.M. Mass and I prayed with great fervency for the health and well being of the baby and strength for Marie. I had turned my cell phone ringer off, but left it sitting in the pew next to me so I would know if the baby was born while we were in Mass. It did not ring. The waiting continued. It struck me immediately during Mass that there was no better example for people to have about longing for Jesus, than what we were experiencing that morning. I asked God in that moment and I have asked Him numerous times since, to help me have an even greater longing for Christ. I dwelled on the thought about how I need to long for the sight of His face in everyone, to long for His words to bring truth in my life, to long for the love that is perfect. In this season of Advent, it is the gift we should all hope for. An even greater love for Jesus and the longing to know Him and serve Him. I completely forgot about the fact that I was waiting for my wonderful first grandchild and sat there, lost in conversation with God. I prayed fervently for this world to receive this gift of longing for the Christ Child and His love. By the time I received Communion, I was so joyous that I had a hard time keeping the tears wiped from my face. My life was so perfect in that moment of receivng the Body of Christ and realizing we are offered Christmas morning every single day. How precious the gift of Our Lord, Jesus. How tragic that the churches are not overflowing with people waiting to receive their daily bread, their gift from heaven. When I think about this perfect gift, given with perfect humility and love, why do I stay away? How do I let life keep me away? How do I let life get in the way? I am so easily preoccupied. Knowing full well my weakness, I have prayed with greater urgency in these past few days that I receive the best gift of all - the desire with my whole being to be more completely in love and union with Jesus.
By early morning, the extended family knew what the Fidero and Hennessy families were anxiously waiting to hear. The emails and phone calls were continuous. It was pretty tough having to wait until 1:00 PM to learn that a new baby boy had come into our lives. I stood outside on a sidewalk, crying as I got the news. I was with my sister Beverly and my friend Meredith Tarantino. We had met for lunch. I immediately called Jon and I could hardly stop crying. One reason was because I was not with him. I told him that it made me remember how we were not together when we learned the news Jon and Marie were expecting a child. Now we were again separated when we got this 'huge' news. Again, lots of phone calls as Beverly and I contacted everyone we could think of and whose phone numbers we had. I had to go back to work and when I got there, I told my supervisor that I honestly didn't think I would be able to get much done and promised that I would be careful to not make any mistakes! After work, all the boys, Jon, Matt Velker and I met at a restaurant and celebrated the birth of
"little Jon Fidero".
As always..........pictures will be posted later when I have time. This is the worst time of year for me at work, since everyone is out driving while preoccupied. Lots of accidents to handle and it is a crisis indeed for these people since most of them are heading to their families and friends in other towns. I have hardly had a moment to my name. We are also preparing to leave to visit Jon, Marie and Baby Jon. Paul is so excited since he will be the Godfather. He has talked alot about how he will be there to help his nephew learn all the stuff little boys need to know. I am sure he will share his love of Jesus with this baby boy too. The most perfect gift of all.
Hope when the sun is setting,
Hope through the dark of night;
Hope though the moon is waning,
Hope as we long for light.
Hope for the coming Savior,
Hope through the heart's slow race;
Hope for the kingdom's dawning,
Hope till we see His face!
At this time, I would like to ask a favor of everyone who is reading this. While we celebrate the birth of our grandson, there is a woman who has followed our story and who has asked for prayers for her granddaughter. The child's name is Cecelia and she is 19 months old. She has had to have a shunt put in, but it has not seemed to help. There are other complicating illnesses this baby girl is suffering from and I remember well how hard it is to watch a child suffer - so I know how difficult this has to be for this family. I ask that you bring the gift of your prayer for this child and family to the Baby Jesus. He will hear and answer them.
I know that all of you have very special intentions in your heart and so I want to say, that while I can't know them all, Jesus does. As we approach Christmas, I'll be praying that Jesus will look with great love and mercy on all your needs. I hope and pray that we all receive the gift of a more perfect love of the Child, Jesus, thereby turning our desire towards the gift of true life.
Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Love,
Jon and Rebecca
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
As Cold As Ice
Chris and Mike chillin'
before freezing
Jon and the coach
looking over the
course
The course from the
starting line
Michael crossing the
finish line!!
Michael waiting
to get out of the
chute after the
race
Michael and his dad-
very happy people!
Michael back to doing
what he enjoys - yard
work in 72 degree
weather!
No place like home......
The Weather Outside is Frightful.............
We took Paul to Charlotte on Tuesday for his final check up with Dr. McLanahan and Dr. Matthews. At least, that is what we thought. In relation to the shunt, it was a final check up and there is nothing more to be done other than monitor it. It is working very well. I talked to Dr. McLanahan about the problem we noticed on Paul's forehead. He has long indentations coming down his forehead on the left side. Dr. McLanahan said it is due to the fact that he did a craniotomy on Paul when the reconstructive surgery was done. The bone has not grown back and it will be watched closely. On a CT taken last August, he showed us the area where the scars are on the skull. He said that he is not concerned at this time about that. Another CT was taken and the best thing he noticed was Paul's ventricles are continuing to reduce in size, which is a main goal. He said that he would not adjust the shunt at all, since Paul's headaches were continuing to improve. He said he is not satisfied with Paul's continued problem of having headaches 24/7, even though they are so low. He will consult with Dr. Matthews about the scars and headache issues and would get back with us.
We went to see Dr. Matthews and he checked Paul's eye function. He encouraged Paul to continue working on the exercises that he was doing at Shepherd, as he still believes Paul will be able to coordinate his eye movement to a much finer degree. He will need to do a few more minor surgeries to shave away scar tissue above the eye socket, where there had been so much damage. He feels that is what is keeping Paul's eye from moving up or down. He did not give a specific answer about the issue of the scars from the craniotomy. He needed to see the current CT and would discuss with Dr. McLanahan. I was left with an uneasy feeling, but immediately put it in God's hands and asked Him to guide these doctors.
Paul had more electrical stimulation done while we were there. Anna, Dr. Matthews’ associate, talked a lot about keeping Paul on a very healthy diet. It is important to concentrate on keeping the liver healthy after all the medications he has been on for so long. A good healthy diet will go a long way to accomplish that. Nothing new about that statement! But Paul was listening this time and he is not as argumentative about drinking a lot more water. He continues to have a problem with realizing he needs food or water. He does not really feel hunger. He knows it is time to eat and he loves to enjoy a meal with us, but he doesn't ever say he is hungry. One day this last week, when he said his head was hurting, I asked him if he had eaten breakfast or lunch, he said no. When asked why not, he said he hadn't thought about it. He had not had anything to drink either.
Hunger and thirst do not seem to be felt.
Anna gave us more information about the electrical treatment. As it turns out, she has a home in Atlanta also. She is going to bring us a preprogrammed machine and will give us the training on administering this for Paul. We will be able to do this for him daily. They want to give this treatment a huge effort and then if that does not work, we will discuss the issue of nerve replacement surgery. That is a major surgery, one we are not going to consider without much prayer and consideration. We would like to see more healing overall, before Paul gets knocked back down with a surgery. He said he would be very willing to have the surgery if it meant he could blink and smile again. He has become very conscious of how he looks and is bothered by it. I know how he feels. I had facial paralysis for 11 months when I was 27 years old. I felt very weird and it is tough to be stared at. I did get 80% recovery and was so thankful to God. I had only a tiny glimpse of the world in which people with permanent deformities live. It is so difficult having limitations on normal movement. Now that he doesn't use tape on his eyelid during the day, most people don't notice anything is different while he wears his sunglasses. I know that is why he prefers to keep them on. We pray for the guidance in helping Paul make the decision about what to do next in regards to this major surgery.
We have completed the therapy at Shepherd for now. They gave Paul instructions for continuing his therapy at home and will see how he progresses. They will schedule an appointment for his neuro-psych evaluation. Paul will not be able to go to school this Spring. We were so disappointed about it. I had to trust God there was a reason. Since Paul had been out for 2 years, he needed to reapply. That deadline was missed when Shepherd Center started to look at getting him back in school. One thing they noticed was Paul was very reluctant about going back. While he was ready cognitively, emotionally it may have been premature. He had been asked to do some things in regards to registration and he did not complete the tasks. We were not aware of this. It was a combination of things that caused the deadline to be missed. I feel in my heart that it must not have meant to be. After our last appointment with the Charlotte doctors, it seems better that they complete the work of fine tuning the functioning of Paul's eye. It will help Paul be more successful when he does take college courses. In the meantime, Paul will register for the Summer session. That is why the neuro-psych evaluation was put off until Spring. The results will be current for the cognitive, emotional and physical state that Paul is in at that time. The results will be given to the school so that they can assess Paul's needs and match them with the available help.
In the meantime, we will continue to provide daily course work for Paul to do to keep some skills needed for college. He has taken an active role in that. He and Jon purchased a Nintendo DS which has a program that helps to build word recognition, spelling and use. We have noticed that Paul is limited in word recall and this is a fun way to help him remember words he has forgotten. Another useful thing we where shown is a Timex watch that will allow him to transfer data from the computer, where he programs his weekly schedule. The watch will then send the messages throughout the day to remind Paul of what he needs to remember to do next, since he still has problems with short term memory. It was an issue of concern for his therapist at Shepherd, in regards to his being ready for college. We remain hopeful that there is still a lot more progress he will make. It really does take time and it is a tough lesson in patience for us all.
I have to say, when the doctors and staff saw Paul last week, everyone of them commented on how huge a leap Paul has taken since they saw him last. Both doctors seemed relieved and encouraged that he has come this far. It was fun to watch their faces when they saw him as they entered the room. He has gained some weight, has great color and HAS A GOOD HAIRCUT! I know Paul was happy to hear them talking so positively about how good he looks and how healthy he has become.
On Friday, we got to focus on Michael and the Junior National Olympics in Kansas City. As Jon, Michael and I were lifting off from Atlanta, the pilot made an announcement to welcome aboard all the Olympic athletes who were on this flight. It was so fun to hear that. We noticed there were at least 7 young men on board. Michael and his friend, Chris, attend the same college and they both qualified for the event. We landed in Kansas City and walked outside into the freezing cold. It became instantly clear that we were not prepared for the weather. The gloves, hats and windbreaker coat I had on were no match for the biting wind. I should have known better since I was raised in the northern state of Wisconsin. As we came through the clouds upon landing, Chris and Mike noticed the snow on the ground and instantly turned to look at each other and I saw Mike mouth the words, "Mother of God". Neither of them had run in weather any colder than 40 degrees and it became clear that this was going to be one tough race. We drove out to the farm in Perry, Kansas where the event would take place and they walked the trail. It had snowed the day before, and the trail was now icy and muddy. Michael said that he didn’t think he would do very well, but would try hard to make it worth the money spent to get there. The next morning, we woke up to 20 degree weather, with the wind chill factor making it feel like 10 degrees. We got up early so we could go to Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation. We used the GPS to help us find the closest Catholic church. It took us to an abandoned building! I was really sad that we were not going to be able to make it to Mass. As we sat in the parking lot, Michael remembered the names of the streets of an intersection that someone had mentioned might be the location of a Catholic church. We entered that information and drove as quickly as we could on the icy streets. We got there and unfortunately, I parked on the wrong side of the huge church building. We tried to walk up the stairs on one side, but it was too icy. So we walked back around the other way and had to climb a very steep hill in the icy snow, while holding onto the wall of the church to keep from slipping. Our tennis shoes did not help one bit! We made it to the top and got into church right before the Gospel. We were frozen. I didn’t take time to completely dry my hair and as Mass continued, I started to shiver so hard from the chill of it. I prayed with complete thanksgiving that heaven helped us find the church and that we had food and shelter and warm (at least for Atlanta weather) clothing to wear. I was so aware of our blessings in life! As I sat there thanking God, I was picturing how hard it had been to get inside the building. It would have been so easy to just quit and use the excuse that we had tried our hardest and to have turned around when we first were lost. But I felt so compelled to find the church and God provided Michael with the way. We struggled in the freezing drizzle to climb up that hill, keeping our balance with use of the church building. What a perfect visual aid for me! It has been the church – all of our brothers and sisters in Christ – who we have clung to as we climbed so many hills. I thought about how I always want to have that desire to stay close to God, no matter how hard the trail. I prayed that my desire to receive the Body of Christ that day would grow stronger with each day I lived. I know that is how Jesus wants us to desire Him in every moment of our life. I felt such joy being there with Him that morning. On that beautiful feast day of Blessed Mary, I was sure She had had a hand in getting us to Her Son! Days later, I was reminded that a Mass was said for Jon and me at Ave Maria on Friday night. James and Shannon were there praying for us. I know their prayers helped us receive Jesus at Mass on Saturday. Oh, that wonderful power of prayer!
Michael and Chris did pretty well, given the conditions and their lack of experience in the cold. They placed 120 and 133 out of 173 runners. The winners came from Montana and Idaho. Not a surprise……….smile. When Michael crossed the finish line, we were so proud of him. He has been a cross country runner for only 4 months and was in the Jr. National Olympics. Like Paul, there is a lot of hope and promise for his future. He came out of the finishing gates and hugged Jon so hard. He thanked us both for going through all the expense and trouble of being there with him. Yes – it was a priceless moment seeing his joyous smile and receiving those hugs.
We pray dear brothers and sisters, that everyone continues to seek God and His will, with an Olympic size effort. We pray no one loses their way on the trail that will allow us to see His joyous and loving face at the end of our journey.
You don’t want to be left out in the cold.
Love,
Jon and Rebecca
We went to see Dr. Matthews and he checked Paul's eye function. He encouraged Paul to continue working on the exercises that he was doing at Shepherd, as he still believes Paul will be able to coordinate his eye movement to a much finer degree. He will need to do a few more minor surgeries to shave away scar tissue above the eye socket, where there had been so much damage. He feels that is what is keeping Paul's eye from moving up or down. He did not give a specific answer about the issue of the scars from the craniotomy. He needed to see the current CT and would discuss with Dr. McLanahan. I was left with an uneasy feeling, but immediately put it in God's hands and asked Him to guide these doctors.
Paul had more electrical stimulation done while we were there. Anna, Dr. Matthews’ associate, talked a lot about keeping Paul on a very healthy diet. It is important to concentrate on keeping the liver healthy after all the medications he has been on for so long. A good healthy diet will go a long way to accomplish that. Nothing new about that statement! But Paul was listening this time and he is not as argumentative about drinking a lot more water. He continues to have a problem with realizing he needs food or water. He does not really feel hunger. He knows it is time to eat and he loves to enjoy a meal with us, but he doesn't ever say he is hungry. One day this last week, when he said his head was hurting, I asked him if he had eaten breakfast or lunch, he said no. When asked why not, he said he hadn't thought about it. He had not had anything to drink either.
Hunger and thirst do not seem to be felt.
Anna gave us more information about the electrical treatment. As it turns out, she has a home in Atlanta also. She is going to bring us a preprogrammed machine and will give us the training on administering this for Paul. We will be able to do this for him daily. They want to give this treatment a huge effort and then if that does not work, we will discuss the issue of nerve replacement surgery. That is a major surgery, one we are not going to consider without much prayer and consideration. We would like to see more healing overall, before Paul gets knocked back down with a surgery. He said he would be very willing to have the surgery if it meant he could blink and smile again. He has become very conscious of how he looks and is bothered by it. I know how he feels. I had facial paralysis for 11 months when I was 27 years old. I felt very weird and it is tough to be stared at. I did get 80% recovery and was so thankful to God. I had only a tiny glimpse of the world in which people with permanent deformities live. It is so difficult having limitations on normal movement. Now that he doesn't use tape on his eyelid during the day, most people don't notice anything is different while he wears his sunglasses. I know that is why he prefers to keep them on. We pray for the guidance in helping Paul make the decision about what to do next in regards to this major surgery.
We have completed the therapy at Shepherd for now. They gave Paul instructions for continuing his therapy at home and will see how he progresses. They will schedule an appointment for his neuro-psych evaluation. Paul will not be able to go to school this Spring. We were so disappointed about it. I had to trust God there was a reason. Since Paul had been out for 2 years, he needed to reapply. That deadline was missed when Shepherd Center started to look at getting him back in school. One thing they noticed was Paul was very reluctant about going back. While he was ready cognitively, emotionally it may have been premature. He had been asked to do some things in regards to registration and he did not complete the tasks. We were not aware of this. It was a combination of things that caused the deadline to be missed. I feel in my heart that it must not have meant to be. After our last appointment with the Charlotte doctors, it seems better that they complete the work of fine tuning the functioning of Paul's eye. It will help Paul be more successful when he does take college courses. In the meantime, Paul will register for the Summer session. That is why the neuro-psych evaluation was put off until Spring. The results will be current for the cognitive, emotional and physical state that Paul is in at that time. The results will be given to the school so that they can assess Paul's needs and match them with the available help.
In the meantime, we will continue to provide daily course work for Paul to do to keep some skills needed for college. He has taken an active role in that. He and Jon purchased a Nintendo DS which has a program that helps to build word recognition, spelling and use. We have noticed that Paul is limited in word recall and this is a fun way to help him remember words he has forgotten. Another useful thing we where shown is a Timex watch that will allow him to transfer data from the computer, where he programs his weekly schedule. The watch will then send the messages throughout the day to remind Paul of what he needs to remember to do next, since he still has problems with short term memory. It was an issue of concern for his therapist at Shepherd, in regards to his being ready for college. We remain hopeful that there is still a lot more progress he will make. It really does take time and it is a tough lesson in patience for us all.
I have to say, when the doctors and staff saw Paul last week, everyone of them commented on how huge a leap Paul has taken since they saw him last. Both doctors seemed relieved and encouraged that he has come this far. It was fun to watch their faces when they saw him as they entered the room. He has gained some weight, has great color and HAS A GOOD HAIRCUT! I know Paul was happy to hear them talking so positively about how good he looks and how healthy he has become.
On Friday, we got to focus on Michael and the Junior National Olympics in Kansas City. As Jon, Michael and I were lifting off from Atlanta, the pilot made an announcement to welcome aboard all the Olympic athletes who were on this flight. It was so fun to hear that. We noticed there were at least 7 young men on board. Michael and his friend, Chris, attend the same college and they both qualified for the event. We landed in Kansas City and walked outside into the freezing cold. It became instantly clear that we were not prepared for the weather. The gloves, hats and windbreaker coat I had on were no match for the biting wind. I should have known better since I was raised in the northern state of Wisconsin. As we came through the clouds upon landing, Chris and Mike noticed the snow on the ground and instantly turned to look at each other and I saw Mike mouth the words, "Mother of God". Neither of them had run in weather any colder than 40 degrees and it became clear that this was going to be one tough race. We drove out to the farm in Perry, Kansas where the event would take place and they walked the trail. It had snowed the day before, and the trail was now icy and muddy. Michael said that he didn’t think he would do very well, but would try hard to make it worth the money spent to get there. The next morning, we woke up to 20 degree weather, with the wind chill factor making it feel like 10 degrees. We got up early so we could go to Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation. We used the GPS to help us find the closest Catholic church. It took us to an abandoned building! I was really sad that we were not going to be able to make it to Mass. As we sat in the parking lot, Michael remembered the names of the streets of an intersection that someone had mentioned might be the location of a Catholic church. We entered that information and drove as quickly as we could on the icy streets. We got there and unfortunately, I parked on the wrong side of the huge church building. We tried to walk up the stairs on one side, but it was too icy. So we walked back around the other way and had to climb a very steep hill in the icy snow, while holding onto the wall of the church to keep from slipping. Our tennis shoes did not help one bit! We made it to the top and got into church right before the Gospel. We were frozen. I didn’t take time to completely dry my hair and as Mass continued, I started to shiver so hard from the chill of it. I prayed with complete thanksgiving that heaven helped us find the church and that we had food and shelter and warm (at least for Atlanta weather) clothing to wear. I was so aware of our blessings in life! As I sat there thanking God, I was picturing how hard it had been to get inside the building. It would have been so easy to just quit and use the excuse that we had tried our hardest and to have turned around when we first were lost. But I felt so compelled to find the church and God provided Michael with the way. We struggled in the freezing drizzle to climb up that hill, keeping our balance with use of the church building. What a perfect visual aid for me! It has been the church – all of our brothers and sisters in Christ – who we have clung to as we climbed so many hills. I thought about how I always want to have that desire to stay close to God, no matter how hard the trail. I prayed that my desire to receive the Body of Christ that day would grow stronger with each day I lived. I know that is how Jesus wants us to desire Him in every moment of our life. I felt such joy being there with Him that morning. On that beautiful feast day of Blessed Mary, I was sure She had had a hand in getting us to Her Son! Days later, I was reminded that a Mass was said for Jon and me at Ave Maria on Friday night. James and Shannon were there praying for us. I know their prayers helped us receive Jesus at Mass on Saturday. Oh, that wonderful power of prayer!
Michael and Chris did pretty well, given the conditions and their lack of experience in the cold. They placed 120 and 133 out of 173 runners. The winners came from Montana and Idaho. Not a surprise……….smile. When Michael crossed the finish line, we were so proud of him. He has been a cross country runner for only 4 months and was in the Jr. National Olympics. Like Paul, there is a lot of hope and promise for his future. He came out of the finishing gates and hugged Jon so hard. He thanked us both for going through all the expense and trouble of being there with him. Yes – it was a priceless moment seeing his joyous smile and receiving those hugs.
We pray dear brothers and sisters, that everyone continues to seek God and His will, with an Olympic size effort. We pray no one loses their way on the trail that will allow us to see His joyous and loving face at the end of our journey.
You don’t want to be left out in the cold.
Love,
Jon and Rebecca
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Coming Soon to a Computer Near You
2 new posts will be entered this afternoon...............ran into some technical difficulties.
I am so sorry to keep you waiting.
God bless! - Rebecca
I am so sorry to keep you waiting.
God bless! - Rebecca
Monday, December 03, 2007
Take A Look At Me Now
I have been unable to get the short movie we took of Paul at the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament on. I will continue to work on it. We were happy to see how relaxed he was - much like he used to be when he performed.
On Friday, Paul went with all the other employees at DTSi to the company Christmas party that was held in north Georgia. They had cabins rented and Paul really wanted to go. It was easy for us to say yes, because...................PAUL IS OFF ALL PRESCRIPTION DRUGS! He had missed a couple of doses in the last 2 weeks and we saw it didn't affect the level of his headaches. So we started to split the doses in half and then moved him off of the medications all together. Even without his prescriptions, his headaches only get up to a level 4. He mostly has had a dull pain that he says in around 2 - 2.5. If it gets higher, he is using Advil to help. So, he is now using Advil once or twice a day. He is now going without taping his eye closed at all, so since he is so low maintenance, we decided he would be fine going on his first 'solo' trip. No parents, no Jerry, no Judy. We talked to Paul about remembering his eye drops throughout the day and he said he was ready for that - he knows to use them every one to 2 hours. He got himself packed and ready and headed off to work on Friday morning and were told he would be home Saturday, late afternoon. He told me he was sorry he would not be home for my birthday on Saturday and I responded that I was receiving a beautiful gift instead............more independence for him.
On Friday night, I was out with my sister Bev, and my dear friend Meredith Tarantino, and my cell phone rang. It was about 9 PM and I saw that it was Paul. The conversation started with, "Mom, this is Paul and I thought I should call you about something that has happened." I immediately thought, "We have a 3 hour drive ahead of us." I asked what was the matter and he said, "Nothing is really the matter. But something has happened and I wanted to tell you. I don't have any headache at all. None. My head does not hurt even a little bit. Awhile ago, my head was hurting at about a 3.0 and I was going to get some Advil. But then I waited until after dinner and now my head does not hurt at all. I have been laughing and having a good time and even the laughing didn't cause my head to hurt like it always does. I just wanted you to know that." I asked him, "So after 2 years Paul, how does it feel to have no headache?"
FAN - FLIPPIN-TASTIC was his respsonse. He was laughing as he said it. He then told me that when he opened the door of his cabin earlier, he had seen a bobcat. He was pretty excited about that too. It was quite a huge weekend for Paul and he came home as happy as can be. I have to tell you, we are so blessed with the companies we work for. DTSi has stuck by Paul through it all and they held his job open for him. It was a slow walk back for him, but he is now working on new duties and is very excited to accomplish new tasks. He told us he really wants to do a good job because he loves everybody at his job and he wants to pay them back by doing a good job. I have been blessed with my job, as they have allowed me to get Paul back and forth to his job when Judy or Jerry can't. Jon's company, Ikon Office Solutions, has allowed him to take a lot of time off to take turns with me getting Paul to Charlotte. More gifts from God!
I had the best birthday ever. It started with Judy dropping by my office on Friday morning and bringing me roses! I was so surprised. We all love her so much - she is truly like another mother to Paul and Michael. Michael came home from college on Friday and Jerry took us out to lunch. Then on Saturday, I got flowers from Jon and Marie - they had 3 roses included - one from each of them...............smile. Saturday morning, Jon and I went to First Saturday Mass and I have to tell you, I had tears flowing like a river. I spent a good portion of the day remembering 2 years ago when Paul was able to silently mouth 'happy birthday mom'. Yes, take a look at him now! I also spent a good portion of the day thanking God. I was in conversation with Him so often throughout the day. How could I not be? I can't help but 'Take a Look At Him Now!' I know His presence so much better. I feel His presence often. Praise be to God and to His Son who saved us and to the Holy Spirit who moves our souls closer to Our Father.
Paul, Michael and Jerry went to see a comedian on Saturday night and Jon and I went to see the Turtle Island string quartet/ Leo Kottke concert. We all met back at our house and shared our stories. One more time, we have been graced with a joyful ending to a joyful day.
Last night, Paul came into the house with his dear friend Nathan Rose. Paul got sidetracked playing his guitar, so Nathan and I were talking. He said he sees a lot of Paul's personality coming through and also the changes. I mentioned that Paul says he doesn't have a passion for music, yet look at him - anytime he picks up his guitar, he gets lost in the music. Nathan said something that really may be the case. He said that he thinks Paul is aware that God wanted him to change. He had this passion for music before and was heading in that direction and then God stopped him. Maybe Paul thinks God wants him to do something else and that is why he allowed the accident to happen. While Paul still loves music, maybe he thinks God wants him to do something completely different. We had not thought about it like that before. When Jon and I talked about it after Paul and Nathan left, Jon said that maybe God just wants Paul to do something a 'little' different with his music, since Paul was given this talent. Time and prayers for direction will tell us.
The tests they ran on Paul's lungs showed he does have mild asthmas and it just flared up over the Fall season. His lungs are in very good shape after all the damage done to them. While he won't be able to compete in 5k runs, he is certainly free to enjoy anything he wants to try.
We are taking him to his last (hopefully) visit to Charlotte tomorrow. He will see both the neurosurgeon and reconstructive surgeon. We are looking forward to a lot less travel in that direction in the new year!
With our most heartfelt thanks to everyone who has prayed us this far forward,
we remain your brothers and sisters in Christ. All of the intentions of those who have thought of us and prayed for us were included in our 5 mile Rosary walk on Saturday and in the hour of adoration we spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament yesterday.
May you be blessed with far greater abundance than us!
Love,
Jon and Rebecca
On Friday, Paul went with all the other employees at DTSi to the company Christmas party that was held in north Georgia. They had cabins rented and Paul really wanted to go. It was easy for us to say yes, because...................PAUL IS OFF ALL PRESCRIPTION DRUGS! He had missed a couple of doses in the last 2 weeks and we saw it didn't affect the level of his headaches. So we started to split the doses in half and then moved him off of the medications all together. Even without his prescriptions, his headaches only get up to a level 4. He mostly has had a dull pain that he says in around 2 - 2.5. If it gets higher, he is using Advil to help. So, he is now using Advil once or twice a day. He is now going without taping his eye closed at all, so since he is so low maintenance, we decided he would be fine going on his first 'solo' trip. No parents, no Jerry, no Judy. We talked to Paul about remembering his eye drops throughout the day and he said he was ready for that - he knows to use them every one to 2 hours. He got himself packed and ready and headed off to work on Friday morning and were told he would be home Saturday, late afternoon. He told me he was sorry he would not be home for my birthday on Saturday and I responded that I was receiving a beautiful gift instead............more independence for him.
On Friday night, I was out with my sister Bev, and my dear friend Meredith Tarantino, and my cell phone rang. It was about 9 PM and I saw that it was Paul. The conversation started with, "Mom, this is Paul and I thought I should call you about something that has happened." I immediately thought, "We have a 3 hour drive ahead of us." I asked what was the matter and he said, "Nothing is really the matter. But something has happened and I wanted to tell you. I don't have any headache at all. None. My head does not hurt even a little bit. Awhile ago, my head was hurting at about a 3.0 and I was going to get some Advil. But then I waited until after dinner and now my head does not hurt at all. I have been laughing and having a good time and even the laughing didn't cause my head to hurt like it always does. I just wanted you to know that." I asked him, "So after 2 years Paul, how does it feel to have no headache?"
FAN - FLIPPIN-TASTIC was his respsonse. He was laughing as he said it. He then told me that when he opened the door of his cabin earlier, he had seen a bobcat. He was pretty excited about that too. It was quite a huge weekend for Paul and he came home as happy as can be. I have to tell you, we are so blessed with the companies we work for. DTSi has stuck by Paul through it all and they held his job open for him. It was a slow walk back for him, but he is now working on new duties and is very excited to accomplish new tasks. He told us he really wants to do a good job because he loves everybody at his job and he wants to pay them back by doing a good job. I have been blessed with my job, as they have allowed me to get Paul back and forth to his job when Judy or Jerry can't. Jon's company, Ikon Office Solutions, has allowed him to take a lot of time off to take turns with me getting Paul to Charlotte. More gifts from God!
I had the best birthday ever. It started with Judy dropping by my office on Friday morning and bringing me roses! I was so surprised. We all love her so much - she is truly like another mother to Paul and Michael. Michael came home from college on Friday and Jerry took us out to lunch. Then on Saturday, I got flowers from Jon and Marie - they had 3 roses included - one from each of them...............smile. Saturday morning, Jon and I went to First Saturday Mass and I have to tell you, I had tears flowing like a river. I spent a good portion of the day remembering 2 years ago when Paul was able to silently mouth 'happy birthday mom'. Yes, take a look at him now! I also spent a good portion of the day thanking God. I was in conversation with Him so often throughout the day. How could I not be? I can't help but 'Take a Look At Him Now!' I know His presence so much better. I feel His presence often. Praise be to God and to His Son who saved us and to the Holy Spirit who moves our souls closer to Our Father.
Paul, Michael and Jerry went to see a comedian on Saturday night and Jon and I went to see the Turtle Island string quartet/ Leo Kottke concert. We all met back at our house and shared our stories. One more time, we have been graced with a joyful ending to a joyful day.
Last night, Paul came into the house with his dear friend Nathan Rose. Paul got sidetracked playing his guitar, so Nathan and I were talking. He said he sees a lot of Paul's personality coming through and also the changes. I mentioned that Paul says he doesn't have a passion for music, yet look at him - anytime he picks up his guitar, he gets lost in the music. Nathan said something that really may be the case. He said that he thinks Paul is aware that God wanted him to change. He had this passion for music before and was heading in that direction and then God stopped him. Maybe Paul thinks God wants him to do something else and that is why he allowed the accident to happen. While Paul still loves music, maybe he thinks God wants him to do something completely different. We had not thought about it like that before. When Jon and I talked about it after Paul and Nathan left, Jon said that maybe God just wants Paul to do something a 'little' different with his music, since Paul was given this talent. Time and prayers for direction will tell us.
The tests they ran on Paul's lungs showed he does have mild asthmas and it just flared up over the Fall season. His lungs are in very good shape after all the damage done to them. While he won't be able to compete in 5k runs, he is certainly free to enjoy anything he wants to try.
We are taking him to his last (hopefully) visit to Charlotte tomorrow. He will see both the neurosurgeon and reconstructive surgeon. We are looking forward to a lot less travel in that direction in the new year!
With our most heartfelt thanks to everyone who has prayed us this far forward,
we remain your brothers and sisters in Christ. All of the intentions of those who have thought of us and prayed for us were included in our 5 mile Rosary walk on Saturday and in the hour of adoration we spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament yesterday.
May you be blessed with far greater abundance than us!
Love,
Jon and Rebecca
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