A Time for Everything...

This has been a much-needed break this week with Spring Break! So much has happened lately and I can't wait to share it all!

First of all, I had the opportunity to share with a friend (Heather) her last round of chemo Wednesday! I told her it sounded weird to say that I had a great time with her during her last treatment, understanding the fact that she does have cancer, but it was such a joyous occasion! All of the nurses were happy for her, as were all of her supporters she has had through this journey so far. Here's where God stepped in in a mighty way and orchestrated some important events...

I have Heather's son in my class this year. I had not met Heather or her son until this year.  In October is when we, as teachers, begin our conferences with the ending of the first 9 weeks of school. Heather sen a letter with her son explaining that she had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and that she would need to conference earlier than everyone else because of her upcoming surgery. I was so heart-broken at this news to say the least. I wrote a letter back explaining mine and Brad's story and how life can be turned upside down so quickly it leaves our head spinning. A few weeks passed after finding this out before I was laying in bed (Sunday, October 27) when I had the thought to do a self-check on myself. My thoughts were, "I'm 28, there's no need to really check as often as people say to do, or ever. This is one of those things that happen to others, not me." Well, was I surprised when I felt a lump! I sat up and still felt it. Brad felt it. Lifted my arm, laid back down, still felt it. I had the urge to freak out, but was still thinking, "Surely this is nothing. I'm so young." This next morning in the shower, it was still there. I called my OB-GYN Monday and his nurse told me to come after school and they would check it out. Sure enough, he felt it too! This is when I began to freak out! If he could feel it right away, I knew something was wrong. He made an appointment for me to have a mammogram Tuesday. I get to the doctor's office Tuesday and they tell me they want to do an ultrasound first because most of the time with people my age it's nothing to worry about. So they do the ultrasound, that doctor looks at it, and now they want me to have the mammogram; at 28 this is blowing my mind! The mammogram showed something "suspicious" which means now it's time to meet with a surgeon. We met with our surgeon Wednesday and he told us it would be better to go ahead and remove the mass instead of trying to have a needle biopsy done. He scheduled the surgery for the next morning, Halloween. How appropriate, right? Within 5 days, I find a lump, meet with 3 doctors and have surgery to have a breast mass removed, crazy!! I'm not going to lie and say that all of this did not completely freak me out, but I had this peace about the whole situation. When the thought that this could be cancer creeped in, I had to shut it out and pray that God would bring us through this next hurdle. I tried not to psyche myself out too much because I absolutely do. not. do. needles!!! I didn't cry (because of the surgery) until surgery day when I'm back in the prep room when they come to put me to sleep before taking me back. Then it all hit me. I cried just knowing what was about to happen and then I was out. They said the surgery took longer than expected, but we are used to this at this point. They said it would take a few days to know the results. A few days when waiting to hear news of this magnitude is like weeks! This was on Thursday, I recovered over the weekend and was back at work Monday. Thankfully, the doctor called Monday and the mass was benign. What a relief! Of course, the human side of me was thinking, "Why would God allow this to happen when it wasn't cancerous in the first place? Haven't we been through enough?" But God is always working behind the scenes and He continues to be faithful!

On a much happier note Brad and I have recently gotten new bicycles! Brad had been riding a loaner hand-cycle from the rehab center to see if this was something he would be interested in. It was a great trial because we were actually able to get out and be "normal" while riding. Brad had submitted paperwork to see if it would be possible for his bike to be covered financially. We were told probably not, but they would turn in the paperwork and see what happens. That was late summer, early fall. We hadn't heard anything from the company so we were expecting to pay out-of-pocket for a bike. And, of course, the bike I had been riding was my middle school bike so I was in desperate need for a new one as well. On January 14th, Brad got a call from the hand-cycle company saying that they had a purchase requisition for a bike for Brad and needed to know what color he wanted! Are you serious? Nothing for months and then out of the blue we are getting one! God is so good! Brad was able to pick the color and some other personalized options and the bike arrived about 3 weeks later! Before Brad's bike arrived, my mom and one of her friends were at our house and I was just telling her about Brad's bike working out and how we were going to buy me a new one. My mom's friend offered to buy my new bike! This is crazy! We go from thinking we are going to be out quite a bit of money to not having to pay for any of it! We went to look at bikes and found one that I really liked! I sent my mom's friend a picture and she said, "Get it!" Financially, God has showed up in HUGE ways since the accident! Everything medically costs so much, but we have never been in need or want. God has taken such a huge weigh off of our shoulders!

Lastly, we recently had the privilege of meeting Joni Eareckson Tada and her husband, Ken! We were in Lifeway and Brad was getting his name put on his new Bible when the girl behind the counter thought she knew Brad and was trying to make that connection. It turned out not to be anything and she left the store after Brad paid because it was the end of her shift. We stayed in the store looking around when she came back in and found us. She sat down beside us and asked if Brad had a spinal cord injury. Brad said he did and she told us her brother did as well. He was in a diving accident when he was 15. He's now in his 30's, lives in Arizona, and is married with a baby now! We asked her if she knew who Joni is since she was also in a diving accident in her teens. She didn't know her but told us that Joni was going to be in Jackson on February 28th! We couldn't believe this because we talk about Joni daily at our house! She is such an inspiration to all who know her and her story. So we marked this date on our calendar and waited. In the meantime, we emailed Joni (not knowing who would actually read the email) explaining our story and wondering if we could meet her after the conference that Friday night. At the bottom of the email I noted our blog address, just in case. We got a response from Martie at her Jackson office inviting us to meet Joni at a meet-and-greet that Sunday afternoon. So pumped we would actually get to meet and talk with her! So we are still waiting for the "Joni weekend" when someone calls from our church telling us Joni was going to be at Belhaven Saturday night! Three opportunities to listen to her testimony and finally get to meet her! Friday and Saturday were awesome, her story touching and humbling. Sunday came and when we pulled up there were so many people. Brad and I looked at each other, thinking the same thing, "We are never going to get to talk with her." However, we got there right after Joni and Ken arrived and followed them into the gym, still unsure of how the events of the afternoon would happen. Joni and Ken were gathered with Martie and some others from the Jackson office so we headed their way. Once we got close enough Martie said she knew exactly who we were. That means that she had read our blog to know what we looked like! Wow! She introduced us to Joni and Ken and Brad gave a short version of our story. Ken graciously gave us a copy of their book they wrote together about their marriage. Joni signed this book and her autobiography we brought with us! Since Joni loves to draw and paint Brad brought a copy of the oil painting of his motorcycle for Joni to have. She was so impressed with his ability and grateful for this gift. We asked her what she does for her pain (she also deals with chronic pain daily) and she mentioned drinking lots of water but not taking medicine because of the anxious feeling they gave her. She said she would send us some information and for me to put our mailing address on the back of the picture. She then looked directly at me and said, "I promise I'll send you some information on pain." She took the extra step and sincerely said she would do this, this was not something she was simply saying in passing. How considerate! Joni spoke to the group a little later and then Brad and I left. 8 days later, this past Monday, there was a package in our mailbox from Joni with a personalized letter. She said how nice it was to meet us, she wished we lived closer together, how talented Brad is, and enclosed DVD's with study guides about pain and disability. Joni held true to her promise, and quickly at that! What a blessing she has been to our family! 

In Joni and Ken: An Untold Love Story, Joni shares what Alan Redpath (a British pastor and author) wrote, "There is no circumstance, no trouble, no testing, that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with great purpose." What a great source of comfort for us all when life is not what we expected!

"Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles He performs for people!" 

-Psalm 66:5

Us with BJ at MC's 2nd soccer State Championship!

Ally loves to nest in our clothes, and this is her favorite spot on the couch! 

Does it get any cuter than this!!

Forget the former things...

So, school has started back after my two week break and it has gone by so fast! I have made goal for myself to try to focus more on the positive things that happen daily so as not to focus so much on everything that is harder. Joni Eareckson Tada suggested this prayer: Father, I present to you today the disappointing things in my life that hold sad or tragic meaning. Turn my darkness into light. Exchange the sadness for hope. You are the God who turns weeping into joy!

Along with this way of thinking has come some new information about Brad’s accident. We originally were told gravel was to blame for the accident. Brad had his doubts but he had no memory of the accident. However, we have recently gotten some new details that confirm the accident was not caused by gravel. We will continue to investigate and give updates when we can. 

However, this time of year still brings up sad thoughts; Sunday will be 2 years. Having to be up so early for school and driving before the sun is up reminds me of all of the early mornings I would ride with my dad to the hospital for the first visiting hour of the day. It was so cold, surreal, devastating. Sometimes I flashback to those days and I have to be intentional of thinking about something else because it can ruin the whole day. My brother also has a friend who has been in ICU. After visiting his family and remembering all of the days spent in the hospital hallway, not knowing what the future would hold, has made me appreciate how far we have come. It all seems like a blur, like a nightmare and one morning we will wake up “normal” again. This is why I am making time daily to list my “positives” (marriage, personal, classroom, etc.) and reflect on these instead of reliving a life I can’t do anything to get back. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” –Isaiah 43:18 & 19

My babies like to keep me company during my quiet time!

At Cracker Barrel in Franklin, TN over the break

A New Year

Brad and I had a great Christmas together and with family, being able to catch up with one another. However, this time of year still  presents sad and hopeless emotions. Reflecting on the past is bittersweet. We love knowing that we had 11 years together being able to be normal (whatever that is) and getting to enjoy life as a young couple. So much happiness and life lay before us. It's also so sad because of everything we have lost. I know I have used the "suffocating" analogy before but it still suffices to describe this feeling most clearly. I read from Joni Eareackson Tada's daily devotion that she feels emotional pain is much more hurtful than physical pain and I have to agree. It just leaves an empty, restless, overwhelming hole that is very hard to describe to others  (or to myself) or to change. All of this to say that we have had many opportunities to share our story with others and them with us. Our eyes have been opened to those in need and hurting around us more than ever before. A lot of times when life gets hard and continues to present valleys it's hard to get out of ourselves and remember that God is on our team, He is for us. He holds us in His palm, shelters us under His wings. Bra

d and I have been called to live a life that most people will never experience, never want to experience. I just cling to the hope that God would have us somewhere else if this is not where we are supposed to be. Hopefully we will have more peaks than valleys in the year to come and will have an amazing journey to share with others!

Recently...

So much has happened in the almost year since my last post. I feel that we have grown more "comfortable", for lack of a better word, to how it's going to be. At the start of this new year I remember Brad and I talking about how excited we were to see what God was going to do in and through us this year. Looking back, I feel sad and almost wrong to say that we have had to face many sad and hard situations. Just this year alone we have had many major life disruptions. We are still not ready to share these, but hopefully one day will be in a better place and willing to share our full story.

However, we have had good things come from these painful experiences. Our families have continued to step up and help in any way imaginable. God has used our family, church family, and friends to help us feel His love when it doesn't feel that He is close or that He cares. This is one of those thoughts where we know that He never leaves our side and always has our best interests at heart; just hard to find comfort from this in the middle of circumstances that we would never have asked for. I have reconnected with a friend from long ago, made many new friends, and grown stronger in the friendships that have proven faithful and true. Through all of this, I have learned that so many people have gone through similar situations that we have faced.  The funny thing is that we would never have known any of this had it not been for the fact that God put these people in our paths at exactly the right time to share their stories. This has enabled us to share our stories with them and to grow and learn from and with these friends who have gone through similar experiences.

A good friend of mine recommended The Language of Letting Go by: Melody Beattie. From this book I have learned much about the grieving process and how to deal with and move on with life. So, much of what follows is straight from her book (she says it better than I ever could). I will use quotations to set apart her words from my own. The grief process is...

1. Denial and isolation: For the longest time I prayed that God would change our circumstances and knew in my heart that this would always be something I prayed for. There was no way this was God's plan for our lives. Brad and I have always tried to do the right thing as far as our relationship with God and with each other goes. We have tried to live a life that was pleasing to God (obviously we fail at times) and that our actions would shine a light and be an encouragement to others. So surely, this is not what we were called to do and deal with. There was just no way! Isolation was also a huge part early on, and one we still struggle with, because no one else in our immediate circle knows exactly what we are going through. Many friends and family struggle with their own things and I am not slighting that pain in the least. I am simply saying that paralysis, in and of itself, is rare and so different from case to case that finding someone to relate to and empathize with you is not very common. We have, however, made friends who have helped us feel that we are not completely alone in this process.    

2. Anger:  There has been so much of this emotion that we feel we are experts at how to be angry. Why us? Why not other people who don't try to live a life that is pleasing to God? "Why didn't God do it differently? We have to go through our own angry stage to achieve acceptance. We won't stay angry forever. But we may need to get mad for a while as we search over what could have been, to finally accept what is. Anger comes before acceptance and peace. Ultimately, surrender and self-responsibility are the only concepts that can move us forward." After reading this part of Beattie's book I found the concept of self-responsibility and personal accountability as a strange way of moving forward. Obviously, this is not something that Brad and I chose so what is our responsibility in the matter? In doing my quiet time this morning the thought came to me that my responsibility in all of this is remaining true to my heart's tuggings reminding me to spend time daily with God. Many days that is the last thing I want to do because anger has been, and still is at times, prominent in my thoughts. However, "Faith is like a muscle. It must be exercised to grow strong.  Repeated experiences of having to trust what we can't see and repeated experiences of learning to trust that things will work out are what make our faith muscles grow strong."

3. Bargaining: "In the bargaining stage we go back and forth  between believing there is something we can do to change things and realizing there isn't." As for me, I thought that if we wanted something so badly and if I spent enough time in prayer and devotion that surely God would grant us these things. I was giving Him everything. However, when these things didn't turn out I immediately took it all back. Anger stage again. "We may get our hopes up again and again, only to have them dashed. We have turned ourselves inside and out to try to negotiate with God and reality." This lends itself to a roller coaster of emotions, which would be a mild way of describing us this past year.  

4. Depression: "The process of adapting to change and loss takes energy. Grief is draining and exhausting. Some people need to 'cocoon for transformation'. Grief is heavy and can wear us down. We may feel more tired than usual. Our ability to function well in other areas of our life may be reduced temporarily." I can not count the number of days that we have wanted to stay in bed, watch mind-numbing TV, and not talk to anyone else.  Some days this feels the only way of making it through another day.

5. Acceptance: "There is no substitute for accepting reality." I feel that we are working our way more towards acceptance in the nearly two years since Brad's injury. This is not to say that we don't backtrack often and find ourselves still questioning and being angry at God and our circumstances. We don't, though, spend as much time dwelling on the sadness and craziness that is our daily lives. Accepting what is is making everything we now have to do differently a little easier to move past.

"We should take responsibility for making ourselves feel good and enjoy life. We'll understand when it's time. We can also trust that the gift is precisely what we need. Then we decide that, although we would like our situation to be different, maybe our life is happening this way for a reason. Maybe there is a higher purpose and plan in play, one that's better that we could have orchestrated. We call this faith. We can trust that when things don't work out the way we want, God has something better planned. Today, we are right where we need to be. Our present circumstances are exactly as they need to be, for now. We can trust that something valuable is being worked out in us, even when things are difficult, even when we can't get our bearings. Insight and clarity do not come until we have mastered our lesson. I am going through what I need to go through to learn something that will prepare me for the joy and love I am seeking."

Brad and I are working hard on learning to accept that this is where we are called to be. If not, we would be somewhere else. This is extremely hard because this looks nothing like what we would have planned. Hopefully, we will one day be able to say that we are thankful for all of the pain (physically and emotionally) and heartbreak. We continue to pray for this continually and that God would use us in a mighty way. One of my personal prayers is that God would blow our mind with all that He has planned for us! One day...

Our last minute trip to the beach this summer!

Celebrating a friend's wedding!

Our new favorite pictures of our babies!

How could you not love them?!!

Our favorite thing to take pictures of this summer!

Brad's most recent painting!

Out supporting baby Ryan!

Forever Changed

At this exact time, one year ago today, we were all in the ER waiting to hear how severe the accident really was. I remember waiting with everyone, being in the ER with Brad, the different thoughts going through my head, talking to Brad through the pain, ultimately... scared to death. I remember that night, spending it in the family waiting room on a chair, and constantly waking, not being able to fully turn my brain off with all of the new information from the day before. That Friday, the day of the surgery, was the longest day I can remember. It seemed to last all day with the prep, actual surgery, recovery, and then waiting to hear from the doctor. I still replay in my mind the time spend in the NSICU, wanting so bad for my best friend and partner to wake up. In the 11 years we had been together up to that point, we had never gone that long without talking and here I am completely aware of the tragedy that had occurred and Brad still sleeping, unaware. I remember when they called from the hospital that Brad was somewhat awake and asking for me... how fast mom and I drove to the hospital, me running through the halls getting there as quickly as I could. Brad waking up was joyful, terrifying, and extremely sad all at once. It seemed that there were many trials after waking up and each one brought a sense of, "I absolutely have no idea how we are going to do this and get through this." 2 months spent in rehab seemed horrible while going through it, and seem even more terrible having been home for some time now. Not being in your own bed, surrounded by things that are unfamiliar, will definitely wear on a person. A blood clot and hospitalization after only being home for a little over a week seemed to add insult to injury. What a whirlwind of events in such a short amount of time...

Now, we are a year out from the accident and things are still hard. Emotions aren't as raw as they were initially, but I can still cry and get extremely sad and discouraged at the mere thought of what we have gone through and continue to go through daily. People tell me what an inspiration Brad is, and while I'm glad others see this, they have no idea how true those words really are. Being so blessed to be with him every step of the way and share my life with such an amazing person I know to the fullest extent what an amazing person Brad is!

Some encouraging news, though, is we have recently reconnected with some friends we met in rehab. His injury is almost identical to Brad's which has helped us relate to them even more. He and his wife have triplets, which is such a fun and encouraging thought to consider! We have gotten together with them a few times over the past week and I had no idea how much I needed to be around someone who knows EXACTLY what we are faced with on daily basis. Talking with them has been so helpful and uplifting and we are forever grateful for them!

Brad is also looking into getting a hand cycle which would be so much fun to ride together and spend time outside of the house! Please be in prayer for this as we explore how to begin this process!

We are also extremely thankful for our family and friends that have been by our side since the beginning. Our family has pulled through and helped out in ways that we will never be able to fully comprehend or thank them for. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around all they have done and sacrificed to be a source of help and support through all of this. Thank you!
Our friends that call and check in on a regular basis have been so great, as well! With the passing of time it is easy to forget how traumatic this has been and our friends that continue to check in and ask how we are, you have no idea how much this means. Your thoughtfulness and generosity have not gone unnoticed and we thank God for you guys on a daily basis!

We are looking forward to a more peaceful and joyful 2013 and we pray that we can wait in patient expectation as God reveals His plans and timing for our lives...

Brad's most recent painting. This is what 70 hours of determination and hard work look like!

11 months and counting...

I have now been back in school almost an entire semester! Where does the time go? This has been one of the fastest semesters to date! It has also been almost a year since the accident, which is crazy to think about! We have come a long way...
For quite a few months Brad was in excruciating pain pretty much all the time. The every day medicine he has to take, plus the prescription pain medicine, seemed to stop working which was a terrible realization. I asked Brad one day how he was supposed to handle the pain on a daily basis and how I, as the caretaker, was expected to cope with the emotional roller coaster that accompanies chronic pain. Neither one of us had an answer to that question, but kept praying that God would send an answer.
A few weeks ago Brad met with a pain specialist and he suggested another form of pain medicine that isn't as strong as the other he was taken, but that it may work for him. To our surprise, it did work! Last week, Brad said he had the best week he's had since the accident! Now, until you have dealt with this kind of pain on a daily basis, it is hard to relate. However, the entire dynamic of our house changed. The mood was lighter and our situation seemed almost bearable for a time. Please be in continued prayer that this new medicine will continue working and that Brad can continue to grow stronger daily.

Brad shared these lyrics with me the other day:
"Even If" by Kutless...
Sometimes all we have to hold on to
Is what we know is true of who You are
So when the heartache hits like a hurricane
That could never change who You are
And we trust in who You are

Even f the healing doesn't come
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God, You are good
Forever faithful One
Even if the healing
Even if the healing doesn't come

Lord we know your ways are not our ways
So we set our faith in who You are
Even though You reign high above us
You tenderly love us
We know Your heart
And we rest in who You are

You're still the Great and Mighty One
We trust You always
You're working all things for our good
We'll sing your praise

You are God and we will bless you
As the Good and Faithful One
You are God and we will bless You
Even if the healing doesn't come
Even if the healing doesn't come

In looking back at 2012, we have been where we NEVER thought we would go, have had to face the unimaginable, and have had to grow up a little too quickly. However, God has put us in this place, though at times it feels like the desert, for a reason. We are ready to move forward and hopefully have a much calmer 2013!

My 27th Birthday!

Our Christmas card photo!

New Beginnings...

So, I start school tomorrow for the first time in 8 months! I have experienced a wide range of emotions this weekend, from excited to sad to completely overwhelmed. I have worked very hard in my classroom trying to organize and prepare for this upcoming year. It is kind of intimidating seeing that I only completed half of my first year of teaching second grade, which means after Christmas it will be totally new to me.
This weekend, for whatever reason, I allowed myself to be sad and angry (it's been a while since I felt this way). I was explaining to Brad that, in a way, our situation is like a death that we wake up to every single day. It is traumatic and devastating and greets us with every new day. We were also talking about how the things we do, or did, before the accident on a daily basis haven't been affected greatly but just in thinking about what we are so very limited to do from this point on. It kind of feels claustrophobic. I can't imagine what Brad feels like when all he wants to do is get out of his chair and he physically can not do that. Wow! Another lonely thought is that no one in our immediate circle has any experience with these emotions and changes; no idea what we are experiencing. So sometimes this makes it hard to share because I can't even begin to explain...

This past Christmas! Charlie's first Christmas and Ally's first Christmas with a little brother!!!