Sacred...and Today's Emotional Update from Dave's Wife

As we sat down to supper I remarked to Victoria how this seems almost sacred because right now Dave and Karen would wish for not much more than this...to sit together and have supper.

Today's scripture I pray upon Dave and his family...

 The LORD bless you, and keep you;

      The LORD make His face shine on you,
            And be gracious to you;

      The LORD lift up His countenance on you,
            And give you peace.’

Num.6:24-26

For the simple sacredness of every day task

For a sweet night’s rest

And God’s faithfulness; not for what we ask

But for what He deems Best

For shoulders to cry on

God’s love to rely on

In trouble and sorrow’s strife

For bread to break

And hearts that ache

With the wonder of love and life

© Janet Martin

Thank-you so much for all your prayers so far. More needed! 

Pray that he may heal and come back to his home! 

(the link is to an old post that includes Dave's thoughts of home.

Today's update from Karen is an emotional glimpse into their journey!

I know I should be sleeping but just can’t. Couple of reasons. Yesterday was such an emotional day for me, both physical and mentally. Physical my body is tired and emotionally had a meltdown. Watching Dave in all that pain, trying to roll over to sit at the side of the bed in order to sit up, but yelling in so much pain and telling them to stop! They did, but the physiotherapist just kept after him . I know that Dave wanted to get up but he just could not work thru the pain. I remember that so much.
Second I woke myself up with bad dreams. I was dreaming about my accident. Hopefully these done last long
Lastly my leg gave me a cramps again and woke me up and had a long time to get that away and then when I tried to go to sleep I just l laid there so I thought I might as well get up and read my email and write my update.
So the morning started off with the nurse saying he had a good night when I phoned in before I came down, but when I first walked in I thought his color was off, and he wasn’t very talkative ( now Dave is always been a quiet man ), he just kept saying ‘his ribs hurt, his ribs hurt’. Dr. came in later in the morning and said Oh Dave you don't look so well today are you still in a lot of pain? Dave said yes my ribs just hurt, just really hurt. The Dr. said he can’t up his meds because that will sedate him and we can't have that; he has to be awake in order to get him up and sitting so we can keep his lungs healthy.
Later in the morning the physiotherapist came in to get him sitting at the side of the bed. They tried for a long time but he couldn’t. Dave was waiting for the pain to let down a bit and then he would try, but it just wouldn’t stop. My tears would not stop; so hard to watch him try and do this but can't. He is so strong thru all this so far, and he just couldn’t. The pain was just too much. Watching this made me go into a meltdown. I have tried to be so strong for him so far but today just broke me. They finally said Ok they will not sit him up now and maybe try later, well later never happened. He was just not strong enough to do it
Shortly after they left he had his coughing spells and they are so hard on him. It’s good he is getting all the stuff out of the lungs, but he has to work so hard
After lunch his parents came to sit with him and I went and sat in the other room to take a break and breathe. Did a lot of emailing with Marlene and she help me thru. Then my brother, and my mom and dad came out. I needed them. Giving my mom and dad big hugs and just crying on their shoulders helped so much. My brother took me to the lab to get my blood work done (just my normal monthly INR )to make sure my blood level is fine so I don’t get a blood clot. He and his wife helped me with some Work stuff and that was a relief off my back.
Got back from the lab and Dave's color in his face was much better; his pain had let back.
He fed himself half his supper and then he let me finish feeding him. With his right arm still not working well it is so hard for him to eat by himself, but Dave with figure it out somehow. He keeps trying to do it more and more which is great, so I wait until he says ‘Ok help’.
Dave asked Josh to bring him down a crokinole stick. He uses that to help him get his bed up and down. He can’t reach back to get the button to make the bed do up and down - this works. He is also using it to move his pillows, push down his gown and pull his tray in.
He asked for TV so we got him one, but it is so hard for him. He can't reach to change the channels, so we put the baseball game on before we left
By the time we were ready to leave he was looking a lot better so it easier for me to go.
Came home and my kids are so WONDERFUL- they are looking after everything. Jessica is taking care of the house, Joshua, the business and man stuff around the house and Krista she is doing my flower beds. She made me three vases of flowers to brighten my spirit and the house-- and they all do so much more. I just can’t write everything. I came home and wanted to talk with them but Joshua just said ‘mom go to bed’. So I did. I miss my time in the morning and evening with Jessica- we just haven't had the time. Krista picks me up at 7 to take me to Dave and then I am home between 9:30 or 10:00 and need to go to bed. Jessica is so good about it, but I know she is missing it to,
So when I got up this morning I called down to the hospital to see how Dave is, Not the news I wanted to hear, he had a rough night. He just can't get into a comfortable spot. They tried to keep moving him to get a spot that feels better. I sure hoping he is not starting to get bed sores. She said she gave him his meds just now again so hopefully he can sleep a bit now. Not sure what he will look like when I come down if he didn’t sleep well.
So please send up some extra prayers for us today. Pray that we can get Dave comfortable so he can rest and get sitting by his bed. Pray to give me the strength to be strong for him and for my kids because they are dealing with so much. They all say they are OK but can use the prayers. Thanks for all the prayers already and I know that they will be lots more going out
.***

Personal Note from me:

This morning I've cried with my sister Lucy and with my daughter Emily. 

We wish there was more we could do but Emily said something that really resonated in my heart;

"Prayer is not 'Nothing'

It's 'Everything' "

Holy Training-ground

In life’s push-pull-plant-reap-reach-bow

In its momentous what-where-how

Of laugh-weep-wake-sleep-hold-let go

We are being trained;

For what, we do not know

While we walk through gold-gray-green-blue

We oft forget its sacred due

We work-play-dream-learn-teach and more

Unaware of the What

We are being trained for

Then, in the bliss of hug and kiss

When life is kind; remember this

Today, though plain, commonplace crowned

We are treading on

Holy training-ground

© Janet Martin

With Providential Approval and Dave Update

 Photo Scripture reference; Psalm 147:8-11

Inherent seed

Of pride and greed

Of selfishness and lusting

Suffers the rod

Of loving God

So we may learn to trust Him

We, prone to sin

The Lord doth win

Not where green pasture pleases

But in life’s storm

We seek the Arm

Of He who never leaves us

And though the ‘why’

May birth our cry

To Him; His love so tender

Lifts, as we bow

Within the ‘How’

The heart of meek surrender

The broken ‘me’

Begins to see

How utter our reliance

How all we have

The good Lord gave

Love rebukes our defiance

Misunderstood,

But for our good

God works all things together

He does not change

His love the same

In fair or foulest weather

Inherent seed

Of pride and greed

Would be our certain ruin

God, rich in love

Gently approves

What draws us nearer to Him

© Janet Martin

I know I've posted this song on numerous posts but it is such a beaut!

Thank-you for the continued flood of support for the family through kind words, thoughts and prayers; thank-you for 'traveling' with us!

Here is last night's and this morning's update from Dave's wife Karen:

Hi Everyone
Today we had some good things happen, and some parts were rough.
He had a rough night- while I got a good much needed sleep, he had a long coughing spell . When I come in this morning he didn’t look himself. The Dr. come in and said Dave you don’t look so good, so the Dr. is changing his pain meds again. The Dr. informs me of his break; He broke all his left ribs but not just once, he did multiple times. Dave has some ribs that are just floating. They are to heal up, but floating makes it worse. Told Dave he needs to get moving to get his lungs goings. Cough every hr to make sure that he doesn’t get infection in the lungs.
By noon when they came in to try and get him sitting again on the side of the bed, they actually got him standing. My tears were flowing. It was so amazing to see. He did a great job.
He was good until later in the evening, then he had more pain again and had another one of his coughing spells. Those are so hard on him, so painful.
I stayed with him until he had all the phlegm coughed up and then I went home when he was resting. He said it is OK for me to go home and get some sleep; He will let me know if there is time I need to stay again. (Makes it so much easier on me when I know he is fine with me going home) He cares for me even when he is there in so much pain.
It is just so hard because he just can’t do anything himself. Can't use his left side and his right arm just doesn't work right! The nurses are great but they have so many more patients to look after they can't always be there when he needs them.
Krista is able to take me in the morning when she goes to work so I am able to be there by 8 and that way I am there to see his Dr. and help him with the morning things.
They are hoping in a day or so the tube in his lungs can be removed. He still has the oxygen because his breathing is hard when he moves.

This morning;
 Just called down and the nurse said last night he got his best rest so far, no coughing spells in the night and he rested nicely.

Transitions...(A Mother's Misty-eyed Musing)

Because I am a new gramma and because I do daycare, 

frequently doors to yester-shores are eased open just far enough to let echoes in...

 

 

Time tilts Her chin and she looks into rooms once filled with child

Before the brush of ‘hush now, hush now’ eased them from Her lap

While through the haste of touch and taste and imminence run wild

She hears upon the night air a young mother’s joyous clap

‘Oh look, ah see, pat-pat-a-cake and twinkle little star’

And while they laughed and played Time laid a gate across youth’s bar

With dance and grin Time kissed Her skin with living’s loving proof

And drew its artwork where Her heart hurts with glad weight of it

While toil and duty’s beauty wove earth’s heaven ‘neath a roof

That housed the kindnesses of ‘learn-teach-let’s just sit a bit’

And as year-hinged-to-year tinges her tear with hints of fall

She traces on the night wind, phrases from Past’s Madrigal

With meeker tread she bows her head and breaks Time’s bread; with awe

She hails the grail that pales the star-struck height of Night and Dream

Time is no brute but an astute deliverer of law

No one escapes the metronome that shapes thought-scape’s requiem

Time tilts Her chin and she looks into rooms with soldered locks

And worlds that tumble with the ease of castled building blocks

© Janet Martin