Making Progress

After a few really tough days, yesterday was a much better day.  We saw the surgeon for a follow-up appointment, and he was encouraging about Paul's progress.  It will take awhile before Paul has completely regained his stamina, and he has lost 20 lbs. in the last two weeks, but the surgeon felt that he is beginning to heal.  Paul is moving much better, so he has been walking around the house quite a bit.

His appetite is slowly returning.  The surgeon even said that there are no big dietary restrictions!  Paul is pretty happy about that after several days of soft foods like canned peaches and pears!

We have both gotten some sleep the last two nights.  I was completely exhausted and had hit a massive wall physically.  Paul was sleeping maybe two hours at a time, but he has finally gotten some solid sleep as well.  What a difference a few uninterrupted hours of sleep make in the recovery process!  As one doctor at the hospital said, "The hospital is no place to rest.  They wake you up to ask if you need a sleeping pill!"

I am exceedingly humbled at the people that have come alongside us in the last few days to uphold us through some rough patches.  It is such a blessing to see the Lord provide just the right people and help at our time of need.  It is always more comfortable to our human pride to be the ones giving the help than receiving it, but I am so thankful for the brothers and sisters that have come around us to hold up our arms and speak truth to us.  I know there are many that have been praying for Paul from far away, and we have received at least a dozen cards in the mail since Monday.  In this digital age, there is still something so precious about holding a hand-written card and knowing that the last hand that touched it was the hand of someone that loves you.  I know I'll spend some time pondering that realization in the weeks to come.

So this morning, I guess I'm just glad to report that, for the first time in a long while, we are trending upward.  While the walk is slow and frustrating at times, the Lord is beside us, meeting us in our weakness and ministering to us through His people.  We are very thankful indeed.

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him."  II Chronicles 16:9a