An Update, An Anniversary and Some Holy Week Reflections

The last time I wrote seems like  WAS so long ago.  Our family was still in the Chicago area and Darin was completing his final month of intensive rehab.  Our little Nora had just turned two. The novelty of being in a different and exciting city had worn off for Lucy and Collin.  They were just plain homesick.  We all were.  Even though we had been so richly blessed by the amazing local church we attended while there, we missed our community.  It was time to come home.

And we pulled into our driveway on the evening of October 31st, 2015 where much of our family and friends gathered with an amazing meal and lots of hands to unload our trailer.  The welcome was sweet.

In November I worked hard on rearranging our home to be closer to the condition it was in before Darin's injury.  Successful growth and learning in rehab meant that Darin was competent with stairs and could move back into our second story master bedroom! I also worked hard (along with many dear friends and family who pitched in) to throw a BIG birthday bash and night of reflection and thanksgiving for Darin's 40th! It was an unforgettable evening and worth every bit of effort.

December, in addition to all the Christmas celebrations, brought a lot of attention to how to give our children the routine and structure that would help them thrive after so much upheaval and crisis in their lives.  We ended up finding and enrolling them both in part time school programs which offered us the ideal blend of homeschooling and classroom learning.  They both began with their new routines in January, and even though there have been a few challenging aspects of the transition, Darin and I both so pleased with how well they are doing and agree that it is just what we all need for now.

January and February brought a lot of careful consideration to when would be the right time for Darin to return to his job.  To say that his work family has been supportive to us during these trials would be a gross understatement.  It brings tears to my eyes to recount the many ways they helped us including (but not limited to) work days at our home, replacing our dryer when it died, visits, cards, generous gifts, meals, taking our kids on outings, etc. Who wouldn't be eager to return to work among such a team?  Unfortunately, together with Darin's doctors and therapists, we have determined that Darin's has too much ongoing work to do in therapy to be able to return to work full-time yet.  And to be fair and respectful to his coworkers who have worked hard to cover his responsibilities over this past year, it was time to submit his resignation and allow his position to be filled by a new full-time team member. We sincerely hope that the door will reopen for him to eventually return, and we are trusting God with that, but for now this is the right decision.

So far, the month of March has been about regrouping.  We've been figuring out how to arrange for dependable health coverage for our family and working hard on assembling as much exercise equipment in our home as possible so that Darin can incorporate two to three hours of exercise into his daily routine which truly helps him get stronger and improves his quality of life.  We have also been doing some grieving and reflecting as the first anniversary of his accident is rapidly approaching on March 27th (which also happens to be Easter Sunday).

In the earliest, most chaotic days of Darin's hospitalization last March, the timing of being there at the end of Lent and during Holy Week and Easter Sunday was so powerful for us.  When I saw Darin enduring unthinkable physical suffering the only thing that I could really find solace in was the reality of Jesus' physical suffering.  When we were tempted to despair, we were able to take hold of the hope of Jesus' resurrection and the promise of our own resurrection someday.  I am so thankful that the first difficult anniversary of Darin's accident is also the day that we and all of our brothers and sisters in Christ celebrate HIS victory over sin, suffering and death and the fact that we can lay hold of His victory as our own.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday.  And starting tomorrow I am planning to share memories from the early days of Darin's spinal cord injury journey along with reflections on the events of Holy Week and the hope that Jesus has given us.  I hope to share one memory and one reflection each day starting tomorrow and concluding on Easter Sunday. I am doing this largely as an exercise to prepare myself for next Sunday but I am also doing so because I hope it will bring encouragement to you if you are able to read. Thanks, dear friends.

xoxo,