Stephen Is Home !!!

November 24th, 2008

Dear Friends;

What a crazy month! The saying, “Stop the world, I want to get off!” has never seemed so real to me than this past month. I truly have wished that the world would just stop for one day so I could catch my breath. I guess in a way, my world stopped while I slept for 17 hours one day last week. I just crashed. Thankfully, we have friends and family that I can call in for reinforcements.

I have this love/hate relationship with time at this point. Time stresses me out because there isn’t enough time in the day to do all the things that need to be done and talk to all the people I need to talk to and still be organized and on top of what is going on or going to be going on. Yet, time is our friend since it is time that is needed to complete Steve’s healing. It also makes me feel better knowing that a brain injury takes from 2 to 5 years to heal and we are only 6 months into that time period. He isn’t the finished product yet.

We have almost worked out his schedule with most of the therapist coming to the house. He goes out for physiotherapy and also goes to the YMCA. He has a new support worker who we call his “hired friend” just for fun. He helps him with his rehab homework and helps him do tasks at home like changing light bulbs, etc. He will also take him wherever he wants to go. He just started last week so they are still getting to know each other. His presence takes a load off of me so I am thankful.

Steve is still continuing to make progress with his healing. I see him every day yet I still can hear his voice improving and his mobility getting smoother. He has even been shoveling snow! The eyesight still isn’t clear but it is slowly coming along.

He was very emotional for the first few days when he arrived home and it is no wonder. “It is what it is,” he would say. He was home but not as the same person who had left back in May. He was now out of the safety of the hospital, where it was all about him and he knew what was in store each day, and into the world of kids, phone calls, the dog barking at therapists coming to the door, and constant movement and unpredictability.

The King of Curveballs now doesn’t like surprises and needs to know what is going to happen next. He has to know who is arriving and what time and where we are going and what time we are leaving… and we have to stick with it. I suppose he has a greater sense of control if he is aware of these things. We are all adjusting and getting better at working it all out.

But I am not too concerned for Steve at this point. He is still working hard and time is on our side. It is more for my children. Now that the dust is starting to settle some things are starting to be revealed. Please pray for our children. Watching them deal with this is like a torture to me. Abigail seems to be doing well as she has Steve all to herself and has him wearing tiaras and having tea parties. William’s life has changed the most as his best friend was his dad. The greatest dad on earth is now a disabled man who wants to practice spelling words with him every minute. There is a great loss there and he is showing his grief in a few ways. I am worried for him and I cry as I type this. We are trying a few strategies to get him through it.

I am sorry that this letter has been so long coming. I would think about writing it as I would head to bed but would be just too tired to even start. I also apologize to those who I haven’t return phone calls or e-mails! If the world would just stop for a day then I just might catch up on them!

Don’t forget about us! We still need you to pray! Pray for our kids, pray for my stamina and, of course, pray for Steve’s healing. You have been so faithful… thank you!

In His Grace,
Donna Langman