My faith was so encouraged when the Lord in a dream gave me a promise that He would give new life to my brain. And so it was only a couple of weeks later, on Resurrection Day of 2007 the Lord healed me of severe brain pain, making it possible to accelerate progress with all efforts to get well, which I did over the ensuing two years as the Lord healed me, and grateful friends stepped up to help me get needed treatments.
To make my life smaller (less activity around me) so we could concentrate on taking care of me, Jim and I moved out of our full and busy household and into a 36’ motor home that friends generously provided. We lived in the motor home, parked in our drive way, for one-and-a-half years during most of the season of our children’s courtships, engagements, and weddings, and while I was discipling the unmarried couples in their new relationships, and still holding the two weekly meetings with the 20s and married couples. With whole-body numbness and nerve pain, I was unable to do much of anything but struggle to exist and get well, and micro-manage my life with lots of post-it-notes to stay connected. I’m certain I could contend in a race for the “post-it-note queen” if there was such a thing! In the summer of 2008 I finally began to gain momentum and not only got back up on the edge of the cliff I had clung to, but also gain a small amount of margin for life just in time for my children’s weddings.
During the most challenging season while involved in the local ministries, and helping my children with wedding preparations, it would take me at least two hours to get ready in the morning, once I was able to get out of bed, which at times was an accomplishment in itself. Every activity took forever to do, from dressing, to doing my supplement regimen, to tending to my belongings. Then it took up to two hours just to cognitively orient myself to my life. I?was pretty “lost.”
I didn’t have time to do anything of significant purpose other than to keep up my closest relationships, which in itself was hard to do, but also included the families God had entrusted to me. The pace of my life had slowed way down. It’s still hard for me to believe today that I used to carry out so much purpose in my life compared to that period, and even compared to now. I still micro-manage and need more time for orientation than I used to, but not so much that I can’t resume my purpose, which I have slowly been embracing. I’m so grateful that now, even though I still use more post-it-notes than I used to, I can now wrap my mind around parts of information people tell me without having to write every single thing down. In fact, I intentionally work at hanging on to information. Although, it was a bit disconcerting when I learned that I had just purchased again the same item for Jennifer’s birthday gift that I had already bought a couple of weeks earlier. ; )
(Part 13 will be the last installment of the health segment of my story. Next I will attempt to describe more of the spiritual dynamic I was dealing with through it all.)
What praise to have your brain restored! You are helping me realize that each moment counts–in each day. There is something beautiful about hearing your routine during this time period. I am awed you got out of bed and didn’t wallow in self-pity. I have much to learn.