This is What We're Up to Now

Cathy is still doing great!
She's doing some more walking, and moaning much, much less.
She spends her days recovering, reading, and watching movies while taking pills that make everything OK.

Lucy doesn't seem to know if she is visiting our house and living with the Jones' or vice-versa.
Fortunately, for her, I don't think she really cares either way.

Hannah is determined to make me teach her how to play Chess, which is great except that she couldn't have picked a worse teacher, except maybe...nope. Not gonna do it.
I have never beaten anybody, even a weak computer set on "idiot," in a game of Chess.

Jude has taken on a much more "older brother" attitude towards Will, and I regularly hear Jude explaining things to Will very logically and clearly, and over-and-over again. I fear that Jude has a mind similar to mine, which is ok, but clearly is not intended for regular, prolonged use. It apparently has a useful life of about 39 years. I'm on borrowed time.

Will always wants to be the anti-hero of every movie we see.
He wants to be Sauran and Vader.
I'm afraid to let him watch WWII movies for fear he will be goose-stepping down Mockingbird Lane.

I'm happy to still be hanging on to the handlebars at this point.

Here are some things I've learned:
1. The biggest project at work will need most of your attention right when you have it most diverted elsewhere.
2. One of my most important tasks in life is teaching Lucy (2) that her "No!" means NOTHING TO ME!
3. If you don't start reading The Brothers Karamazov, you'll never finish reading The Brothers Karamazov.
4. People are far more generous than I have given them credit for.
5. Let people help.
6. I don't know at what point in Cathy's recovery it will be safe for me to return to my old, self-righteous, opinionated, selfish, worrisome self. Maybe never.
7. It's all about these little souls that wait for me at the end of a long day, and the beginning what have turned into not short nights.
8. This is more fun, and more work than I expected.

And yes, Cathy is still doing great!

Thanks to everyone for everything so far!

I'm Pretty Sure I'm Going to Hell...

Would it be wrong of me to get Cathy a Medic Alert Bracelet indicating her heart valve, and call it "jewelry" for her birthday present?

Yeah, I thought so too...I was JUST KIDDING!

But I'm afraid I'm going to Hell anyway just for thinking it was funny in the first place.

Miserere!

What's next?

First of all, many, many thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers, words of encouragement, food, movies, etc.

Cathy is mostly mobile now in the sense that she's vertical about 30% of the time, and can move around freely (except for the searing pain of her sternum fusing back together.)


A lot of people are asking how they can help. Our friend and neighbor Tricia Dusseault is going to be starting a schedule for friends (and friendly strangers) to visit maybe once a day for a few weeks while Cathy slowly returns to the surreal world that is our home.

The older kids will be in school from 8-3, and the two younger ones will be spending morning and afternoons (when not at Decatur Presbyterian) with the Blessed Jones Family until I fetch them each night after work.

The details on how this visiting with Cathy will work aren't completely set, but as soon as there is a mechanism for signing up, I'll let everyone know how to do it.

I see these visits mostly happening mid-late morning, and maybe involve carrying something for her or some simple household task that I am too clueless to notice needs doing (you really have to wash blue jeans more than a few times a year???)

So, Cathy should start getting some quiet time to continue healing soon. You can call her anytime, or email her at cathyharveymom@bellsouth.net

Amazing Grace, and The Wretch she saved...

Cathy's sister, Grace left late yesterday afternoon after spending a week running our household.
She sacrificed Thanksgiving with her family (she has twin ten year-old boys) to be with ours.

I imagine she had several thoughts running through her head as she sped north back to Greenville:
1. Do those people just grow laundry everynight?
2. Chris sure does make that shhhhing sounds a lot...
3. I knew exactly what I was doing looking at him askance that first day he mistook me for Cathy. I didn't know it at the time, but he seemed a bit odd, and now, after a week under the same roof, my earliest instincts about him have finally been justified.

Grace deserves a lot of credit for putting up with all of us so charitably.
I can be a little idiosyncratic and rigid, which, when combined with my mania for consistency, and my need for control when stressed can make me a combination of Himmler and Sam Kinison on a caffeine high after having spilled coffee in my lap.

Grace has earned several more stars in her crown.

Cathy took her first outside walk with us yesterday. We walked to the Westchester playground and sat in the cilly wind while the kids played on the playground. It's a mostly level walk, but the way back was slightly uphill.
Slightly uphill is my characterization.
Have you ever seen video of people near the top of Mount Everest where they take a step, pause, breathe about three breaths and then take another step?
It wasn't quite that bad, and Cathy made it all the way back like a champ.
She getting better and stronger every day in every way.

Oops...

I didn't realize that when I sent out most of the invitations for people to share the blog, I was using my Bellsouth email account.
I just checked that account (which I usually do not use in favor of my .Mac account,) but I checked it after my aunt said she had emailed me something, and I hadn't gotten it, and saw that I had about 60 messages waiting for me from as far back as two or three weeks ago.
I haven't even had a chance to read them yet, so I am posting my public apology for any apparent lack of response to any of your emails.
On the bright side, I now have a bunch of new messages from people I haven't read yet, and as I scanned the senders, I saw some of my favorite names.

For the record, my primary email account is wcharvey@mac.com but I will now be more diligent about checking wcharvey@bellsouth.net

Thankful? You Betcha!

This is us on top of Stone Mountain in April of this year. How Cathy was able to climb to the top with a leaking ticker is beyond me, except that maybe since we didn't know that the situation was as bad as it turned out to be.
It's not exactly the top of the world
But it's close
For us
Today.

What we're thankful for:
Dr. Robert Guyton and the entire staff at Emory Hospital for taking such good care of Cathy;
The love, prayers, and support of all of our families;
The blessings of our four little souls to nourish, raise, and love;
The material gifts God has blessed us with;
The gift of a new day, and the opportunity to enjoy everything above for another day;
The hope that we will be observant, obedient, and humble enough to repeat this litany every day forward.

Pax

She's Truckin'

Cathy keeps getting stronger (incrementally) every day.
Today, when I got home from work, she was walking around upstairs.
She also had her first visit to get her Cuamadin level of her blood checked, and she's right on track with that too.

I'm looking forward to a few days off, and by "off" I mean simply not shaving, but not doing any less work!

Mother and Child Reunion

Cathy came home today, almost a week to the hour that she left the Operating Room.

She had seen all of the kids prior to today except for Lucy, who we kept away knowing that she would not understand seeing her Mommy.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Deo Gratis!


And I still can't rotate pictures on this damn thing!

Some parting wisdom from a previous generation...

I just can't believe it's so,
and though it seems strange to say
I never been laid so low
In such a mysterious way
And the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again

But I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
When the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a motion away,
Oh, oh the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a moment away

Words & music by Paul Simon

Still not home...

We were expecting cathy to be home Sunday, but the doctors are still tinkering with her medications so that her blood has the viscosity of Pennzoil Synthetic 30W oil.
With the mechanical valve, they have to make sure that there is no clotting, and so medication, and patience, is needed.

I took Hannah and Jude to see Cathy, and we brought her a sandwich from "Dave's Cosmic Subs" which is across and just down the street from "Everybody's Pizza," practically on the Emory Campus. These are the best sandwiches we've found around here in a long time.

So, we linger around home, and let Aunt Grace lead trips to the playground and clean up the kitchen again after I clean it up the first time. We eat delicious food provided by loving and gracious friends, and we wait.

We are watching The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and I'm hoping the boys will allow it to join Star Wars as one of their paradigmatic movies.

We miss Cathy and mom, but know that the doctors know best.

A Surprise Kindness

I first met Ron when I was in the DeKalb County Police Academy in the Winter of 1994. It happened that we lived nearby each other, and we started carpooling for the 30 minute ride out and back to Lithinia for the 22 weeks that it took to get through a fairly rigorous training process.

Ron and I are very different people. Ron is a former Marine Embassy Guard who was/is physically invincible. I never saw the guy get worn out even though we went through some very punishing physical training.

There was a tradition (I think it's (unwisely) not practiced any more) called "Fight Day." It was a day where we were run-around, and exhausted for hours, and then told to don boxing gloves and headgear to show how hard it was to engage in hand-to-hand combat when otherwise exhausted.

Ron and I ended up fighting, and as I had taken karate for a couple of years, I thought I would be able to hold my own.
He was like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes, and he beat the crap out of me. There wasn't any malice. It was all business, and we both knew it.
To my credit, I took it all and didn't go down, but it was pretty ugly on my part. I think there's a video of the fight somewhere, but I'd just as soon not see it again.

Ron and I have stayed in touch in the years after I moved on from the Police Department, and Ron became a Federal Air Marshall after 9/11. He now flies all over the world, meet world leaders, protects dignitaries, and waits for a terrorist to act up on an airplane, so he can shoot them in the head.
And trust me, if you are a passenger on that plane, you want someone like Ron to handle the situation.

So how does all this tie in to Cathy and her status?
Ron now lives in Chicago, but we talk every week or so, and I told him about Cathy. Ron has kept in touch all week to check out her status, and told me to call his parents, who live near my parents, if we needed any help.
I thanked him, of course, and told him that, for right now, we had everything covered.

Friday afternoon, Ron's Mom and Dad, who had never met Cathy, showed up at the hospital with flowers and a book, and plenty of good cheer.
Ron comes from good stock, and we are blessed to have him on our side.

Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Otero for offering your time, kindness, and prayers for us!

Special "Guest Cathy" This Week

Cathy is on the verge of coming home!
It could be as soon as today (Saturday) but almost certainly by or before Monday.
Her heart is doing great, but as her sternum fuses back together, and the muscle, tissue, and bones get re-aquainted, there is some pain.

I have retrieved the kids from the wonderful Jones Family. We could not have done any better than their family to nourish, love, and support out children this week. Kathleen and Patrick were great, but their kids also deserve a lot of credit for sharing their rooms, toys, and mom and dad with ours.
We will never be able to thank them enough!

Since Cathy will be unable to do much of anything for 3-4 weeks, Cathy's twin-sister, Grace, is coming for Thanksgiving Week to play the role of Cathy in our home. Grace is giving up Thanksgiving with her family (she and her husband have twin ten year-old boys in Greenville, SC) to be with us and help out.
So, if you see a "Cathy" that looks extra perky and fit around the house or at school, it will be Grace.
I have added an off-topic story about the first time I met Grace at the end of this post. It had a wacky Patty Duke, Hayley Mills feel to it.

We have started receiving meals at our home. I will leave a large cooler on the porch in case you are one of the many who are helping with food.

Meeting Grace For the First Time

I met Cathy for the first time July 14, 1992. She was working in a store in the Market area of Charleston, and I was looking for a satchel bag, as I was getting ready to start teaching that Fall. I won't go into all the details of that meeting except to say that as I had left the seminary a couple of months before, and because I was pretty hopeless with the opposite gender way before I ever went into the seminary, it was a miracle that she agreed to go out on a date the upcoming weekend. I was smitten with Cathy after that first meeting, but she was wise enough to be a little skeptical about me.
It was either the next day or two days later that I was walking out of another store on King Street in Charleston (the main commerical street in downtown Charleston.)
I literally just walked out of a store and turned to go north, when a young woman walked south right towards me.
It took a second or two as she approached me, but I thought I had seen her before, and just as she got to me, I realized that I thought she looked a lot like the girl who had agreed to go out with me from the previous day. I blurted out "Hi," and she looked at me with a mix of surprise and confusion as if she had never seen me before (Cathy and I had about a 30 minute conversation the day we met, so I sort of expected a hint of recognition.) I think about all I got was a look of confusion and a step to the right as she continued on her way.
In my defense, Cathy didn't mention that she had a twin sister that worked in a shop on King Street when we first met (why would she, especially if she was (wisely) trying to cover her trail should I turn out to be some kind of psychopath?)

So, I was left to ruminate on 1.) whether I just didn't get a good enough look at Cathy the first time and this woman I passed was not Cathy; 2.) I really didn't make much of an impression in our first meeting; 3.) I did make a real impression, but it wasn't as good as I thought; 4.) all of the above.
What I didn't consider was that the facts were varied combinations of all of the above.

When Cathy and I spoke later that week to set up out first date, I casually asked her if she had been working on the day in question, and she said she had been (her shop was a good distance from where I had encountered the mystery woman, and Cathy couldn't really leave her shop unattended,) so I mentioned seeing someone who I thought looked like her on the day at the time in question, and that the woman had pretty much looked at me like I was crazy.
It was then she mentioned that she had a twin sister who worked at a store on King Street, and the woman I saw was probably Grace.

So, that was my first time meeting Grace.

For the record, they are not identical twins, and they looked a lot more alike than they do now.

Several Giant Steps For Cathy

I planned on posting more yesterday, but I got tied up with all of the sitting around and waiting at the hospital.
Cathy took a walk yesterday morning up and down the hallway, and is generally feeling better every day.
They took out the last of the drainage tubes, which wasn't pleasant, but that was the last of the "stuff" that she had inserted anywhere.
She keeps her Percocet updated regularly, and that helps manage the pain.

I got to go see Will (4) in his Thanksgiving Celebration at Decatur Presbyterian.
[The Decatur Presbyterian Community, has been wonderful to us in helping with the younger kids, and we have been happy to have our kids go there before they go to St. Thomas More for their elementary schooling.]

Will was very happy to see me, but not very happy not to be going home with me. He is probably having the hardest time of all the kids. He is old enough to know that he misses his mom, but can't really grasp the "it's just for a few days" concept.
He reported the other day the "My fingers are tired from counting the days..."

Cathy might be coming home this weekend, but as I write this, I'm not sure. The original estimate was Monday, but she seems to be exceeding all expectations.

I want to thank everyone for the calls, messages, emails, cards, flowers, and concerns that have gotten to us. We have gotten them all, but just haven't had a chance to do much direct responding.

Most people have asked how they can help.
Most of our need for help will happen when Cathy gets home and in the weeks after that, so we will post our needs here and contact people directly as they come up.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support.

I.C.U No More

Cathy is in a regular room as of early Wednesday Morning.
She is tired, but still getting stronger and starting to walk around a little bit.

She is in room B476, and can have visitors, but she tires very easily, so please keep that in mind.

Fr. Neil came from St. Thomas More yesterday, and Msgr. Paul came today, so we are being well-ministered to...

I'll post another update in the morning.

I'm not sayin' I'm just sayin'...

First of all, it's all good news from the hospital.
Cathy is getting stronger by the hour, and although we are just a little beyond the 36 hour mark, things probably could not be much better.

Remember those "siezures" I referenced before? Yeah those ones. The ones that I have been misspelling for days.
Well, the Neurologist has determined that Cathy did NOT have a seizure, and that her CT scans were normal. They are calling it a "spell" or "an episode," probably related to her coming out of the anesthesia.

Now, I never went to "medical school," but I know what I saw was grade-A, Linda Blair, eyeball-rolling, head spinning (ok, no head spinning,) body-shaking something!
Were it anyone with a whiff of sanctity about them, I might bet a demon was expelled, but since it was just me, I'm thinking no. I'm just glad they are done, and that Cathy is feeling better.

Cathy was sitting up, talking, and eating (a little) food, and she had gotten out of bed earlier that day and sat in a chair.
She will likely be moved out of ICU Wednesday, and will likely double my sleep hours for the week tonight.
I'll let people know about visiting and room numbers and stuff as soon as I know it.

***Editorial Warning That I'm Getting On My Soapbox, but not for too long****

If you ever want to feel really blessed, spend 48 hours in a Cardiac Care Unit Waiting Room, and find someone there to compare problems with.
If you ever want to feel like the most blessed person on the face of the earth, go to a Pediatric Hospital and try the same thing.

Please remember to pray for all people battling illness and the professionals serving them.

Cathy and I will never be able to express the thanks we feel for the prayers of everyone who been with us through this so far. We still have a long way to go, but I wouldn't trade places with any of the other families that have been sharing the ICU Waiting Rooms with me. So pray for them too.

More updates tomorrow...

One Tough Mother!

Ahhhhh, three hours of refreshing tossing and turning for me, and it's back into the fray.
I'm hoping for Cathy to be up and fully conscious when I get over there in a little while...my coffee is still working its way through my veins...and I won't be able to see her until around 7 or 8, so I get to vent some of my anxiety.

It's still too early for her to have visitors, but the conventional wisdom is that she might be able to leave ICU later today or sometime tomorrow (she's bringing the average age of ICU patients down by about thirty years.)
She is in the 5th floor ICU, and I will be camped out in one of the ICU waiting rooms on the 5th floor.

Cathy had two fairly mild (they tell me) siezures yesterday afternoon, but doesn't seem the worse for them (those were the unexpected, but not terribly unusual, events I mentioned yesterday.) I was able to talk with her after each of them, and she said she remembered them. The doctors did a CT scan and didn't see anything that caused a lot of concern (for them!)
Cathy didn't seem to have any lasting damage from the experiences.
I was in the room for both of them, and I can't say the same for me.
Utterly. Terrifying.


I spoke to Kathleen Jones last night and she told me that Cathy had wrapped presents for the kids to have waiting for them when they got home from school so that they would get a little morale boost.
Hearing that reminded me a couple of things:
1. Cathy is one of the most giving, compassionate people on the planet;
2. I married waaaay above myself!

I have gotten emails and calls from friends, family, former bosses, my father's college roommate, and people I don't even know thanks to this blog being spread by emails and word of mouth. I have gotten two emails from a Norbertine Priest , Fr. Hugh Barbour, that saw the calls for prayers from Matthew Lickona's blog, and has promised the prayers of his community in California.

Cathy's mom and sister spent the day at the hopsital before driving back to Greenville, SC later in the afternoon, and my Mom and Dad spent most of the day and evening with me too. My Uncle, Jim, who, with my Aunt Giulia, have both worked at Emory for about 40 years each, was kind enough to sit with us a lot too and hook me up with a lot of people who kept an eye on Cathy.

Our home, which is usually bustling with activity and the banshee screams, crying, light-sabre battles, and questions of little ones is now as quiet as a monastery. The toys that I always complain about tripping over are all put away, and everything is clean and in it's place.The only sounds (other than the voices in my head) are the clicking of the Basset Hound's toenails on our wood floors.
This is no way for a father and husband to live, and please God, I won't have to endure this for too long!

Not Resting (Un)Comfortably

Me, that is, Cathy's got all the good drugs!

We arrived at 5:49 AM, and Cathy was on the recovery floor in the ICU around noon.
None of the recovery developments could be classified as unusual, but they were a tad more than "expected."

But the surgery went well, and there were a few, minor details that kept the recovery from being perfect, but at the end of the day, my wife was able to tell me she loved me with her eyes mostly open, and a bionic aortic valve.


I'll take it...

Here we go...

You know that feeling of serenity when your faith stils your fears, and you know that everything is going to be ok?
Me neither...

However, I did some more online research, and was comforted in knowing that the surgery is performed with greatest technological tools available.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Ora pro nobis (pray for us)

12 Years Ago, today...

We had no real idea what we'd be in for on a blustery November afternoon twelve years ago.
Now, twelve years later, we still don't, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

ONE COOL FRIDAY NIGHT

This past Friday, I pulled off an amazing feat of deception and an opportunity for grace.
I managed to gather about 20 families together in our home for a Mass of healing for Cathy.

She never saw it coming!

I had a friend invite her over for dinner while everyone showed up at our house, and then when Cathy came home at 7:30, she walked downstairs into a room full of family and friends.
Fr. Neil Herlihy, from St Thomas More, celebrated Mass, and annointed Cathy after the Liturgy of the Word.
After Mass, we had beer, wine, and cookies and snacks.

Cathy, other than being uncomfortable as the center of attention, which she hates, was really touched by everyone's presence and love.

I'll say, for the record, that I would have like to have invited MANY more people, but the space just wouldn't hold everyone. Even if just my whole family, almost all of which live here in Atlanta, had been invited, we would have had more than 50 people.
What I tried to do was invite representatives from our church, our friends, and our family, so you were represented, even if you did not know about it.
So, if you were not invited, please do not take offense, you were certainly in our hearts, it's just that your bodies would not have fit into our downstairs.

I also figured that the fewer people who knew about it preserved the intended surprise aspect, and that worked, and she had no clue what was going on.

It was a very special evening, and now that we are within 24 hours of going to the hospital, Cathy and I will be strengthened by the memories of that night in the next 24 hours, and in the many hours beyond.

The picture is an old one of Jude from the beach in 2003.
He's one hep cat!

Pre-Op Visit Yesterday

Cathy had her final, pre-op visit yesterday at Emory.

We got all of our instructions for the surgery. She has to wash with special soap and use special mouthwash, and nose drops and stuff for the next few days until the surgery.
We are scheduled to arrive at the hospital at 6:00 AM Monday, and she is the first one up on the table

We learned about all of the options (pig valves versus mechanical valves, she chose mechanical), and how long the procedure shoudl take.
The doctors are not sure if they will need to repair or replace the mitral valve also. It doesn't seem to be working too well, bu they are not sure if its performance isn't just being hampered by all of the leakage from the aortic valve.
It could take as long as six hours...and they expect her to be in ICU for 2 days after that.
Then they said she might be checking out one week later, so it certainly looks like she'll be home for Thanksgiving, and possibly several days before.

Can I Tell This from This?

A fantastic Catholic writer, Matthew Lickona, wrote a book titled Swimming With Scapulars, has a blog that I check out every day. He is a great wordsmith, and he is tapped into the pop-culture enough to make quite insightful and witty observations
I emailed him earlier this week, and asked if he could send out a plug for my blog on his, since his blog is exceptionally hip, cool, respected, and well done, and he graciously agreed.
Matthew's response:



Chris,
Absolutely. Happy to help however I can. Thanks for your kind words, and I hope to heaven that your wife comes through the surgery without trouble. The wife and I will hit 12 years together in May, and I can't even begin to think of how anxious I would be in your place. It's times like this that you're glad that it's possible to pray on behalf of others. Persevere.
matthew

I have been trying all morning to figure out how to post a copy what he posted here, but have so far, been unable to figure it out, hence the title of this post!

So, please go to Matthews blog www.matthewlickona.com/blog/blog.html and see how generous he was with his post, and leave him a comment thanking him for getting a lot more people on the prayer train with us.

Copy and paste this link into your address bar to see it.
http://www.matthewlickona.com/blog/blog.html

And read his book, Swimming With Scapulars for a great account of growing up and staying Catholic.


I'll post another, more informative report on our pre-op meeting soon.

This is gonna get the job done

REALLY???

It looks like a piece from Jude's Lego set...

We have the final pre-op visit today, and then our lives resemble Cape Canaveral before a shuttle launch...

Ora Pro Nobis!

Horizontal Hooray!

Lucy, 21 months old, is showing her satisfaction with the effect that everyone calling, send emails, and flowers and stuff has had on her mom...and defying gravity in the process.


Cathy and I have been amazed, humbled, and edified by the responses that we have gotten from so many people in the last few days.
We have been assured the prayers of friends, families, priests, cloistered Carmelite nuns, and even a Synagouge in Atlanta (where I worked security for about ten years and made a lot of friends.)

Please keep them coming, because if Lucy senses that her mommy's spirits start flagging, she's likely to USE those fists against those she sees as a threat!

She has a tremendous right!

Cathy's email is cathyharveymom@bellsouth.net

This is us now (actually in June 2007)

I didn't realize, although I should have, that sending out 100+ emails puts one back in touch with folks that have been lost in time.
Some are surprised that the last they heard I was planning on being a priest, and now I have four kids.
These people are always second (behind me) in the surprise line.
This picture was taken on the steps of our family beach house on The Isle of Palms, near Charleston, SC. It is also the site of the first official date I had with Cathy in July 1992.
All the kids are about 3 inches taller than they are in the picture, but, fortunately for them, they inherited their mother's good nature. Unfortunately for them, they inherited their father's looks.
It'll be a toss-up to see how they go, but I'm betting, and hoping, on their mom's strengths!

Tuesday

I just mananged to send out a bunch of emails letting everyone (or as many people as I could think of) about this blog.

Some things that have already been taken care of, so far:
1. The kids are staying together while Cathy's in the hospital with the Jones Family;
2. Cathy's mom and sister will be coming to Atlanta from Greenville on Monday for the surgery, and will return either later that week or the weekend after to get the kids home;
3. Olive, the Basset Hound, will be walked by a cadre of good neighbors;
4. Meals will be delivered to the Jones' house while Cathy is in the hospital (there's a website for meal assistance at
http://freecal.brownbearsw.com/cathyharvey
if you are interested in sending food;


The cleaners came yesterday, and are house is sparkling clean. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Please continue to pray for us.

One week away

It's hard to believe that in one week at this time (it's 5:00 AM as I write this) we will be up scurrying about in the darkness, getting the kids up and ready for school, and then getting to the hospital for the operation.
We have our pre-operation meeting with the surgeon this coming Friday, so we will get more details then (such as how long the procedure will take, how long will it be afterwards until Cathy joins us back in the world of the conscious, and when she might first be able to eat a real meal, which she wants to be a #2 sandwich (with the house sauce instead of mayonaise) from "Dave's Cosmic Subs," conveniently located about half a mile away, just off the Emory Campus.

--A WARNING--
Reading this blog will likely subject you to Chris' (her husband's) musings and random thoughts on lots of different topics. I assure you, however, that nobody will made as uncomfortable as will I. I have guarded my emotions and pride zealously for 40 years. In the last few weeks, they have been reduced to rubble.


I believe, or at least try to believe, that this is one of those rare, life-changing experiences, for which one actually gets some time to prepare. Sometimes the press of emergency makes things easier because one has no choice, but then you miss the "teachable moment." We try to find the moments, but it's often easier to rearrange furniture and sort clothes.

That is how so many of us live our daily lives. We move forward, keeping our heads down, hunker down when we hear incoming fire, and then spring up again when there is a lull to move forward. Of course, ambushes happen, and one must do whatever necessary to survive.


Most readers of this blog are probably associated with our communities of St. Thomas More Church and Decatur Presbyterian School/Church. Everyone else should know that these two communities have been immeasurably generous to us since before Lucy's birth, which was almost two years ago.

So many people have offered their help, and so many are waiting to be called. Please know that we will be asking for specific help as the situation develops. The real juggling will begin when Cathy comes home from the hospital.

As far as the kids go, (Saint) Kathleen Jones and her family have offered, nay, demanded, to keep all four of our kids while Cathy is in the hospital. The Jones' have been there for our children since Cathy's first hospitalization, and their generosity and love and service is the kind of which Jesus spoke. We will never be able to thank them enough, except in duplicating their generosity sometime to others is similar circumstances.

So, check in often, I'll try to temper my philosophical ramblings with actual facts about what's going on.
Today, for example, we are having professional cleaners come to the house to give it a good cleaning, courtesy of my parents. I would have done it myself, but I don't want to lose my "amatuer cleaner" status.

Please, please pray for us.
Chris H.