One Step Closer to Home

November 13 - Day 151

This morning we packed our bags and said goodbye to the wonderful staff at Quincy. Dean has made significant progress since September 18th and the past few weeks have been a special time of healing. We enjoyed our stay there but it's time for Dean to move onto more intensive therapy for brain injury patients. We have been looking at several Acute Rehabilitation Hospitals and asking the Lord to guide us to a facility that would treat Dean holistically. Throughout the course of this marathon, we have seen God make a way in the midst of delays and difficult times. We do our research, consult, pray, wait, and take a step of faith as we trust the Lord to lead us exactly where He wants us to be. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. -Proverbs 3:5-6 This verse is a very fundamental truth as it goes hand in hand with Philippians 4: 6-7: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. God gives a peace that runs so deep one cannot explain to man but just knows. God in his faithfulness continues to teach, guide, and build our character by His own loving touch. Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver: I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. -Isaiah 48:10

Dean's brother scooped him up like a bag of grain and placed him in the backseat of his truck. With the truck and cars loaded down, we put the pedal to the metal for a trip that would bring us one mile closer to home. The engines roared and our stomachs rumbled so Dustin asked if we needed some fuel. Since I was more concerned about Dean's comfort and time, I consulted him about getting a bite to eat. He plainly said "I want to get out of this vehicle now." This meant don't stop until we arrive to our final destination. (We had no wheelchair with us.) So we cruised along and before long we pulled up to the entrance of HealthSouth in Mechanicsburing, PA. Dean placed his finger on the button to wind the the automatic window down. After feeling the crisp breeze upon his cheek, he pulled on the button to close it. We sat in amazement watching him doing this task with such ease. On Sunday, we went to his parent's house for the day and a wonderful time together. Before arriving, we did a quick stop by our house and Dean unbuckled his seatbelt while I ran inside to grab a jacket. Dean sat up nicely and slept for most of the ride. Dean was known for sleeping as a passenger on road trips. 
 
The staff gave us a warm welcome and everyone was pleasant towards us throughout the admission process. This will be our temporary home for the next several weeks and my prayer is that we will be home before Christmas! Everywhere we stay I try to make it like home so before long I had our room all decorated with pictures of Dean from our life together. I'm curious what his response will be when he is able to see all the pictures of himself plastered on all four walls. Tomorrow Dean will begin his evaluations with Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy as they customize a specific plan for him so he can become as independant as possible. The Lord has provided for our needs and our hearts our filled with thanksgiving. 
 
Prayer: We had a long night. Every few hours I was awake to find Dean's eyes wide-open. He was very restless and I tried to convince him to sleep so he would have energy for his first day. But perhaps it's like your first day of school or a field trip when your excitement keeps you from sleeping. Please pray he gets on a consistent sleeping schedule through the nights and he is alert during the days. We've been struggling with lots of things through the night for the past week.



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