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Monday Update: 07/31/06

Another weekend has come and gone and we are preparing for another week of hard work and time apart. We had a great weekend together, hanging out at the hotel and spent some good, quality time alone together…just what we both needed after the 2 week break. It was strange not seeing each other for that long! A first in the nearly 14 years we have been together! It’s definitely not something we hope to have to endure again.

The car show on campus went really well. Matt said everyone he ran into that day asked him about his car. He was thrilled to show it off and spend some time with the guys, talking cars, and just hanging out. It meant so much to him (and to me) that they went to all the work to get the car out there and spend the evening with Matt. It was a late night for everyone, but well worth it to bring an extra bit of home to Matt. I forgot to send the camera with the guys, but I know that some staff members took pictures. I’ll post some as soon as I get them.

One of Matt’s nurses gave him a really nice gift the other day too. She saw a remote controlled car and thought of him, so she bought it for him. It was so completely unexpected and thoughtful! Matt was really touched. So we got that out for a while yesterday and drove it up and down the hallway…ramming it into the walls on occasion. It was fun! We plan to take it outside when it’s not so hot, so we don’t bother the other guys in the house with the noise. The car was just another example of the wonderful people who have come in to our lives through this experience. They mean so much to us.

Matt and I were talking yesterday about things and we’re both just so glad to be halfway through this phase of his rehab journey. It is still so frustrating, not knowing what the long term outcomes will be for Matt…but I sometimes take comfort in that uncertainty as well. I guess the unknown can be good and bad. I know that Matt is so much better physically and mentally than he was six months ago, and I just have to hope that he’ll be at an even better place six months from now. We both agree that no matter what physical limitations he may have to adapt to…we are so lucky that we can adapt. We are so lucky to have each other and I know that our life together can and WILL be good and full. It will likely never be what we once envisioned for ourselves, but I know it will be good. I trust in that. I trust in the hope that is in my heart, because I know it does not come from me. I know that the peace and hope I feel is a gift…and I am so thankful for it.

I just pray that he keeps his chin up, keeps working his tail off, and keeps acknowledging the progress. It is harder for him to see it himself, but others around him often tell him, and I know he is listening. He’s talking more and more these days, and really just seems more at ease with himself and the way things are right now. He orders his own food at restaurants, and he pays for his own purchases on his off campus trips. He is interacting with people in all different arenas, and is doing well with it all. That right there is a big step for our Matt!

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