Well, as usual, another week has come and gone and I haven’t had much chance to sit down and write an update. Just when I think things are going to settle down…they ramp back up again. June is just one of those months for us.
Last weekend we celebrated Matt’s baptism. It was a pretty emotional event for everyone. Matt did so great walking down into the tank and walking back up again afterwards. I was so proud of his accomplishment, and so honored to have been watching from ‘backstage’ as he was baptized.
Our eyes met as he turned to be immersed and I winked knowingly at him…it was a moment I will never forget. We have come so far together, committed ourselves whole heartedly to each other, and it was so special for me to have been there when he stood up publicly for his faith. Matt has always been somewhat private about his faith and it was a huge step for him to take, regardless of the physical obstacles he had to overcome just to go through the process of being baptized.
He is an inspiration to so many people…and he will likely never fully grasp it. I just feel so privileged to go through life with him at my side. Sometimes I don’t feel worthy of it…if that makes sense.
I know Matt is special…I know his life experiences are being watched, admired, and pondered…I know he is a living testament to faith, love, and trust. All I can say is that our love, our marriage, is a gift…our ability to overcome the adversity we’ve faced is not from us. And I just hope that we can prove ourselves worthy of this most amazing gift.
Attending Matt’s baptism was a diverse group of friends and family who came to celebrate with us at church followed by lunch at the Machine Shed. We talked and laughed and Matt was touched once again, by the love and support of you all! Today in church we talked to a few folks about it and how great it was…they said it was one of the most moving baptisms they had seen…and they couldn’t remember a baptism where the congregation broke out in applause afterwards…it moved people that much. I cannot say enough how wonderful that group of people is…how loving and thoughtful they have been…they are a beautiful example of what a church family should be, truly. We are so very grateful to have found a church home there!
Tomorrow we are heading to Iowa City for Matt’s second eye surgery. We have preop appointments tomorrow, followed by surgery on Tuesday. While the previous surgery was beneficial, double vision is still double vision. We just hope that this surgery is able to go the distance and resolve the double vision once and for all. We have been told Matt’s case is very difficult, so we are guarded in our optimism…but my heart just yearns for this one obstacle to finally be behind us. I want so badly for Matt to feel victory…even if it is just victory over one piece of the puzzle. He deserves it…and I just pray he can finally achieve some real, undeniable progress. Everything else is gray…here and there, tiny particles of progress…nothing that shouts out with satisfaction. Amazingly enough, Matt gets himself going everyday and puts his best foot forward, working hard to try and make a difference. He isn’t asking for a miracle…he understands that progress will be slow and indeterminate. He’s just hoping…we’re just hoping for a little taste that it has all been worth it. I ask you to send up prayers for us on Tuesday…to be with the doctors performing the surgery, that they might finally be able to fix the problem. While it will likely be several weeks afterwards before we know whether or not it has worked, I just pray that things go well on Tuesday…and that the possibility of Matt being able to see without a patch on would be a REAL possibility…a PROBABILITY…and ultimately a REALITY.
Last weekend we celebrated Matt’s baptism. It was a pretty emotional event for everyone. Matt did so great walking down into the tank and walking back up again afterwards. I was so proud of his accomplishment, and so honored to have been watching from ‘backstage’ as he was baptized.
Our eyes met as he turned to be immersed and I winked knowingly at him…it was a moment I will never forget. We have come so far together, committed ourselves whole heartedly to each other, and it was so special for me to have been there when he stood up publicly for his faith. Matt has always been somewhat private about his faith and it was a huge step for him to take, regardless of the physical obstacles he had to overcome just to go through the process of being baptized.
He is an inspiration to so many people…and he will likely never fully grasp it. I just feel so privileged to go through life with him at my side. Sometimes I don’t feel worthy of it…if that makes sense.
I know Matt is special…I know his life experiences are being watched, admired, and pondered…I know he is a living testament to faith, love, and trust. All I can say is that our love, our marriage, is a gift…our ability to overcome the adversity we’ve faced is not from us. And I just hope that we can prove ourselves worthy of this most amazing gift.
Attending Matt’s baptism was a diverse group of friends and family who came to celebrate with us at church followed by lunch at the Machine Shed. We talked and laughed and Matt was touched once again, by the love and support of you all! Today in church we talked to a few folks about it and how great it was…they said it was one of the most moving baptisms they had seen…and they couldn’t remember a baptism where the congregation broke out in applause afterwards…it moved people that much. I cannot say enough how wonderful that group of people is…how loving and thoughtful they have been…they are a beautiful example of what a church family should be, truly. We are so very grateful to have found a church home there!
Tomorrow we are heading to Iowa City for Matt’s second eye surgery. We have preop appointments tomorrow, followed by surgery on Tuesday. While the previous surgery was beneficial, double vision is still double vision. We just hope that this surgery is able to go the distance and resolve the double vision once and for all. We have been told Matt’s case is very difficult, so we are guarded in our optimism…but my heart just yearns for this one obstacle to finally be behind us. I want so badly for Matt to feel victory…even if it is just victory over one piece of the puzzle. He deserves it…and I just pray he can finally achieve some real, undeniable progress. Everything else is gray…here and there, tiny particles of progress…nothing that shouts out with satisfaction. Amazingly enough, Matt gets himself going everyday and puts his best foot forward, working hard to try and make a difference. He isn’t asking for a miracle…he understands that progress will be slow and indeterminate. He’s just hoping…we’re just hoping for a little taste that it has all been worth it. I ask you to send up prayers for us on Tuesday…to be with the doctors performing the surgery, that they might finally be able to fix the problem. While it will likely be several weeks afterwards before we know whether or not it has worked, I just pray that things go well on Tuesday…and that the possibility of Matt being able to see without a patch on would be a REAL possibility…a PROBABILITY…and ultimately a REALITY.
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