One Pastor's Perspective

The updates on Dad, much like his progress, have slowed … HOWEVER, I am glad to report he is making more and more progress.  Just in the last two days he’s had really good sessions with the physical therapist (from home health).  He IS WALKING, more and more every time, with hopes he can be trained to get in and out of Mom’s car.  That would change life SIGNIFICANTLY.

His progress really is slow.  And there are several differing opinions about how far he will be able to recover.  But, ultimately, only God knows the answer to that.

All of the above mentioned progress is physical.  His mental state is not quite in the same place.  But prayer works!  Thanks for all of the concern and prayer!

Do YOU know where YOU were 15 years ago today??  I DO.  I was checking my very pregnant wife into one of the finest hospitals in the south … the Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans.  It was two weeks before my seminary graduation, and Diana had scheduled (YES, SCHEDULED) her c-section for that day.  (She literally told the doctor that it WOULD be done that day … He said, “OK.”)

Just a few hours later, I held my son for the first time.  I can truly say it was one of the two most awesome days of my life, with the other being the day Krissy was born.  New Orleans will never forget that week, either, but for different reasons:  An unexpected rain storm dumped TONS of rain on the city and flooded a large percentage of it.

Two weeks later, I graduated with one class left to finish.  My professors all knew about our newborn Drew and I think they all took pity on my that quarter.  I was getting very little sleep but was still able to pull a 4.0.  On June 1, a bunch of people from our church came over and helped me load a big UHaul. We spent the evening of June 1 in the seminary hotel, and on June 2 I took the final exam for that last class (it was a week-long workshop), got into that UHaul, and drove my wife and my new son to Florence, SC.  (Krissy had returned to Easley with my parents after graduation)

So, today I say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my son, Drew Wike!  And wish him many, many more!!!

Okay, first things first:  Krissy is HOME!  She did really well this semester, BUT. . .  I have NEVER seen so much STUFF crammed into a dormroom.  In my LIFE!!  And I have moved two sisters in and out of Clemson, so I know “girls need more things” but C’MON!!!  We got back around 11:00pm last night, unloaded, and collapsed.

I finally woke up this morning sometime after first service.  I was here, and I preached (I think), but I finally woke up.  Hope I didn’t say anything stupid.

We got a little more work done at Mom and Dad’s, but probably worked more on storing Krissy’s stuff than improving the house.

Dad had an interesting weekend.  He really struggles with his memory, and one of the meds they’ve put him on (Provigil) is over $500 per month.  We are trying some different avenues to get that cost down.  We rented the van this weekend and it taught us that we probably WON’T buy one anytime soon. It would be very difficult for Mom to do all of that on her own.

His physical condition is okay.  I don’t know if I would say the same about his mental condition.   The nurse at the VA told me to prepare myself that things probably wouldn’t get much better than they are right now. I sure hope she is wrong.

So, here I sit in my office between worship services.  I am so tired I could probably go to sleep right now.  But there is too much to do today for that!

How bored am I?? I am sitting in the waiting area at the Gvl VA Clinic. Waiting. They let me go back for his nurse assessment but the doc threw me out.

Interestingly enough, the nurse pulled me back into her office to give me a speech about Mom needing help and not being able to do this alone. I told her I’ve been giving her the same speech until I am blue in the face. She told me it’s time to put my foot down.

I do agree but wonder how well she knows the case! She said “If he has another stroke it will probably be a bad one.”. I told her he alledgedly has not had a stroke (or so we’ve been told).

Wow. And my stress level was just starting to come down.

On the other hand, I just blogged this from my iPhone. Cool!

Today I will point the car back toward the place where the Blue Ridge Mountains yawn their greatness … For you novices, that is Clemson.  Krissy took her last exam last night and we can’t wait to see what her grades are!!!  :-p

ALSO, while there we will spend some time with Mom and Dad AT HOME!!  There is more work to be done AND this weekend we are renting a ramp van to let Mom try one out.  If she likes it, the next task will be a purchase.  We’ve already been working towards that, but if it goes well, we will get really serious about it.

Okay, now I find out they might have modified a service report … Hmmm.  Not trusting that dealership too much right now.

After discussing with several friends, apparently (whether the dude was telling the truth or not) they DO have those kind of issues in car dealerships.  HUH … I would’ve NEVER guessed it!

What was it Jesus said about “A house divided can never stand??”  Maybe things like that are why our world is so messed up right now (especially our economy).  But, then again, I am no economist.  Just a poor dirt farmer … err … I mean a simple man of the cloth.