Giving Thanks...

Over the last week we have been waiting, watching and praying that Sherrie would get better and she would continue her recovery. We were hopeful her cold would go away, but it seemed to get a little worse. While it was hard for me to see her struggle for breath, she handled the each incident relatively well. As of today, we are grateful that it seems the cold is going away and the cough is not as frequent.

With the feeding tube incident, we have been working Sherrie slowly back to a normal feeding schedule. We are grateful she seems to be on a good path. Despite the challenges, my dear wife continues to push through each therapy session and is making good progress.

The highlight of the week came when we had the opportunity to bring Sherrie home for Thanksgiving. All our children and grandchildren are in town and so this was a wonderful blessing. The night before, our daughter in law Jess, our daughter Brittney and our oldest grandaughter Kenzy, went to RIC and cut Sherrie's hair and gave her a manicure and pedicure. When they showed her her new haircut, she gave them a big smile and thumbs up. She loves the pampering!

Thursday morning we worked through a couple of therapy sessions and then brought her home. It was so nice to have her in her own house for a while. It was wonderful spending time talking with her and watching her interact with her children and grandchildren. Every time she would see one of her grand babies, she would motion them to come closer and them reach to give them a hug and kiss. We witnessed some very special moments as the strong bond between generations was a wonderful tender mercy sent from Heaven.

The girls got Sherrie ready for dinner and we all met together as a family to give thanks for many many blessings that have come our way. It was a very emotional time for our family. Sherrie was very alert and would often reach for one of her famous rolls or blueberry salad. At one point she kept tapping me on the leg and pointing to the table. I asked her if she wanted the salad and she said yes. I brought it closer and she took the spoon and took a big scoop and was headed toward her mouth. I told her we needed to get her swallowing better and then she could have all she wanted.

The holidays are full of wonderful traditions and memories at our home. This year will be different not having Sherrie front and center. Nevertheless, we will hold firm to our faith and hopes that she will continue to make progress and this will be the last season we do not see her fully engaged. The path to my sweetheart's recovery has been interesting to say the least. While we wish it were over, we continue to see how the Lord gives us strength and hope to get through another day. Sherrie had a wonderful day with her family on Thanksgiving. She knew it and she told us with her words and actions.