I Am Blessed

I've been working a lot this week, and will be continuing to put in the hours as my hunt to replace a virtually irreplaceable member of my management staff continues.

A couple of things have reminded me how blessed I am.

One of the biggest blessings I've ever received came this morning from a young man with a such a tender heart. This morning, Katie's son Justin came around behind me as I sat reading the news online. He bent down behind me and he softly kissed my left cheek, wrapped his arms around my shoulders and hugged me and said "I've missed you so much, I haven't seen you very much this week." Awwwwwwwww. I have tears.

I've been praying for some friends of mine, obviously the Gushee's. That family needs my prayers, and I am blessed to pray for them because they have been selfless, and so helpful to my framily over the years. In times like these it is so easy to feel helpless, but I'm believing God for a miracle!

I have been praying for a friend of mine seeking help in her marriage. My heart is hurting for her and I will continue to lift her up. Last report is that things were better, but I know healing will take time, and there is a long way to go.

Also, I have had a burden to pray for a young friend of mine for years. This is a person who struggles daily with herself, fighting a ferocious spiritual battle. It is difficult for me to watch, at times painful, and all I can do is wait, and wait prayerfully. I will never give up praying for her! Things were seeming to get pretty dire, but last night a sliver of hope shimmered through and encouraged me to continue my vigil.

I am so blessed. God is ALWAYS at work around me!

To God be all praise and honor and glory!

A Riddle

Justin just asked me to solve this riddle:

You are in an enclosed room...floor, ceiling, and four walls, but no doors or windows. In the room is a table and a mirror. How do you get out?

Think about it for a minute and when you give up, check the comments for the answer.

Update on Holly Gushee 02/03/06 Midday

Dave Gushee, Holly's father, will be providing updates from this point on. He hopes to update her Carepage daily. If you have been following Holly's progress here at the Sisters' Weblog, you will now be able to get the latest updates by bookmarking the link below. You will need to register, but it's simple and quick and you'll only need to do that once, and after you do you will be able to post on the message board anything you would like to say to Holly and her family. I urge you to continue to pray for Holly and the Gushee family and check her Carepage frequently to stay up to date on how God is working in her life as she recovers from this terrible accident.

Holly Gushee's Carepage

Update on Holly Gushee 02/02/06 AM

Update from Paul Jackson:

The highest priority for Holly's rehab at the moment is for her to relearn to swallow. She needs to be able to feed herself. She is not yet speaking, although she does have some surviving capacities. Rehab may take up to a year. The pelvis fractures will slow down her rehab process, and will impede her ability to talk. The doctors are very encouraged by her quick progress. The neuro reports are improving each time. The fact that she woke within 3 days, after such a serious accident, and is sitting in a wheelchair with motor skills intact is a miracle in itself. Rehab for Holly could officially begin in the next three weeks.

I met with a newly formed committee to help direct a fund-raising effort for Holly's extensive medical costs, and for future beneficiaries. I will let you know more about this as it unfolds.

The silver lining in the accident is a coming together of many different faiths through the common bond of Christ and are uniting in this effort to help Holly and her family during this time of extensive rehab. Although it is not official, we are trying to come up with a name for this foundation. The initial figure mentioned to raise is $100,000.00. Our idea is that this is more than a fund; it is a foundation which will function to serve future needs as well.

Be thinking about what you may want to contribute to help with this fund. If you are not a member of Northbrook Church and are receiving this e-mail, you may contribute to this effort by sending any donation directly to Northbrook Church at 421 US Highway 45 West, Three Way, Tennessee 38343. Please put Holly Gushee's name in the memo line.

The formation of this committee and the dynamics for raising this money are extremely fluid as we are a brand new group. If you want to be involved please e-mail me at the church. You may also call us at the church directly.

Jeanie, Holly's mom, was very pleased to receive the well-wishes, thoughts and prayers some of you have left here and at Holly's Xanga/MySpace (see posts below) that I printed out and had Katie present to her. In the post below I also linked to the hospital page that allows you to send a free card to Holly. (Unfortunately, it appears that only those living in the US can use that function, but leave a comment or send me an email and I'll be sure to pass it along.)

The Gushee family is in great need of prayer and encouragement, so please continue to lift them up to the Lord, the Giver of Life, the Healer and the Comforter.

Update on Holly 02/01/06 PM

Holly is awake and will open her eyes. She looks around, they turn the tv on and she looks at it. She seems to recognize her parents voices, but nothing else. No one is really sure what Holly is absorbing or understanding about her surroundings. She is not able to talk. She has pain, but apparantly has total amnesia at this point. Nobody is sure what is going on, but people are praying and hopeful. It is still early, and tomorrow is another day.

If you would like, you can send a patient greeting card. Click here. The info you will need is:

• Patient's Name * Holly Gushee
• City * Jackson
• State * Tennessee
• Patient's Room Number * 616
• Facility Name * Jackson Madison County General Hospital

Some of Holly's friends have been posting encouraging thoughts/comments at Holly's Myspace and Xanga.

Update on Holly 02/01/06 Midday

From Paul Jackson after visiting with Dave today:

Holly is awake this morning. The physical therapist was already in to see her. They have been working her into a sitting position. She has not spoken, but has moaned in pain, and is aware of her surroundings. Doctors are very hopeful.

Dave asked that we all keep praying.

Thank you to all who are praying! I do want to let you know that I have copied off the comments and posts at MySpace and Xanga that some of you have left, and Katie is going to present them to Dave and Jeanie today. They may be able to read them to Holly. The family will be so encouraged by the love you are sending her way by lifting her up to the Lord! There is no greater power on earth than the power of prayer!

If you would like, you can send a patient greeting card. Click here. The info you will need is:

• Patient's Name * Holly Gushee
• City * Jackson
• State * Tennessee
• Patient's Room Number * 616
• Facility Name * Jackson Madison County General Hospital

Some of Holly's friends have been posting encouraging thoughts/comments at Holly's Myspace and Xanga.

Update on Holly 02/01/06 AM

A note from Dave Gushee last night,

I will not bombard you with specifics of every step of progress in Holly's recovery, but I wanted to let you know that for the first time Holly woke up tonight. She has been awake for the last two hours. She is not speaking but her pupils look good, and she does seem to recognize the voices of her parents.

It is just a first step, but it has come much sooner than we dared to hope.

Thanks be to God. Spread the word.

Dave Gushee

Holly has since been moved to a private room.

There is a Holly Gushee fund being established, details to come.

Friends of Holly have been leaving encouraging thoughts/prayers/comments at Holly's MySpace and Xanga.