Wading through life

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. March has been a minimal-blog month. This will be only my NINTH blog of the month. That’s lame. I told a friend I’d really like to blog daily. It’s really not that hard. I don’t know why I don’t.

I think some of the problem is that I have things I want to blog about–such as the Chase update I’m going to get to in a minute–but when I don’t feel I have time to sit down and write about it, I just don’t blog period. And then days and days pass.

But it was cool to see that I’m still getting visitors and people are still anxiously awaiting my prose. So, thanks for being committed–if not bored–readers.

The good news is that Chase’s recovery is simply amazing. As I said last time, Andrea called me on the six-month anniversary of the accident; she was beaming with joy in her voice, having just recently met with Chase’s teacher at a parent-teacher conference or something like that. Apparently, Chase is doing awesome at school. He’s improving dramatically and the teacher has no inhibitions about sending him on to kindergarten this fall, meaning he’ll be right on track with his schooling.

Having forgotten what early elementary report cards look like, I was re-introduced to the VG and S+ marks and all that good stuff. Andrea showed off Chase’s and there were lots of S+’s and a new one: "M" for mastered. He’s mastered many skills that he’s supposed to have mastered and coming along on the rest. So our family is more than ecstatic with the news and continually turning to God with praise for the miracle that continues to unfold.

One of the most poignant examples of Chase’s progress was the drawing sample Andrea showed me. Shortly after his return home from the accident, they had Chase draw simple shapes (stick person) and objects (+, =, â—‹, â–¡, Δ). In the first sample, they were hardly distinguishable. They had to ask him to point out head and arms and legs of the stick figure. In the second sample–the one he did recently–there was a dramatic improvement and most everything was clear. The objects were obvious and the stick figure was in line with his 6 years of age. So, that was much more tangible progress than his S+’s and M’s. That and the fact that his behavior is great and you’d never know from looking at him that his life was on the line six months ago.

Not having experienced such a "miracle" before, it’s a rather interesting to go through. People’s lives really change from them. The faith God is building in our family (and Andrea in particular) is remarkable. He’s just blown us away with his faithfulness in answering prayer. EVERYTHING we’ve prayed for has been given–and in proportions "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." I think this is the first time this scripture has come alive for me.

So, I’m charged to ask for more, because it seems God loves to give. At least that’s what He says is His Word. And I’m left wondering why I don’t ask more often. Sometimes I feel selfish asking for stuff–both for others and personally. But taking a brief look at scripture, it’s obvious that feeling of selfishness rises up within me at the enemy’s prompting and not God’s. God loves to give–oh how he loves to give! We just rarely ask.

So, in conclusion, I’d like to thank everybody SO MUCH for committing to hold our family high in prayer through the craziness we’ve experienced the past six months. You are so treasured. Please pass this update along to anyone you know who laid Chase before our Savior and petitioned on his behalf. God’s hand has truly rested on him and continues to as he recovers at a pace that could be set only by the Great Physician.

If you’d like to join me in the continued pursuit of blessings for our family, keep praying for Chase’s recovery, Shelby and Celeste’s transitions into their teen years, Andrea and Grant’s growth as parents, Eric and Amy’s yet-to-be born twins, the sale of their condo, Kristin’s growth and development, Mom and Dad’s ministry fit in the Thumb, dad’s business, my wrestling with my calling and career, and lack of significant other

Chase — a boy experiencing first-hand a true miracle of God. He’s taken SUCH strides the past three months, it’s hard to wrap my mind around. Talking, playing, walking, running, laughing…everything. His personality is back where it belongs. The only way one could detect "the accident" is in his leg postures and body movements. His feet turn in a bit (they’re making splints to remedy this) and he still has some coordination to work on.

But he’s back. Back to the way we remember him. And it’s a blessing. I watched he and Shelby and Celeste this past Friday and spent Thanksgiving Thursday with them. He was SO well behaved–better than I ever remember. Shelby and Celeste are also doing a great job of being his big sister and helping Andrea and Grant as their entire family continues to nurture him back.

What my post title is primarily referring to is this: another miraculous detail of the situation I didn’t know up until a few moments ago. Check out this excerpt from my Mom’s upcoming Christmas letter:

"I am convinced He was with our daughter’s family even during the accident.  Celeste was on the computer and it froze.  She left it to go into the family room and found Chase.  Andrea, the only one to know CPR, was still home, for she was preparing to leave shortly.  God was there to protect Chase’s life."

Is that not wild? I had no idea the computer crashed on Celeste–just in time to come to Chase’s rescue! What if Andrea had wrapped up laundry duty a few minutes earlier and hadn’t been home when the accident unfolded? We could still be visiting him in Ann Arbor.

We kinda tackled this issue at small group tonight. No situation, event or circumstance is unimportant and without impact.

"Four our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:12).

There are unseen events and battles unfolding that are more real than the physical ones we experience on a daily basis. I can’t explain it; I can’t comprehend it. But sometimes, I just get a glimpse. And that line from Mom’s letter provided me with one.

Could an angel have jumbled the Fluegge computer’s memory and caused it to freeze up at just the right time? Most certainly. Could there have been an entire battle going on between good and evil for control of that computer just up to the crucial time? You bet. Could someone have been praying for Andrea and Grant’s family at that time–unknowing of anything going on–that hindered the "spiritual forces of evil" at work at that particular time? Yep. Could Andrea have been less productive than normal in the morning–due to "unseen forces"–resulting in her still being at home when Chase has his accident? Quite possibly.

I’m convinced there are few coincidences in life. There’s just too much at stake for events to simply happen on the random. Everything is part of a glorious harmony, which rises and builds throughout history, culminating when the loud voices in heaven declare: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15b).

The harmony is then sustained for all eternity. Amen. So be it.

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"Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed" (Rev. 15:3-4).

In a dramatic turn of events, I managed to pull off one of the most productive weekends on record, including: visiting my brother’s family at his sister-in-law’s, picking up his cat that I’m adopting (a white fur-ball named Baby), digging two window wells, installing two basement windows, hitting the tanner once, working at Westwinds all three services, reading the first half of Revelation, hosting a large group of friends for a viewing of Shrek 1 and 2, watching Any Given Sunday while cleaning the house and sitting down to watch The Crow to cap off the evening with a good bowl of tin roof ice cream.

Tired? Slightly. But I’m much more revived after a good weekend like this one than one where I accomplish nothing and wish I had it back to do all over again.

Oh–and in talking to my mother, i learned that Chase will actually be going to school tomorrow! That’s awesome news.

After being accessed by the school district, they felt he could handle attending school and being part of a special class for those with disabilities. It will be in the same building he was attending prior to his accident. They say they can have him ready for kindergarten next year, which means he won’t be behind much at all.

So, that was a very exciting development. It will also give my sister a decent break from watching him and allow her to have some time to herself, which is another blessing.

As I left Mott Children’s Hospital tonight, I looked to the sky and was immediately reminded of Andrea’s comment that there would be an complete lunar eclipse tonight. It was about 1/4 complete when I first started watching it and I stuck with it until the midway point–a process that took 20 or 30 minutes (if you’re wondering what the image is, it’s the lunar eclipse. You can’t see much because the moon is… ECLIPSED).

Yeah, I had stuff to do back home and a few final innings of the World Series to watch, but having been out west for a few days, I’ve been reminded of the serenity one can find in nature. So, I just propped myself against my car in the middle of the parking lot and stared at the moon for half an hour. I swear some of the bypassers thought I escaped from the psych ward down the hall from Chase’s room.

Speaking of Chase: He’s doing simply AMAZING. I said in my previous post that his progress is truly miraculous and I stand by that more than ever having spent the evening with him. I could carry a conversation with him, joke with him, play catch with him, watch a Spider Man 2 bootleg with him…everything an uncle would want to do with a nephew.

He gets around now, but his walking isn’t natural yet. It’s still quite jerky. He fell a time or two and struggled to get up, but his spirit is great. He doesn’t seem bothered by his inhibitions. His mind seems to be ahead of his body right now in some areas and his aggressive male nature is shining through.

Andrea and Grant seem to be doing ok, but one can tell the process is wearing on them. All will be glad when the stay at the hospital is over; it should be by the end of next week.

But Andrea brought up that leaving Ann Arbor will be tough to a certain degree. It will be kinda scary in a sense because they’ve had so much professional support around them during this time and will be set free to do it on their own. Chase will see therapists twice a week, but other than that rehab will consist of stuff in home and maybe a special school until he catches up.

So be in prayer that Andrea and Grant and Shelby and Celeste and the rest of us who’ll be involved in the extended rehab process with be granted an extra dose of God’s grace and strength to tackle this head on and pour ourselves selflessly into loving and supporting Chase and one another as we work though this as a family.

Well, moblogging didn’t work like I thought it would. I’ll have to iron out some more glitches to get it to work correctly. But it’ll get there.

Anyway, I took two pictures of Chase last night with my camera phone. Here they are:

Chase’s room was quite the hoppin’ place when I arrived around 7:15 p.m. 5 or 6 U of M athletes were in there hanging out with him along with Andrea, Grant and Veronica, Grant’s sister. The athletes took pictures with him, signed another hat and just hung out for a while. I guess they make rounds periodically, so that’s pretty fun.

Chase was like a different kid tonight; he’s really come a long way since I saw him last week. He’s talking in simple sentences, strategically controlling movements, eating regular food and no longer needs diapers. It’s amazing where the Lord’s brought him in three weeks. Andrea said the physical therapist has been amazed with his progress and that it’s not too much to label him a “miracle child.”

But the situation still has its stress points. Andrea and Grant have been over 1 hour away from home for nearly a month now. And it’s hard on Shelby and Celeste. Mom and Dad, Grant’s parents, Veronica and Eric and Amy have done a great job filling in and watching out for my nieces, but it’s still hard. And Andrea said it’s tough to think about what taking care of Chase at home will be like; very tiring for sure. Right now he still needs to be carried around because he’s a ways off from walking.

But God is strong when we are weak. So, bring it on Lord. Take us where we don’t want to go–past our limit. Because when we’re there, when we’ve given all we have and then some, that’s just when you’re getting started and when your glory shines brightest.