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Last night my wife really opened up about the ordeal

I don't know, I guess I never thought about how it was for her to see my ice glass, or to see me laying on a hospital bed unresponsive. I know that the stroke affected me in a tremendous way, but I have never stopped to think about how it affected my wife and kids. She told me the kids were crying when they got to the hospital because they did not know if they would ever see daddy again. That is pretty terrifying for children 7 and 10, not to mention a 16 year old that is just about ready to finish his first year driving.

It was a pretty traumatic experience for everyone involved, which makes me appreciate them more that I am home. Yeah, it irritates me when my 16 year old does not get his jeans into the laundry room and then complains that he does not have any jeans. Or when my 7 and 10 year old fight over a littlest pet shop toy. But, the alternative is having them bury their father, and that makes me enjoy the little things. I may not like all them, but I enjoy seeing them.

Comments

  1. strokesurvivorJanuary 21, 2009 at 3:37 PM

    It was a scary time Jim, but we were comforted to know that you were and are in God's hands and His purposes for your life will be accomplished - whether that be here or there. We begged God to spare your life and touch your body in a miraculous way and we are so thankful that's what He chose to do. As you tell us soooooo often....God is good even when our circumstances are not.

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  2. strokesurvivorJanuary 21, 2009 at 3:40 PM

    Hey, I'm right there with you...it also drives me CRAZY when YOUR son doesn't put away his clean clothes and I find them back in the DIRTY LAUNDRY!!! Ugghhh!! But, I agree, this experience has reminded me to take pleasure in all the experiences of life...even the annoying ones. :-)

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