Today, as I sit to write this, is December 18. I had noted on other sites (mostly on Facebook) that December 8 was the 5 year anniversary of my stroke. You read that right 5 YEARS. Sometimes it is hard to believe that it has been that long. To bring some comparisons and insight: I was youth pastor in Louisiana for 3 years, I was in college at Trinity Baptist college for 3 years and 9 months, I was in the Army for 4 years and 10 months. What do all of those things have in common? They were major life accomplishments for me, but they were less than 5 years. It is amazing to me all that changes in my life; I cannot express enough how supportive my wife has been for me. I can't even begin to imagine how much her life has changed in the last 5 years, and yet she has always been with me. I survived a terrible 2012 as I experienced the deaths of 5 loved ones, to include my mom and dad. It has been a difficult 5 years, but with God's help I have been able to survive it. I remember aski