Day 349 - May 31 - What a weird life

Well, it's been a few days since I've posted, for which I apologize. Cherié felt strongly that if I wasn't sure what I was writing was from the Lord, it was better not to post at all. While I dislike going for any length of time without posting anything, I can't find fault with her reasoning, and so since the last few days have been barren ones for me, it's probably better if I just kept my mouth shut, so to speak.

We're in the middle of trying to get the last details together for the wedding this Friday, getting the house together for guests while also dealing with Connor's situation and a daughter who is simultaneously overjoyed and overwhelmed. I got to thinking today that there isn't a single thing in my life that's normal. Even the trip to Costco that Cherié and I managed today. That grocery run was the closest thing we've had to a date in I don't know how long. What a weird existence, when going to the warehouse store constitutes "together time".

Connor is off with Josh tonight on their own, over at a friend's graduation party. The family installed ramps in their home so Connor could attend, and since we haven't heard anything from them I guess we can assume things are going well. There's another weirdness - there's a very real possibility that something could go horribly wrong while he's out, and he'd be gone before we could help him. Yeah, I know everybody's family is actually in that situation as well, but when was the last time you thought about it?

Joélle and Alan are in a little existence of their own - pre-wedding glow, I guess. They take it in turn to go into varying degrees of giddiness, pensiveness, then goofy or quiet or giggling. You never really know what's going to come out of their mouths next.

If you think of us this week, Connor is working on the vent weaning, and is up to ten or eleven minutes at a time, twice a day. While this is a good step, it also isn't blindingly quick progress - at this rate he would be years getting off the thing, and so we all need to press forward with it to the degree he can handle it. Also, Cherié and Joélle are worried about the weather, as the wedding is outside. The forecasts mostly look good, but a prayer for good weather wouldn't go amiss.

Finally, I'd appreciate your prayers as well. This is a tough week for me emotionally, and I'm not doing my family many favors being my usual self. Please pray that I would be able to find God's grace in this bizarre existence we lead.

Thanks, everyone. Good night.

Eric

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Day 345 - May 27 - 500?

Well, I realized today as I began to write that this will be the 500th post on ConnorWatch - the 500th chapter of our saga online. It doesn't really seem possible, but there you are. I never would have thought I'd be given such an opportunity at all, much less have it last this long and reach so far.

Connor's last two days have been low, for the most part. Between moments of laughter with his sister or his mom, the boy has been quiet and introspective. He didn't sleep well last night at all, being kept up with coughing or chest pains or any number of other things. As I type, he's sawing logs in bed - something that's not normal for him at this time of night - but he just seemed exhausted from the last couple of days. So sleeping soundly is a good thing.

We did have some concerns with him today - he kept feeling poorly, and we found his blood pressure very low. We've gotten him back up into the normal range, and he was feeling better when he went to bed, so hopefully we're past that particular hurdle.

At about 6 PM this evening, the rumble of a big truck announced the arrival of the UPS guy with Connor's replacement mattress. Praise the Lord for small blessings - you have no idea how much work it takes to turn somebody every couple of hours around the clock. I think everybody in the family is pleased that we've gotten the bed working correctly again!

I guess that's all the news that's fit to print in this fine 500th post. God bless y'all, and good night!

Eric

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Day 343 - May 25 - Memorial Day

Today we spent as a family, sitting around, lounging around, watching movies and talking. And napping. At one point all four of us, the dog and both the cats were sawing logs in the living room. The napping house, for those who've read the book! Seriously, it wouldn't have surprised me to find all the fish asleep too.

So, once again there's not much to report. Connor awoke this morning "sick to his stomach", which I rectified by the prompt application of the appropriate dosage of toast and butter, taken orally. 8-) I thought it would be a good sign if he started being able to tell he was hungry, instead of just "my stomach hurts". Still and all, I'll take it as another tiny step.

Tonight, Connor was lying in bed as we went through the nightly rituals. He was practicing moving his fingers while his hand lay on its back on the pillow. While we watched his fingers and thumb move and twitch little by little, all at once his whole hand lifted up off the pillow about an inch, then settled back down quickly. It was over in a heartbeat, but it was easily the biggest and most purposeful hand movement I've seen Connor do.

So again we give thanks to God for another small step. We're not there yet, but we're going...

Before I go, I wanted to remind each of you out there again how much y'all mean to us. To see you signed on the site, or to see the (vast) number of visitors on the map page, and realize that it translates into so many people who continue to faithfully pray and believe with us - you overwhelm us. Thank you so much for sticking with us this long.

Good night,

Eric

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Day 341 - May 23 - A View from the desert

Some days there's just nothing to write. Today is one of those days. Connor went with Joélle and Josh to the local festival downtown today, where they listened to a friend's band and basted in the sun for about an hour before they gave it up and came home. I spent the day working on the list of things to get done before the wedding, and the good news is that many of those things are now complete. Not all of them, but a bunch anyway...

I just got done writing in my journal for the night, trying to think of five things I appreciate. It took me half an hour. I'm not sure if that says something about my life, or something about me... 8-)

So this stretch of the desert looks a lot like all the other stretches of desert. I sure can't wait to get to the Promised Land...

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Day 340 - May 22 - Before the Cock Crows

So here I sit, 12:30 AM - all I hear is the purr of the ventilator as it heaves and sighs quietly in the background. Connor sleeps, Eric escapes consciousness, and Joélle dreams of the new life and journey that awaits her as a married woman. I am now finished with my nightly rituals with Connor; exhausted, yet convicted to write. I find myself lost in thought so many times during the day; be it thoughts of daily chores needing to be done, responsibilities concerning Connor, check lists in prep of a wedding, a husband that is being neglected, or thoughts of a day of sleep from sheer exhaustion. But one thing seems to be consuming my mind more than anything else lately… an ongoing conversation I have been having with my Father.

God has been speaking to me and convicting me of my cowardliness. This strong woman you see before you is really a coward. I have always thought of myself as a courageous woman; willing to try, if not even eager to get my hands dirty. There has rarely been something that I wouldn’t try and conquer. I have gone rock climbing, fought brush fires, fallen through the floor in burning buildings, ran to help the injured or dying on the side of the road, only to hear the gurgle of their last real breaths; I have been blessed to witness my nephew’s birth, and learned to ride a sportbike. I have led classes in dissection of animals, I’ve sung on stage in front of hundreds of strangers, flown in small planes, helped to keep my son alive when his heart stopped - the list goes on….but when it comes to claiming Who’s I am, I become a coward!

While starting my day early one morning I looked into the mirror and saw for the first time a woman who was ashamed to be associated with Jesus. “Me? Not me.” “Yes, you!!”

I found myself thinking about Peter and how he denied Christ when asked if he was associated with the Man. And yet Peter was there with Christ! He walked with Jesus in the flesh, witnessed His miracles and still was afraid to claim his association with Jesus. I used to believe that I would never do that, but here I am now - convicted of the same thing of which Peter was guilty. Well I say “No more!” When I looked into the mirror these words rang in my ear - “Before the cock crows three times!” That was me!!! I had been repeatedly denying my belief in my God. Well no more!! I have spent so much time worrying what folks would think of me - associates, strangers, even family - well no more!!

I, Cherié Williamson, believe in the God that heals. I believe in the Creator of life. I believe I am His child, I believe He died to save me from my own nasty dirty sins, and I believe He has the power to - and will - heal my son!!

It’s OK. Go ahead - look at me and think me a fool if you like. But I will not allow the cock to crow three times again! Will you?

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Day 339 - May 21 - The Latest

Connor took a down day yesterday and stayed in bed, visiting with Joelle and Josh, using the computer and watching movies. Unfortunately, yesterday we also got to deal with our first equipment failure - his alternating pressure point mattress failed, meaning that he had to be turned manually on a regular basis throughout the day. This was just another task added to all the rest, but a vitally important one. The mattress is what helps prevent pressure sores when he's lying down, and without we have to revert to the old-fashioned method.

Fortunately, we got it partially working by nightfall and that got us through the night, and the equipment supplier is bringing another one by today, so we'll be back in business. It looks like we managed it fine, without any ill effects for the boy.

Today the girls are running around doing wedding stuff and having some time together, which is good for them, while Connor and Josh chill at home. I get to work - yippee! But we'll all be back for dinner. One thing you can say about this whole thing is that we sure get a lot more family time together...

If you didn't catch it from yesterday's post, I've been feeling a bit - well, I guess "dissatisfied" would about cover it, although that doesn't sound so good when I write it down - with our current status; questioning purpose and timeline a lot even though I know in my head it doesn't do any good. But I just got an email from a friend who said that the information about Connor's toes wiggling reminded him of Elijah's servant, seeing in the distance a cloud about as big as a hand. Thank you, Malcolm, for that reminder!

For those who may not be familiar with the story, click here to read it in 1 Kings 18 (the "cloud as big as a hand" part is in verse 44...).

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Day 338 - May 20 - The voices in Noah's head

"What's a boat, anyway?"

"Does it matter? He says to build it..."

"But out here in the desert? And what's this flood thing all about?"

"Well, you know, He's angry because of all the sin and stuff..."

"Yeah, I get that. But why is it me that has to build the thing? I'd rather be chillaxin' with the fam..."

"He says it's because I've found favor in His eyes."

"Harrumph. Funny way to show His favor, making me build a 'boat' out in the middle of nowhere while everyone else parties. How many years has it been now?"

"Gee, it must be over a hundred by now. You were supposed to keep track."

"Well, I didn't. I'll ask Him when I get around to it. Anyway, what I want to know is what this is all supposed to be about."

"You mean the flood?"

"Yeah. What's the point, anyway? And why me (again)?"

"Like I said, I've found favor in His sight. And He says He's gonna wipe the planet off the face of the planet, as it were - all except for me and the family."

"You know, that's another thing - do you have any idea how improbable it is that I find favor in God's sight? I mean, really..."

"Yeah, I hear that. But He says it's true. So am I gonna trust Him or not?"

"Trust Him? I've been building this boat for a century! How much longer can it possibly take? I'm getting tired of this - I should just knock off and call it quits."

"You don't think He'll just get someone else? And where would that leave us? Drowning, I'd guess."

"Dude, that's depressing. I don't know if I've got the moxie to see this thing all the way through to the end, though..."

"Well, I expect it will look like it was worth it from that perspective, once we get there anyway..."

"Yeah, I sure hope so."

"Me too."

"OK, now where'd I put those nails..."

(hammering sounds)

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Day 335 - May 17 - You want me to build a what?

Well, at church this morning we were discussing Noah and how God taught him faith - by giving him a task he knew nothing about, with absolutely no familiar points of reference (this sounds suspiciously familiar...). According to Scripture, before the flood it never rained on the planet - life was sustained through mists and springs that arose from the ground somehow. And Noah lived in an area that is pretty much desert, and may never have actually seen any substantial body of water. So for God to tell Noah that A) there's a flood coming, and B) it's going to rain for 40 days and 40 mights, and C) to go build a boat - all three of these things were completely foreign to Noah's experience. But he set out to obey, and do you know how long Noah worked on building the ark?

120 years.

Yipes! Noah built a monstrous boat in the middle of the desert for over a century; and every time his friends and neighbors asked him about it, he told them that he had to build it because God told him that something was going to happen that had never happened in the history of the world.

And I thought my faith struggles were hard. I haven't made it twelve months, much less twelve decades.

Father God, I cannot fathom what faith it would take to do this task for a century or more. Please don't give us any 120-year tasks! And thank you for giving us grace each day for the tasks we've been given.

I got to see Connor wiggle his left big toe multiple times yesterday. That was 'waay cool, and significant in that it indicates a nerve pathway exists in some fashion. Please keep praying for Connor's restoration, in this world, in this lifetime. And please continue to pray for strength and faith for us. Like our pastor said this morning, each day we get up and drive some more nails into our boat. We don't know how many more days we will have to do so, but we're continuing to get up every day and drive nails until God's purpose is accomplished.

Thank you for your prayers.

Eric

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Day 333 - May 15 - Brrrr, it's cold - but Joelle's home

Yesterday Cherie spent the day trying to keep Connor warm. He spent most of the day dealing with hypothermia, with a temperature as low as 94F at times. When I got home in the evening he was huddled in his chair under blankets warmed in the dryer. It's a bit depressing, really - he hasn't had these kinds of problems in so long, I thought he was regaining control of his temperature. Fortunately, by the time we got him to bed his temp was back up to 97.7F, so this crisis appears to be over. But I still question what's going on, and we continue to wonder how long we will have to continue this cry of our heart.

On the positive side of the scale, Joelle got into San Jose safely last night, only about 30 minutes behind schedule. Even though the plane departed Chicago about 30 minutes behind schedule, Joelle still (jokingly) gave the responsibility for their tardiness to me. I guess the Air Traffic guys always get blamed... 8-)

It was truly a joy to have the daughter back in the house with us last night. I can't wait to get off of work and get home to be with the family again.

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Day 330 - May 12 - 100K!

If you haven't checked out the ClustrMap on the front page of the site lately, you've missed a pretty cool bit of trivia. Sometime yesterday, the map recorded the 100,000th visitor to ConnorWatch since Brad brought the map to the site in July 2008. 100,000 in 10 months! That's pretty impressive no matter how you slice it, but that information particularly warms my heart in that it represents so very, very many people interested in, and praying for, our son and brother. Wow. I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty cool that God has brought so many people to Connor's journey from around the globe. Yes, that number represents multiple visits for most of us, but still. Pretty cool.

Today, Connor and his friend Josh took the van and headed south to Gilroy, where they picked up Lexi and headed over to the outlet mall. They spent the afternoon running around at the shops and had a great time away from Mom and Dad. We were really pleased to see them have such a good time in such a fashion.

A strange thing happened to me yesterday on the way home from work. I was listening to music as I drove, and my normal practice lately has been to repeatedly press "Next" on the iPod until the right "Christian" music comes on for whatever mood I happen to be in. I've found myself skipping past The Beatles or Bonnie Raitt or The Grateful Dead or The Eurythmics as I search for the right song. So yesterday I started to do this, but stayed my hand and just let the music cycle through instead. And this is where the weird thing happened. As the different songs played, I started listening to a song called "Double Whammy" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Lonnie Mack. Just a jammin' instrumental blues riff - no lyrics, no particular significance; just a fun song. And as it played, I found myself in this state of worship, praising God along with this music. "Wait a minute," says I. "This isn't Christian music! How can you worship to this?" but I found myself just worshipping and praising the God who could place such talent and musical gifts in the heart of men and women, and then allow them to do whatever those men and women desired, be it glorifying or not. Now I don't know the spiritual state of either of those men, but their music took me to a higher level of worship than I usually inhabit - one where I could see and realize that God uses ALL things to bring glory to Himself, even when that wasn't the intended purpose.

All in all, a pretty cool thing. It really opened my eyes to many things I couldn't, or didn't, see. And I can recognize that (even though I don't like it) God has been using this last eleven months to change me in ways I didn't expect.

How has He been working in you?

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Day 328 - May 10 - Mother's Day

Today we made it to church down in Gilroy. In addition to getting to hear Connor's friend Lexi bust a vocal groove with the worship band, we were really blessed by the worship and by the support of our friends. It was such a blessing to be encouraged and lifted up by our friends there.

We celebrated Mother's Day in true Connor style - after church we went to the grocery store, where Cherié and Connor went on a mission to gather the ingredients Connor had selected, while I pushed the basket around (you have to do what you're good at, right?). Then once we were home, the two of them made like the movie Ratatouille, with Connor directing while Cherié used her hands to make a fantastic Mother's Day meal - steak stuffed with havarti cheese, bacon and spinach, then grilled over mesquite charcoal; a spinach salad with shrimp scampi on top, and carrot cake for dessert. Yum!

Of course, that does explain why I need to start exercising again...

Joélle has made a full recovery and is in good health again - thank each of you for your prayers! She's got the last of her finals between Monday and Wednesday, and then she'll be back home on Thursday evening. We're looking forward to having her back here again.

Thanks, each of you, for your continued prayer and support. Most days I cannot fathom how we make it through, and your prayers are so encouraging and helpful. Thank you for being so faithful.

Eric

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Day 326 - May 8 - Bleah

First, let me apologize for not posting yesterday. By the time evening had rolled around, I was...well, let's just say I was under the weather. No need for details - you wouldn't like them anyway.

The last two nights have been fairly brutal, especially for Connor and Cherie. Two nights ago, none of the routines went smoothly and the two of them ended up awake until nearly 0130, then alarms and other needs kept her responding nearly every hour until 0530. Unfortunately, since she was trying to sleep downstairs on the sofa and I had exhaustedly staggered upstairs to sleep earlier in the evening, I was out of it and never heard any of the commotion. I finally heard one of the alarms at 0530 and came downstairs to discover how much she could have used my help all night, so I took over from there to give her a few uninterupted hours of sleep.

After I headed to work, the two of them had a pretty tired day of it until I got home. The first bright spot in the day was that Cherie and Connor loaded up the van alone for the first time, and headed off to the pet store for more fish. They had a good time doing that, and Cherie commented this morning that successfully accomplishing the trip without my presence gave her a new sense of freedom that she didn't have before, so that's good.

The second bright spot yesterday was that Connor was working hard last evening to move, and was able to pull his upper back off of his chair by about an inch, down to the middle of his back (sort of rocking forward, without much of the rocking, if that makes sense). It was hard work but it made him feel good as well. He is continuing his vent weaning work, doing five minutes twice a day off of the ventilator. The more frequent sessions have been noticibly more tiring on him, and he tells us his lower chest (diaphragm?) aches like he's been working out. We tell him he has been! It seems like a good thing that a) he can tell his diaphragm area hurts, and b) that it seems that the muscle is being worked. All that is good!

On top of that, he commented that sometimes he feels the muscles in his legs bunching, and talked at length last night about how he can feel a numbness in his back. Praise the Lord for these small indicators of returning feeling!

Last night, another tough night. This time it was the dog and the neighbor's dogs who went crazy numerous times during the night, barking at something in the backyard. There have been some racoons running around the area lately, so I suspect that's all it was; but try telling that to a knuckle-headed Great Dane/Labrador mix with her hair up!

Hopefully today and tonight will be better. In the meantime, we continue to thank God daily for all of you who are faithfully lifting us up. God bless you.

Eric

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Day 323 - May 5 - Happy Birthday, Connor!

Today is Connor's 19th birthday! We celebrated with a birthday dinner in his honor - Ribeye steaks on the grill, potatoes and carrots glazed with sweet dill butter, salad with white balsamic dressing, garlic cheese toast, and tequila shots. OK, we didn't do the tequila, but other than that... 8-)

Of course, I suppose we could have, seeing as how it's Cinco de Mayo too.

But anyway, I forgot about the chocolate cake. Mmmm, chocolate cake!

So if you think about it, take a second to thank God that Connor is here to see his 19th birthday, and pray that his 20th will see him in a completely different condition when it rolls around.

Love y'all!

Eric

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Day 322 - May 4 - My Atrophied Faith Part 4

Well, it's been awhile, but here I go again. For those of you who may have joined us only recently, I have been wrestling with the concept of faith, and with trying to learn why we've been given it, what we're supposed to do with it, and how we're supposed to go about it at least since my first post in the "Atrophied Faith" series on Day 60 back in August 2008, and continued in October with parts 2 and 3.

Well, I'm still at it. I love doing this because A) it makes me think about the things that matter more; B) maybe somebody else will be encouraged and motivated by this discussion as well; and C) I believe that faith, and a scriptural understanding of it, are central to the life of anyone who wants to be more like Jesus. So, here's the latest...

I have been reading the Book of Mark lately in an attempt to understand who, exactly, Jesus is. I've been trying to focus precisely on the words He uses, the actions He takes, and how the people around Him respond to Him. So far, I must admit I like this guy a lot! The bulk of His ministry, according to Mark, is made up of Him healing people who are sick, or injured, or possessed. My kind of guy, as it were!

But there's an interesting couple of verses I want to touch on found in Mark 6. In the first four verses, Jesus goes to Nazareth, the place he grew up, with his disciples. I like to think of it as "chillin' with his homeys". 8-) So He's teaching in Nazareth, and everybody's giving Him flak because they knew Him when He was a boy. Sort of a "Hey, isn't this the carpenter's kid? Who does he think he is, anyway?" kind of thing. And Jesus comments to His friends that a prophet is honored everywhere except around his family. Then we get to Mark's commentary on this situation in verses five and six, which is what I'm interested in here. It says

"And He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief."

Wow. What those two verses imply is staggering. Remember me discussing the concept that somehow our faith interacts with God's sovereign will? Well, these two verses confirm that idea - Jesus could not (some versions say "was unable to") perform any great works in Nazareth because of the peoples' lack of faith. In fact, their lack of faith is so significant to this idea that the Word says Jesus "marveled" at their unbelief. Again, Wow.

Do you realize what that means? It means this - if it is true that Jesus was unable to do miraculous works because of their lack of faith, then it stands to reason that the corollary is true as well - that faith in some way enables, or allows, God to move and do wonders. So it seems to me that my original supposition is confirmed - our faith connects in some fashion with God's will to move His hand.

Does all this mean that an omnipotent God was unable, somehow, to do something He had wanted to do? I don't think so. I think it means that He has given each person a measure of faith because He wants us to use it - and when we choose not to, He is amazed that we don't.

So let's ask the practical question - how do we use it?

Well, I think it's both a lot easier and a lot harder than we've always thought. Easier, because we've been assimilating a list of actions we can easily enumerate -

Step 1 - Identify your point of need.
Step 2 - Pray about it, believing you have received it.
Step 3 - Repeat Step 2 until you do believe it.
Step 4 - Repeat Step 2 until a) your prayer is answered yes; b) your prayer is answered no; or c) God changes your heart.
Step 5 - If it's A, start praising His name. If it's B, start praying for grace, acceptance, and contentment. If it's C, start praying about what He's changed your heart to.

See, easier! But also harder, because living this in the midst of your need, trial, and struggle is most likely the hardest, most difficult and tiring thing you'll ever attempt - at least the first time. I haven't yet had the opportunity to try this a second time, so I can only assume it gets easier the more you do it. Or maybe not.

But one thing I can tell you from personal experience - God is faithful. Whether your crisis is quadriplegia, or unemployment, or foreclosure, God is and will be faithful to you. If you need a job, pray, believing it's already been found and provided. If you need finances, pray, believing that God has already paid the bill. If you want your son to walk again, pray, believing that the cure has already been applied. As you pray, believe you're seeing the answer unfold before your eyes. Thank God for the answer. Trust Him. Trust Him. Trust Him. Trust Him. Trust Him! Don't quit. Don't give up. Don't despair. Trust Him.

See, easy - and hard. But it's worth doing, and worth doing diligently. Why?

Well, because you just have to ask yourself this question - when Christ looks at me, does He marvel at my unbelief?

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Day 320 - May 2 - 700 Club ®

Cherié and I have an emotional wave cycle that we ride all the time - in my case, I go through a length of time when things motor along fairly smoothly; I'm living focused on today, and trusting God for His provision. Then, I drop into a period where each moment is a struggle against despair and depression. Cherié has similar occurrences, and we stumble along trying to help carry each other through the troughs.

Yesterday Cherié was in a blue funk, and she was sitting in the living room while Connor slept, flipping through the TV channels. As she moved through the line-up, she passed the 700 Club. Now, I don't know what your opinion of the 700 Club is, but we really haven't paid it a lot of attention. But this time, as she scrolled on past that show, she thought to herself "I should go back and watch the 700 Club". So she went back and turned it on, and watched for a few minutes, until Pat Robertson started to pray for the many requests for prayer they had received. She was going to leave the room when Mr. Robertson said on TV "Don't leave - stay with us and pray", and Cherié felt she was supposed to stay. So, she prayed with the people on TV as they prayed over some of the requests, praying "Lord, let me know You hear me. Let them pray for my son." And the words were barely off her lips when Pat Robertson, on TV many miles away, began praying, with his eyes tightly shut - "Lord, there's someone with a neck injury. It's not a whiplash, it's a spinal or neck injury. we believe in You for their complete healing, that You would restore their health and remove the paralysis, that they would begin to move and feel, in Jesus' Name". Only a second or two after Cherié's request!

Here's the clip from the show (downloaded from CBN's website) -

Now, as of this moment Connor hasn't leapt from his chair and begun skipping around the room. I wish he would, but so far, no. But that's not why I tell you about this occurrence. I wanted to tell you about it because it amazes me how God can care so much for us that He will intervene to speak directly in answer to her cry. I suppose the fact that I'm amazed speaks volumes about my faith as well, doesn't it?

This afternoon, the three of us were able to attend the wedding of one of Connor's lifelong friends. We left the house about three, and didn't get home until almost 10. That's a new record right there! Connor had no physical problems at all during the experience, and was able to take part in the festivities without any difficulty. It also us gave us an opportunity to do a dry run for next month and Joélle's wedding.

If today is any measure, he'll do fine. He carried himself well and unselfconsciously, and with courage to be in front of 400-500 people. When we commented on how well he comported himself, he said "It's easy, Mom. I'm surrounded by people that love me." Ain't that the truth.

Oops, I almost forgot. In response to the last post, Joélle is much better now than she was a few days ago, and appears to be recovering nicely. Apparently hogs weren't involved in her illness after all! Thank you so much for your prayers!!!

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