Walking through the Fire

We have had a mixed bag of challenges and blessings at our house lately. We have had two fires at our house...one due to lightning actually striking our house and one due to damaged connectors that were most likely damaged during the first episode and were not detected until the second episode. This has had a huge effect on our household, but through it all God has been good to us. We are all still alive and unhurt. It could have been so much worse. We lost a few appliances, our main breaker box and wiring, and some food, but we still have our house and each other. Usually with such a huge surge of high voltage, houses burn down. The electrician who had worked on our house to begin with had suggested a surge protector on the main following our recent lightning strike. If we had not gotten that surge protector installed on our main electrical box, most likely our house would have burned completely down and who knows what else could have happened. I hate to think what could have happened with a handicapped child in the house and oxygen for his use that we have to keep on hand. Before it was all said and done, there were about four fire trucks on the scene, several policemen and the electrical company sent their truck as well. My son is a fireman and he verified the very real danger of electrical fires. It was such a huge surge of power that it melted a piece of wire in our wall going to the main breaker box. The copper wire coming into our house was about one inch in diameter and it melted like a thin piece of solder. Again we are so blessed that it was not much much worse, even though the repair costs are still not all resolved. I am so thankful that no one was injured. That was a blessing. Material things can be replaced.
The disruption and difficulty that the fires caused at my home remind me of another kind of fire that many families deal with. It involves the kind of devastation left in the wake of marital discord, family problems, and divorce. It is an epidemic in our country today, but it is a staggering statistic among the families who have disabled or chronically ill members. Just when we have the greatest need for support, often it isn't there. I have recently had the privilege of writing an article for EP magazine regarding my own "saved marriage" testimony and the devastating effect that Jordan's accident has had on our family. My marriage has weathered many storms, one of which was losing our daughter, Laura Lynn in a car accident in 2001. Then in 2006, Jordan's accident occurred. Many marriages do not last through the death of a child. By the grace of God, ours has survived and we have been able to provide support for our own daughter during this time following Jordan's accident. Especially since she is divorced, she and her children needed the security that family could provide during this difficult time.
My very close friends, Mae and Erika Chambers have also written a book entitled "Can My Marriage Be Saved?" The Chambers' book is a great tool for anyone who is struggling with marital or family conflict. I am going to include three new references on Jordan's blog regarding these issues. Sometimes the pain that we all deal with isn't just the physical. Often it is also the emotional. The three new links are www.savedmarriagenetwork.com ( a marriage ministry that offers information and resources for families in need of help with marital difficulties and family crisis) and www.epmagazine.com( an online magazine of special interest for caregivers and families with special needs) and lauralynneducationalfoundation.blogspot .com (a ministry committed to teaching the critical and foundational importance of developing and maintaining a Biblical worldview. ) I believe each one of these sites offer an excellent source of helpful information and resources for families.

Look at that Head Control!!!

Jordan has learned how to drive the power chair forward in a straight line, to stop and to turn the chair in circles. That is his favorite pastime. He will go in big circles and then little circles and then in a straight line and then he will "run from Mama" when it is time to go inside. He loves going bump-bump-bump in the grass and is pretty good at missing obstacles even with what we think is somewhat limited vision. His vision seems to be getting better. We hope that someday soon he will have learned well enough to have his own power chair.

Even though Jordan is continuing to learn more about driving a wheelchair, he is also working on his ability to be independent in other ways. He is working very hard to hold his head up while on his tummy for longer and longer periods of time. He is up to at least ten minutes at a time without wavering. He is also working on sitting, sit-to-stand at the parallel bars, and continuing to work on walking at the parallel bars with a great deal of help of course but he is definitely getting stronger.

He is developing more control over his whole body. He is relearning to point his fingers and to maneuver his hands. A friend loaned him a communicator and he is also learning how to communicate other than to "yes and no" questions. The progress is slow and painstaking but it is most definitely progress in every area. He has even been able to stay outside and play with his friends and siblings enough to get a little bit of a tan. Praise God for every little step forward!

Jordan...in a Power Chair!!!

Recently Jordan has attained a new level of head and trunk control that has lead to Jordan being able to "try out" a power chair for size. Jordan was able to drive the chair at his home the last of May. At first, he was unsure of what to do. He maintained head and trunk control for most of almost two hours in the chair. It took a lot of coaxing at first because Jordan had never seen a power chair before, much less been in one. Before the trial was over Jordan had been able to move the chair forward and backward, adjust the speed, and stop the chair. In the beginning, this was all done at a very slow speed. Jordan required a lot of instruction and many tries before he was able to accomplish any of these feats even once. A lot of the time he was only sitting and listening to the several therapists and trainers around him trying to explain to him how to work the chair.
Even though he did not master the skills immediately, we are very encouraged by the fact that he was able to operate the chair at all the very first time that he was given the opportunity to try. Jordan is diligently working on the skills required to allow him to drive his own personal power chair all the time. He is "training" with his therapists and nurses, as well as family everyday. This will give Jordan a new independence and freedom that he has not had in a very long time. We are very encouraged by this new development. He is learning more control every day. Please pray with us that Jordan continues to develop these new skills and that he grows stronger every day. This opportunity is an answer to our prayers,

Happy Birthday!!!

On April 14, 2008, Jordan and his twin brother Brandon, celebrated their fourth birthday. What a blessing that were able to celebrate yet another year together. We often don't realize how special each moment is until there is a possibility that we might not get to share the next one with the people that we love. Jordan's accident made us keenly aware of what a gift that each new day is. None of us are promised tomorrow, so we need to live each day as if it were our last. Live fully, love unconditionally, and laugh as often as possible. Most of all, we need to remember to thank God for our many blessings.