Mama Update: (Day 30) Hunker Down
Jan 9, 2023 update for Bonnie Spencer Kitchens…
Hunker Down
I know y’all probably think I’m crazy with the title of this post, and trust me, I’ve got a sermon in my back pocket on Romans 5 right now. How suffering leads to endurance, and endurance leads to character, and character leads to hope…and hope does NOT disappoint! But that’s for another day.
In the words of the late great Larry Munson in 1982, “hunker it down one more time!!!” UGA beat Auburn in that game, securing the SEC title and then played in the Sugar Bowl, only to fall short to Penn State. So, HUNKER DOWN seems appropriate for today.
A friend asked me this morning, what in the world do we DAWG fans mean when we say ”Hunker Down!”? And I gave her the southern slang version, “toughen up and get ready for a rough ride.” But Dictionary.com defines the phrase this way:
Hunker Down - to hold resolutely or stubbornly when confronted by opposition or unfavorable circumstances.
Yup. That’s a keeper.
We gotta hunker down, y’all.
I spent some quality time with mama this weekend. She’s showing some incredible signs of improvement. She’s beginning to show real emotion. That’s progress, but also painful to experience.
The highs are fun and with lots of expression and laughter. Her face just lit up seeing her grandkids yesterday. And Jay can get full-on belly laughs out of her. But the lows are real too. She gets frustrated at her inability to be independent and just plain sad at times when she can’t communicate verbally. It’s a roller coaster of emotions for her. But the emotions themselves are signs of progress. So, as difficult as they are, we’ll take em.
As Wayne Kitchens updated a few days ago, the physical therapy team at Shepherd Center had her in a robotic leg-suit that makes her look like Robocop as an astronaut. The contraption mechanically moves her legs in a walking motion and gently lowers her onto a treadmill. Relearning to walk. Fascinating technology. Also, progress. Literal baby steps. But progress.
We met with the incredible Dr. Chay today and he graciously gave us over an hour of recap, consultation, and expectation. We have a better understanding of the areas affected by the stroke (frontal, priorital, temporal, and occipital lobes.) I think I got that right. We’re learning about receptive and expressive communication and global aphasia, and the ways in which we can help. More big words like, middle cerebral artery, where the stroke happened. Y’all, it’s a lot.
Basically, mama is doing ok.
Small improvements.
And a long way to go.
We gotta hunker down.
She’s confronting some opposition and and some unfavorable circumstances…so…we’re gonna hunker down one more time.
And guess what, 2023 won’t be without its opposition and unfavorable circumstances for you too.
But whatever you do……
DON’T GIVE UP!!!
Hunker Down!!!
It’s nearly impossible to hunker down by yourself.
Tonight, I hope to see the Georgia Bulldogs hunker down one more time. And when they do, they’ll do it as a team!
You need a team!
Don’t go through 2023 alone.
Find some friends and hunker down.
Visit a church and hunker down.
Reconnect with family and hunker down. It’s better with a team.
While you’re watching those Dawgs tonight and the phrase “hunker down” comes into your mind, think about my mama & Wayne. We could use your thoughts and prayers.
Remember someone else you know that needs a friend and some hunkering down. Shoot ‘em a text of encouragement.
And maybe reach out to someone if you need a team to help YOU hunker down. Just don’t go it alone.
Hunker down, Facebook friends and family.
Hunker down, mama!
And go Dawgs!
Hunker down one more time.
