Mama Update: (Day 6) Miracles on the Horizon

Friday (day 6) update for Bonnie Spencer Kitchens:

Miracles on the horizon..

On the south-westward drive home from Athens this evening, the sun was huge and loomed just over the horizon. There was no way to escape it. I was driving right into the sun the entire journey to my own bed tonight.

But I didn’t mind.

Squinting just to see the road, reminded me of the miracles just over the horizon for my mom and our family; miracles that are so bright and real that we have to squint to see what’s right in front of us.

Today, we got the miraculous news that a bed should be available at Shepherd Center next week, and mama should qualify for long-term rehabilitation there.

If this truly is what’s over the horizon, it is an answered prayer. Already, we’ve begun giving thanks for such an incredible miraculous blessing.

The future is bright, so we squint to see what actually happened today.

Today had its ups and downs, of course. Speech therapy did not produce any different results, but Jay Bailey was able to get mom to count to five using her fingers (although there were times I’m pretty sure mama wanted to give him one special finger.)

She also solved a number sequence activity by writing the missing number. That shows an ability to problem solve and higher ordered thinking. That really shocked us. We were cheering her on! I never knew seeing the number three written on a piece of paper could bring so much joy.

She continues to master left-handed self-serve mealtime, including downing thickened lemon water and cranberry cocktail (no vodka yet, don’t be silly.)

All the activities leave her mentally and physically exhausted. So, she takes several naps. And trust me, she can speak a thousand words with her eyes and facial expressions. We know when it’s time to chill with the cognitive games. And she can let you know when she wants the light off and things quiet.

We’re all learning right now.
But thankfully, we are all learning together. My mama is still here and still fighting. And we are believing, just like that sun this evening, that big, huge, bright miracles are just over the horizon, even if we have to squint through today.

You, too, may have a miracle just over the horizon. So, squint through today and stay on the winding road. Hang in there and don’t give up when things get bumpy. And pray, pray, pray. We believe it works.

[I may slow down on the updates through the weekend unless there are major changes. And I’ll be sure to post when we get final word on the next steps.]

Thank you again for all of the messages, texts, calls, and comments..but mostly for the prayers.

Miracles on the horizon..