Washington

David was lucky enough to make real friends when he was growing up in Tehachapi. Not just friends that you see at the store and say hi once in awhile, but real honest too goodness friends that will last him a life time. One of those friends is getting married, in Washington TODAY. When we were first discharged from the hospital back in March, getting to go to Washington for the wedding was a big deal to Dave, he really wanted to be able to go and support his friend make this huge life commitment. The doctors saw no problem with it then but told us it would be all up to how he was doing by that time. Well..... we arrived in Bothell, Washington (about 20 min outside Seattle) on Thursday afternoon after a very long drive. I made the trip with Dave and the little kids, Doug couldn't make it because of work, but we had the best drive up here.

Seeing my son's face when we arrived and he was getting to see all his buddies for the first time since all this happened was one of the greatest moments of my life. I could tell that he instantly felt "normal". What a wonderful feeling that must have been for him, after all these months he finally is doing things again to make his life worth living. I have to say that the boy is impressing me with how well he is taking care of himself here. I was a little worried, mostly because when we get weekend passes home he pretty much throws caution to the wind and doesn't do what he is supposed to. But before we came up here he and I had a long talk, I love those talks with my boy, and he asked me to please help him stay on track. He knows he is not quite strong enough yet to do it on his own, and I was honored and pleased that he realized that and didn't feel ashamed to ask. We worked out a beautiful system together to keep the "peace" as far as his health is concerned, and I have to say it is wonderful to watch it work out.

David is doing just wonderful up here, taking his meds, his vitals, and his blood sugar as needed and not being a brat about it!! HAHA His friends are being so supportive and really show that they understand what he went through and that he can't do quite everything that they can yet. I was so proud of him yesterday, all of the guys were doing a bachelor thing, and that included paint balling. David stood up for himself by saying he couldn't do that, and the other guys were supportive and understanding. I can't imagine how hard that was for him to see all of them go and have fun doing that, but he made it work. He stayed back and visited with the people we are staying with, called a friend back in California, and just made the best of it. WOW! On top of that he called Bonnie because his blood pressure was high and he has never done that before without prompting! I wasn't even here, I had taken the little kids into Seattle. When I heard that my eyes welled up with tears, because I knew right then that he is going to be ok, and he is going to do what he needs to in this life to take care of himself.

Once again I am so amazed by what an awesome God we have, as I type this I am crying. He has used my son to teach me so very much these past few months, just as I have commented in the previous post. Yesterday I saw first hand that the Lord will guide, prompt, but most importantly take care of David always. And because my son is the strong Christian that he is, he has the spirit inside of him to listen to those promptings and do what is right. I have never felt such peace as I did yesterday. I finally felt comfort and realized that we are all going to be ok.

Through David I was introduced to some people he met in Washington, he used to date their daughter and when he was in the hospital the mother would call me many times and email many times. We developed a strong friendship these last 7 months through email, phone calls, and Instant Messenger on Face Book. I longed for the day when I could meet this truly wonderful woman that I can now call one of my very best friends, and that day came on Thursday. We are staying with her and her family here in Washington, and it just feels like home. It is so amazing how our Lord works, Michelle and I both know that she and I were meant to be friends in this life and that David was the vessel in which to make that happen. She, her husband Brian, and their three girls are such a big part of my life now, I can't imagine not having them in it. They love David so much, and that just makes me so proud and so happy that my boy has so many people that he can lean on for support all over this world.

Needless to say we are having a wonderful time, David is hanging out with so many of his friends that he has been missing, and he is just doing great here. The little kids are having a wonderful time on vacation with just mommy, whom they have missed so very much, and I am just in a state of bliss. I have all 3 kids with me and we are sharing some special times together, all of us. Today we will watch a young man that I have seen grow up enter into marriage, that just amazes me. I woke up very early this morning, that early Washington sun shining through the window, and I just prayed for them and their new life together. And I thanked my gracious God for giving my son the breath of life to be here to see this happen today. Isn't our God an amazing, wonderful God, I stand in awe of him, I really do. He makes all things possible in this life and I know I will never doubt him or the plans he has for me or my children.