May 30 - The Big Day

For some reason, we lost the wi-fi in the hotel, so I was unable to update you during the wedding. However, I'm back, and I'm packin' photos. I'll share a few that I snapped, and maybe a few more at a later date.

First, the thing most of you will want to know. How did Barbara do? How was the weekend? The answer to both is, much better than our highest expectations. We simply had a wonderful weekend, everything was wonderful, and Barbara did incredibly well. As you know from my earlier post, we began our trip to Lexington with a major scare. Due to mishandling at the nursing home, we were afraid that Barbara had broken something in her left leg. Fortunately, it turned out to be a sprain, and the doctor cleared us to go. It started out as a harrowing trip due to the intense pain Barbara was in. But thanks to some good medicine, she started doing much better about an hour into the trip.

While Barbara was even more incapacitated that I'd expected, things still went well. God gifted me with the strength I needed to lift and move her. I consider this to be something of a miracle since I'm really not that strong. I also must credit April and Penny for their extraordinary help. April is a nurse, and took wonderful care of Barbara. Also, Peter's brother is a nurse, and he helped with a semi-"emergency" before April arrived... Barbara's pic-line was coming out, so he removed it the rest of the way. This is a line that allows blood draws and injections without constantly poking someone with a needle.

Barbara actually seemed to do better than me through the time of the wedding. It wasn't until afterwards that she became completely exhausted with a lot of pain. I'm still trying to recoup from the trip, too.

So, thank you for all your prayers that I believe 1) were a part of Barbara's miraculous turn-around, 2) were essential in her being at Jackie's wedding, and 3) helped us during the event. Barbara still has a long road to travel in recovery, and we truly covet your prayers. However, I am mindful that Barbara's mere presence at Jackie's wedding was a picture of the power of God. His fingerprints were all over this past weekend.

I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about the wedding. It was simple and absolutely beautiful. After being a part of escorting Jackie down the aisle, I then assisted in officiating, bringing a heartfelt homily. I've always though Jackie was beautiful, but she's never looked more beautiful than she did on that day. The weather also cooperated, and there were no noticeable glitches. I hope you enjoy the pictures that I've sprinkled throughout this blog entry. I will include some more later.

It was quite an honor to meet so many people who had been praying for us. Peter's mom and dad are such nice people, and it was a profound privilege to get to meet them. Thanks to all of you who shared in this day through your prayers and kind words.

One other thing... I must give praise to God for his help financially this past weekend. I had been very worried about how we would afford everything. However, we ended up paying very little for the weekend, including the fact that thanks to a number of problems we encountered, our rooms ended up being FREE! God is sooooo good!

Barbara is back at Miller's now until her medicare days run out. Please pray that she will make great strides in the days ahead so that she will be able to be closer to "normal" when coming home. Also pray that the nurses and aids will be able to help her in a way that won't cause further injury. We are mindful at how God has been with us. In the final analysis, His blessings always outweigh everything else. I felt led to encourage those at the wedding to take a moment to reflect on God's blessings, instead of things that are going wrong, and to be thankful. I hope you will take a moment right now to close your eyes, consider the blessings of your life, and thank our Father in Heaven.