Deep thoughts by Allison Diaz…..

Okay, okay. I’m kidding. I’ll try not to make you cry today. How about laughing? I think I can make you laugh.

First of all, Danny is doing great. I was very encouraged on Monday by the progress that I saw just that one day. Danny’s response time to following commands to move his left hand has grown to almost instantaneous. He does thumbs up, open and closes his hand and other friendly signs. His mom and I were getting him out of bed Monday afternoon and she was asking him to do specific movements with his left hand. Well, she asked him to open his fist and extend his fingers. He did, but he only extended his middle finger. We all burst out laughing; you laugh here. The funniest and most encouraging part of that is that Danny had to think not only to shoot the bird, but he also knew it was funny because he started laughing before he did it.

Here is another one. Danny has proven that he is still attracted to me which is a very positive thing to me. Anyway, he often makes advances which as Danny’s wife I normally would not mind, but he usually makes them in front of his mother. Talk about awkward. Well, the other night while his mom and I were getting him dressed for bed, Danny was trying to, well; let’s say he was trying to get fresh with me. I leaned down and whispered in his ear that his mother was right there and she probably didn’t want to witness such a thing. So, Danny turns his head towards her and asks his mother’s permission to make out with me. We all started laughing again because it was so clever of him. You could almost see the wheels turning in his head; okay, I’ll just ask Mom if she cares.

Danny has definitely not lost his sense of humor and it is so great to see him smile and laugh. His crooked smile just melts my heart and eases my mind. I always look forward to coming home and hearing, “Hey, Baby. How was your day?” When I think back on the days that he couldn’t even speak and now he knows who I am, recognizes the sound of my walk on the floor, tells me how much he loves me (the mostest times infinity cubed, by the way) and prays for me every night before we go to sleep, I am brought back to the throne of thanksgiving. I can sleep peacefully knowing that the hope still lives. I find my instructions on how to love in the Word and today I Corinthians 13:7 hits home to me. It is a call to rise to the occasion no matter the circumstance.

I Corinthians 13:7 “It (Love) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.“

I am to always protect Danny by making wise and appropriate decisions for him and for our family. I am always to trust him; always hope for his recovery and persevere until the completion of God’s work.

Perseverance is not an easy call to answer. It takes commitment which nowadays rarely exists even in marriage. If you think about something you’ve had to persevere through, you can usually ease your mind if you consider it, whatever “it” is, a temporary situation. Take for instance childbirth. One way or another that baby is coming out of your body, so you keep going knowing that at some point, the pain will go away. So, can you apply the same concept to Danny’s recovery? Unfortunately, no, you can’t. I wouldn’t be honest with you if I told you that it’s always easy; that hope makes everything peachy. The reality is that at times I think “Is this as good as Danny is going to get?” And, you have to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if you can handle it for the rest of your life. Now, take your own situation, your own relationships. Can you commit? Can you persevere?

Well, I told you I wouldn’t go down that Stuart Smalley route (if you don’t know who I’m talking about, then you’re either much older or much younger than me), but I just cruise controlled my way there. I apologize if you had to reach for the Puffs.

We have yet to find a resolution to the whole tilt table issue. I’m hoping to have something finalized that I can share with Dr. Kaelin on Friday. I am so looking forward to having that table so that for the first time since July I can stand in front of my husband, place my head on his chest and wrap my arms around him. It’s going to feel so good. I miss that so much. Never underestimate the power of a loving touch.

Okay, so we’ve secured a date for the golf tournament; June 14th. Go ahead and mark your calendars if you’d like to participate. Information is still being formatted, but I am hoping to have a link posted to register. You and/or your company can participate by playing (individual or foursome), sponsoring a hole or by sponsoring the event. Again, more details will be posted via a link once everything is finalized; however, I wanted to get the word out on the date. The tournament will be played at Bradshaw Farm in Woodstock. According to their Web site, they’re considered one of the top 10 courses in Georgia, so it should be a great day of golf.

It’s funny now that riding season has officially arrived; I often measure a day’s weather by whether Danny would be riding. He often would pull on his leathers and ride when his was the only bike you’d see on the road. I could hear him coming home and I’d have enough time to pinch my cheeks and bound down the basement stairs to meet him. I was always so happy when he got home safely. I wonder if Danny’s bike will ever ride again. When he “wakes up,” will he still want to ride after accepting the magnitude of this ordeal? I guess the only one that can answer that is Danny. I’m waiting.

Again, Friday is our appointment with Dr. Kaelin. I’ll attempt to update then. Please pray for good news and wisdom.

Many blessings on you all,
Allison