To realise the value...

To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to a premature  baby..

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed  the train, bus or plane.

To realize
The value of one-second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:
LOSE ONE.

Remember....

Hold on tight to the ones you love!

Happy Birthday

Today would have been my sister's 40th birthday. I can't even begin to express how much I miss her, talking with her, joking and laughing.

The above picture is how I remember her best. I left home when I was 18 and she was only 10.

Happy birthday ma belle Roxy.

Someone mentioned that the poem in the picture was difficult to read.

When I miss you, I don't have to go far, I just have to look inside my heart because that's where I'll find you.

Homecoming

My brother is going home today!

The doctors are astounded at his recovery rate. The right eye they said was dead is now discerning shadows and movements and he could see as though through a thick fog the 3 fingers his wife held up. This is amazing in itself! He still has issues with paralysis in his face, especially his upper lip but the doctors are hopeful that with time, movement will return to that area. The nerve pathways are filled with blood and debris from the accident and until these things are cleared away, the nerves won't function properly. It may take up to 6 months before any discernible changes happen. The doctors compared this to Bell's Palsy which affects the facial nerves.

The other good news is that his career as an EMT may not be over after all. There is discussion of rehabilitation, re-training, testing and eventually he may be able to drive an ambulance. At this point, he is still an EMT, but would not be allowed to drive which is understandable.

Everyone is cheering him on, his fellow workers are there for him at the drop of a hat as are his wife's friends. Over the past couple of weeks, friends have gone over to their home daily and fed the farm animals, cleaned the house, stocked the freezer with ready to eat meals, cut the grass and many more chores that need doing. Both his children finally got to see their Dad last week. It was a joyful reunion as both of them are Daddy's boy and girl. Considering their age, 5 and 8, it's normal, but it was still a special time for them to be able to see Daddy again.

Thank you to all who have sent messages of support, said prayers and helped in any way possible. All these gestures have contributed to healing my brother and I am grateful.

Life is short, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile.

and there was great rejoicing!!!

My darling little brother is AWAKE!!!

The doctor took him off the sedative in order to do an accurate EEG and my brother woke up! He recognised everyone, spoke despite the broken jaw and even made jokes with the nurse. He remembers everything that happened except for a short period of time after the accident. This is the most amazing news and by far the bestest news!



For everyone who sent encouragement, prayers, kind thoughts and strength, thank you!

And the angels danced! (this beautiful angel is my daughter)

Life

Sometimes, life hands you things that you really don't want to deal with. Once again, our family has been hit. My baby brother is in ICU in critical condition after a freak accident while helping a friend.

To make a long story short, since I tend to be long winded at times, he fell into a deep trench and hit his head on a large stone. He has fractured just about every bone in his skull and face including his jaw. He also suffers from a severe concussion and has to be kept sedated, despite the fact that he is in a coma, to minimize movement.

He's already gone through one surgery to remove a blood clot and move some bone pieces that were putting pressure on his brain. There will be more surgeries once the swelling goes down to wire his jaw, reconstruct his cheek bone and repair the two breaks in his skull, one large break across his forehead and another smaller break at the back of his skull caused by the impact.

One cheering point to the past couple of days was this photo my daughter sent of herself. She attended a bartending competition at her workplace and a professional makeup artist offered to paint her face. Such a pretty girl is my daughter.