Ain't it Grand!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, my sprinklers are sprinklin', my cooler's coolin' and I have cold pizza in the fridge!!!! How much better can you get than that?? All is well here at my house!!

Norm had a great session at speech therapy today. It felt really funny not to have other therapies, and I sure do miss those people, but, it is wonderful to be moving forward. Norman is making so much progress it is just amazing. He was off his oxygen all day long today!!! I couldn't believe it when he got out of the car for speech!!!! We always take it with us, because I am afraid that he will need it and we have left it home.

Anyway, I thought Norm had forgotten about it when he got out of the car, and would notice it when he needed it. He went in and checked in with the receptionist and I parked the car. I just knew that he would need it by the time I got in there, but he didn't. Amazing!!!! He turned it off when he got up this morning and didn't turn it on till he went to be tonight. We even took a small walk without a walker or oxygen!!!! He is really "cookin' with gas" now!!!!

Dr. Mitchell's office called today and said that they want him to have an EKG every three months, so that is all set up. I think poor Norm is going to be poked and prodded for a long time to come. He is well known throughout the valley now, I think. Everyone is keeping an eye on him now. He won't be able to have a bloody nose without someone worrying about it!!!!!

Today when he walked into speech, the receptionist said that he looked really good. He looked different somehow, but she couldn't figure out what it was...then realized that he didn't have any oxygen!!!!! Everyone is really happy for him. He really does look good. Lots of color, and smiles galore.

We had some more wonderful neighbors come over this morning and finish our cooler. I just don't know how to ever thank everyone. They have been such a huge blessing to us. Sometimes I think about when we first thought about moving to Utah. We prayed about it, thought about it... did everything we could think of to help us decide on the right thing. We had a nice home there, my dad and brother were there, we had some wonderful friends there, a wonderful ward, good insurance, I had a job that I loved. The list of good reasons to stay was far longer than the reasons to leave, but yet we moved. True, we missed our children really bad, but there was still that feeling of "why are we doing this???? Is this the right thing to do????" After we got here we looked for a house for four months, while living with Norms sister. We never did find one that we fell in love with. Well, there was one, but we thought at the time, that they were asking too much money. Now we are dealing with ...I wished I had!!!! Anyway, we bought this house because it was closest to what we wanted. We had a lot of trouble with the house and had to do tons of work on it, but it turned out nice enough....but, was just not "home". But, slowly, I have begun to understand why we are here. It wasn't for a house!!!! Aside from being with our children, we live amongst some of the kindest people I have ever met. From the very first day, less than an hour after we pulled that big U-Haul into the driveway, there have been people here willing and ready to help us. And they are that way with anyone that is in need. I have learned a lot about being a friend and neighbor from them. That is part of the reason we are here, to learn from some of the finest. We have had the opportunity to serve in the temple, we have had access to some of the greatest medical people around, and boy did we ever need them. Very talented and caring and ready to do whatever it took to get Norm well. I am so very grateful.

Now I am here, and my children and grandchildren are around me, but I really miss my Dad and my brother and his new wife, my friends and I really miss my job. But, life is good here and I can't help thinking that there are reasons yet to learn, for my being here. I do wish I was able to help my brother with my dad, tho, and help Sally and Rich.(our best friends...he is in kidney failure)

There have been blessings unmeasured, by serving in the temple, and we have learned so much that it is overwhelming. Every day, I am finding myself thinking, there's another reason. I have seen three of my grandchildren born. There is just so much.


Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

~~~Martin Luther King Jr.