Update on Stephen

Steve has been having alot of pain in his left arm, neck, jaw, and chest. He has had this pain in his arm for 5-6 months. The chest and jaw/neck pain has almost immobilized him for over a month. At our last Doctor's appointment, Dr Ritchie suggested that he needed to do a few tests to find out why Steve is in such pain. So, Aug 3, 4, and 5, Steve went through a battery of tests. The first two tests came back normal, for which we were grateful. The third test came back abnormal, which then promoted more testing. After hours of testing, we now have a better understanding of the extent of the damage that was done to Steve's heart during his massive heart attack on October 22nd.

We knew that the bottom portion of the heart was where his heart attack was. We were told after Steve's bypass surgery that the heart was regenerating itself. However, after 9 months since the surgery, we are now facing the fact that the bottom portion of Steve's heart is nothing but dead heart muscle. We also were informed that one of the bypass grafts had failed and is now completely blocked again. Luckily, the stent that was put in before the surgery was still holding and adequate blood flow is getting to the heart.

Dr Ritchie informed stressed with both of us that there is nothing that Steve cannot do. He has no restrictions. He needs to continue to keep on living, and pushing and working. We just need know his body and when he gets tired, back off for awhile.

We know that Steve will have to live with the pain perhaps for the rest of his life - it is just lack of oxygen to the left side of his upper body. We do have a new medication to help with the pain. He has been home for the last 48 hours (per doctor's orders) and has rested alot. The rest has seemed to help the pain as well. He is bored, wrestless and can't wait to get back to work.

As we have been processing what the tests showed, we have had mixed feelings. Feelings of gratitude that Steve does not have to have another surgery, or another stent at this point...but feelings of great sadness that one of the bypasses has already become blocked and that the heart tissue to the bottom of the heart is totally gone now. We are also sobered that his body is still making cholesterol and blocking arteries, even with all of the diet changes we have made.

New Experience

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Conner Prairie in Indiananpolis has a new exhibit - a helium balloon that you can ride in. There is a difference between a Hot air balloon and a Helium balloon. This one is helium - there is no fire to warm and cool the air...there is only a pully that allows the helium balloon to rise and then the pully line pulls the balloon back down to earth. We went over 350 feet in the air and it felt like a hot air balloon ride - the wind was blowing in our face and we were dangling in a basket. Conner Prairie is a wonderful day - and I was able to walk the entire experience with my walking cast.

Getting Ready for the Fall

I have a group of about 30 women that are in Bible Study with me on Tuesday mornings and Thursday nights. I always stew around all summer long trying to decide what to teach/learn in the next Bible Study class. I've stewed and stewed all summer long, I've been praying about it for weeks and I think today I have decided that we are going to do a study on the Holy Spirit. If I were a wise woman, I would have seen God's answer along time ago, but it just dawned on me today...

My mother was talking the last time we were together about the Holy Spirit and the "power" that was promised to us when Jesus left the earth. John 16:7 has Jesus saying the it was to our advantage that he go away so that the Holy Spirit can come upon us - then Christ goes on to say that we will do even greater things than he. Mom and I were discussing this at great length. Where is the Holy Spirit's "power" in our life...etc....

Another friend was talking to me last week absolutely frozen at the thought of publically praying. We talked once again about the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit intercedes for us.

I was leading our Sunday School class and someone in our class was discussing the fact that they were feeling guilty about the way they had treated their fellow Christian,....and yet....their friend had it coming to them, but nevertheless, they couldn't shake the fact that they had hurt their friend...So, we again talked about the Holy Spirit and how he convicts us of something out of kilter in our life...

Another situation came up this summer with a friend and substance abuse. We talked at great length that Christ is the authority in our life and that His Spirit gives us a new identity and that we need to fill our thoughts/mind with the Spirit, not things of the flesh...

Hummm....do you see a theme developing here? You'd think it would have been obvious all summer, but this morning I was outside, having a cup of coffee with my neighbor, watching/listening to the birds at the bird feeder and she said "it's so peaceful back here, sometimes I wish I had peace in my life, it feels so out of control...where is God...?" And we spent two hours talking about His Spirit living within her ....

After she left, it dawned on me...I know where to go this Fall in Bible Study, we are going to talk about the Holy Spirit. No more stewing... I know where to go, now only by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Spirit may I walk humbly as I study and listen to His Word.

The summer is going by so fast. I cannot believe that July is almost over and I haven't even got to enjoy it yet. Actually today I was able to walk around the house without my crutches. What a difference that makes in my attitude about life. I was almost to the point of deciding that I was overwhelmed, stricken, moneyless, friendless, worthless, that my life correlated with that of Job in the Bible,... and then today came. I could actually fix lunch without having my hands tied to the crutches. I even folded laundry out of the dryer without having to "kick" a folding chair across the room so I could sit down to reach the clothes! I was invited to lunch today, and I got to drive myself and converse around a table and for over two hours while I totally forgot about my hurt foot. Okay, maybe life is going to be all right after all - perhaps I am not a burdensome noose around my husbands neck anymore.


















I took some pictures today of my flower garden. I have taken great delight today walking outside and snapping pictures. Shade gardening is not near as colorful and whimsical as gardening where there is alot of sun. Flowers are much stronger and bolder. The color is much more subtle, but there is a beauty of their own, even in their simplicity. This is the first time I have had only shade to work with and I really do find great beauty. A friend said the other day "it is so 'green' in your back yard....I've never seen such 'green'!" I agree with her, It is "green" and quite forestly looking.

I have been so grateful for Christian friends. They have kept my head above water through this whole broken bones ordeal. Whatever I was unable to do, I always had 5-6 people offering to do whatever they could do to help me. Some people really complain about being a pastoral family with all of the great demands and expectations there are in the ministry. I have found that ministry is extremely rewarding. Or, perhaps the issue is not that I am "in ministry" - the issue is that I have Christian brothers and sisters in Christ that know how to love.

The other day I was marveling about one of my friends that has an obvious gift from God of loving others.... She was over here taking care of me for over an hour, then she informed me that when she left me, she was going over to help another friend clean out her mother's estate now that her friend's mother had passed away. Oh the joy that I am learning from the servant's heart of others to be the hands and feet of Christ. May I always remember this lesson.

I have always heard that having Grandchildren is even better than having children. I could never fathom that as any kind of truth, but here I am a grandparent and I do believe that this is the life for me!

Our little Kinsen was given a Lego castle for Christmas last year and then when we went to Disneyworld a few weeks ago, her parents purchased a Medieval village to go with the castle. While we were at Jason's for 4th of July, we put the castle and village together. We set the entire village up in the living room - with the castle up on a tall kitchen stool (to make a large hill) covered with a green (grass) blanket. Kinsen has spent the rest of the week pretending and playing with this castle/village. Jason says that Kinsen has been in her own little world with a fabulous imagination. Fondly, I remembered that when I was a little girl, I believed that I was a princess. I would sit in the upstairs bedroom window (my high tower) and imagine all kinds of "princes" running to rescue me! Wow, that was 45 years ago... I still remember that like it was yesterday!

Of course, after building a Medieval town/castle, we need to pull out the styrofoam swords and imagine that we are medieval knights!

What did the Doc say?

I'm trying to be positive and find things that I can do now that the doctor said that I have been a bad girl! My foot is still swollen (although I think it looks alot better than it did at first) and he cannot cast the foot yet. It has been one week and he did not think that he will "cast" it anymore as it has already had over a week to heal. The bones are in place, so I don't need to worry about that.

The crutches are my problem. I simply cannot manuever them. I don't have enough strength in my arms and shoulders. The doctor took an x-ray of my right shoulder that is causing the most trouble...and he said I had alot of scar tissue which is the reason I have so much pain. I have to put my foot down when I use the crutches because I can't stand all the weight on the shoulder...That is a "no no". So, now I am confined to the chair (or bed) with my foot elevated until Thursday the 16th because there is no way that I can strengthen my shoulder fast enough to utilize crutches at this time. So, I guess I stay off my foot completely.

I don't know what I will do for 10 days... I know I will figure out ways to be productive. I did figure out how to change the sheets on the bed while sitting in the middle of the bed with my foot up!

I have been writing for the Upper Room devotional guide as well as the magazine "Alive", so I submitted two articles yesterday. Today I have been given the task to research some things for Steve's sermon on Sunday. I would much rather be helping the church minister to the Chuck Hefley family and the Jim Tappan family as both of these men just went to be with the Lord...However, I guess I need to take great delight in changing the sheets on the bed! Seems so trivial doesn't it!?

My son says we're getting OLD

You ought to see the two of us "OLD" people try to keep up with the church, the house, our kids/grandkids and work - On Thursday and Friday we tried to help Stef/Dan move into their new home in Marion Indiana. What a hoot. I'm hopping around on one foot or crawling around on the floor on my hands and knees dragging my broken foot behind me. Stephen has no strength in his left side since his heart attack. So he was trying to help move furniture, or boxes, etc...and finally he began unwrapping dishes. By the time we got home in the evening we both were so exhausted that it was wise for us not to even talk to each other!

Yesterday was 4th of July, so we went to Jason's house for dinner and then off to Carmel for the fireworks. Well, I couldn't handle the crutches anymore after spending the first two days of my broken foot experience trying to move our other kids...so Stephen went to the church to get a wheel chair. (We went to Carmel for thier firework display - which by the way is exactly what I think a 4th of July should be like. There is a big white gazebo in the center of the park with a live full orchestra that begins playing music 2 hours before the fireworks begin. Sometimes a very accomplished singer would get up and sing with the orchestra songs like "God Bless America", or "You're a grand old flag", "The Star Spangled Banner", "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord...." All around the rest of the park you can buy giant tenderloins, elephant ears, funnel cakes, german brats, snow cones,.... Then there is all kinds of carnival things for the kids to do.)

So Steve put me in the wheelchair (and of course the youngest grandchild got to ride on Grandma's lap until the older one decided that it was her turn!) and we wandered all over the park for 1 1/2 hours, and Steve did pretty well for awhile, then he looked like he needed to go into the wheel chair! Jason took over pushing me and very smart-elicky said "Man, Kendra...we could never move from this area - look, we are already taking care of our aging parents"!

The horrible thing about this comment was that I didn't even care - I was so glad not to be using the crutches or walker, that it was just fine that he was pushing me around the park in a wheel chair. I was very surprised how kind everyone was and would move out of the way for us. Actually there was a lot of smiles on the faces of the people as they would see two grandchildren sitting on the lap of a grandma while eating elephant ears...in the rain...being pushed by a 6 foot 7 inch man followed by a 5 foot 2 inch wife keeping step (slowly) with the grandpa who was wearing his son's Notre Dame rain coat where the sleeves were far too long!