EVERYTHING IS SO DIFFERENT NOW

I didn't go down to see my brother today. He is being moved from ICU to the Rehab unit. That's a good sign.

I did talk to him on the phone today. I could only understand bits of what he said but his spirits were up and he was making jokes. He is trying real hard to be brave and push on to get better.

I know the prayers are working. I've added him to several prayer chains and if any of you reading belong to a church and could add him to your prayer chains I would be forever grateful.

I think I'm going through a big learning process these days. When I first started to blog I noticed things in different ways. Small things that were normally over looked I would think "Hey that could be the topic of my blog today" or as I passed flowers I thought "What a pretty picture to share on my blog". I started to notice the simple pleasures in life.

Then when my brother had his stroke it's as if life stopped all at once. All the things like redoing my bedroom, going on vacation, shopping and life in general seemed not to matter. After all, my brother is fighting to stay alive. How can those others thing compare? They don't. Not right now.

So I sat here today thinking and what I've learned is family and the people in our life is what is important. Love is important. Letting our loved ones know we love them is important. Spending time with them is important.

I will no longer let a day go by that I don't tell the people I love how much I love them. We never know if we will get another chance to do so. So please the next time you talk on the phone or see your family and friends tell them. Don't just assume they know. Most likely they do but tell them anyway. I know I will.

God has given us so many gifts in this life. Take a look around and then take a minute to thank Him for everything you have. Thank him for the people in your life. Without them everything else you have would mean nothing.

When everything seems so dark and lonely keep searching. God is always there with you. He never fails us. He knows what is best, even durning those times we think He doesn't.

To all my family, I just wanted to say, I love you with all my heart. You mean the world to me and I will always be here for you until the day I die.

Joanne