Joanne Heim

Monday Morning (Joanne)

If all mondays started like this I think I could learn to adore them. Pecan sticky buns, a big mug of coffee, PJs and nothing on the calendar until this afternoon when Brooke comes over for another massage. Plus I plan to take a nap on the couch. Maybe we will watch a movie today.

This is Spring Break for the kids and our big goal is to wake up each day without a plan.

I have been discharged from home therapy and my parents are camping in Moab. So I will be taking a bit of a therapy break except for perhaps a few exercises here and there that don't hurt too badly and a walk or two around the neighborhood or the mall.

Last week I went grocery shopping for the first time. I can push the cart...sort of...with my right hand and follow behind it while Toben loads the cart. If my left hand would cooperate it would be much easier. In the meantime we have found something that works well enough and that doesn't require me to ride around in the dorky motorized cart.

We may go to the Denver Art Museum to see the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. It is supposed to be fabulous. Maybe we'll go to the Wildlife Experience or to the movies. You just never can tell.

Spring is starting to arrive. So I'll be sitting on the deck on warm afternoons watching my lilacs start to leaf out and cheering on the tulips and daffodils as they make their entrance.

Prayer Requests:

1. For many months it has felt like God has been very quiet but in the past week or so I feel like I am hearing from him again. I would like to get some of what I am hearing down on paper this week. I want to get back into a good morning quiet time routine. I miss my early morning time with God and I know I will get to feeling more like myself when that gets put back in place.

2. The girls finished this quarter well in school. All A's with a  few B's sprinkled in. After Spring Break begins the long slog to Summer vacation. Please pray for stamina for all of us but especially for Audrey and Emma.

3. Praise! I am sleeping better. The changes my doctor made in my meds seems to be working and I am sleeping most of the night and even slept in until 8:00 the other morning. Feels like a miracle as big as parting the Red Sea.

Joanne

A Little Update (Joanne)

We spent this past weekend with my friend Sarah who flew in from Seattle to wish me a happy birthday. We have a history of celebrating my birthday together. 10 years ago we flew to France with a few other girlfriends for a week to celebrate my 30th. Last year she came to visit me at Spalding, my in-patient rehab hospital and to bring me a Kindle, which I totally love. A big thank you to her husband Josh for taking care of the kids and for letting me have his wife for the weekend.  We talked and talked and talked.

This week our friends the Hall family from Arizona drove up to see us over their spring break. We have missed them and it's been fun to reconnect.

Yesterday I saw one of my many doctors. We'll be juggling some pain medication around to see if I can get pain free and get me some sleep at night. He did say that where I'm at in terms of recovery is about as good as I can expect it to get. I had already accepted that fact but hearing ti from the doctor was disheartening. We also talked about long-term therapy plans. In the mean time I continue to work on PT and OT every day. I practice a lot of walking with a cain and can even walk outside as long as someone walks with me and sticks close.

The weather has been beautiful in Denver adn it has been fun to see green things startign to appear around the back yeard. I feel very ready for Spring!

Family counseling is going well. Everyone is participating and good conversations are usually the result.We are finding a new normal--a routine that seems to be working. It's by no means perfect, but we are beginning to settle in a bit. Feels good after what has been a very chaotic season.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Prayer Requests:

1. We would love for the new medication regimen to work for pain releief and sleep at night.

2. We desperately want to keep the girls at Denver Christian--Audrey starts High School and Emma start middle school. But we are going to need financial aid to make this happen. Please pray that the school would come back with a generous financial aid package so we can keep the girls in an environment that they love (as much as kids can "love" school).

3. The entire family is pretty worn out and could use moments of rest.

4. Please pray for healthy relationships for the family including the extended family.We are still feeling our way along through a tough time and know that Satan would love to turn us on each other. Pray against that!

5. Praise!!! A while ago we prayed for wisdom as we faced some big decisions. While our future is still murky we are feeling some sense of leading from the Lord.

6. One day a week I go down to Colorado Springs with Toben while he goes to work. Toben and his dad find time to go shooting at his gun club and then we have lunch together. God has closed the relational gap between us and his parents. This is huge! Petty differences have been cast aside and if it took my stroke to heal this relationship that's at least one good thing that's come from it.

Your messages and comments continue to be so encouraging.Thank you for your care and concern for our family. We thank God for your family and pray that he blesses you abundantly!

Love,

Joanne