An Update as of 8/13/13

My favorite part of our time at the Mayo Clinic in June was when our neurologist told us not to work so hard at trying to avoid seizures so as to stop doing the things that give our life a sense of meaning and purpose. We have really taken that advice to heart and have had a fun summer spending time with so many of the people we love.

In May we celebrated our niece Rebekah’s graduation from Eckert College in Florida and spent a week at the beach with our extended family, including time with Bryn and Evan. Then in June, after spending two weeks at the Mayo Clinic, we spent a week at the Chautauqua Institution with 17 members of our extended family ranging in age from 6 months to 90 years old (including our grandson Everest, our great niece Cora, her brother Tristan, the Jackson kids, as well as Bob’s Dad and Uncle Jim, his last remaining brother).

We were home for the month of July while I taught a course at William & Mary, and enjoyed engaging with my students. Then we were visited by our dear friend Jim, who made the mistake of mentioning that he wanted to come “help out”, and ended up washing every window in our house! (This, having just washed every window in his own house!). Then Jennie and two of the three kids that she adopted from Russia arrived and we celebrated the six-year anniversary of their adoption. On the heels of that visit, we got a call that Bob’s dad had been hospitalized for a case of Cellulites and we knew that Bob’s sister Laurel had to be out of town, so we hopped in the car and headed for Cleveland. We had a lovely visit there for almost two weeks as Dad daily progressed. At one point, I had to fly back to DC overnight for a speaking engagement and Bob and Dad looked out for one another.

We took the long way home from Cleveland, stopping in Toledo for another speaking engagement, and while we were there we popped in to see my cousin Alix and my Aunt Lois and Uncle Phil. Then we headed to Columbus for more time relaxing with the Jackson’s in their lovely new home before soaking up some of the good farm energy at Maura and Dave’s. Finally we headed back home again.

It is good to be home. We are filled with gratitude for the people we love and those who love us, those who we’ve spent time with and those who we have connected with virtually through this blog. Bob’s progress is very gradual, as they told us it might be. He has still been having nearly daily seizures, although the intensity and duration of them is less severe. Occasionally the more optimistic narrative of steady progress we are telling ourselves is interrupted by a more significant seizure or memory lapse. In those moments, we have to take a deep breath and steady ourselves, and then get right back to the things that give our lives a sense of meaning and purpose.

 It helps so much to feel that we are held in a warm circle of care. Thank you. 

-Megan