Great News!

Dearest, dearest friends and family,

Saturday was St. Valentine's day- the 33rd one we have celebrated together as husband and wife. My gift to Andy was to get permission to stay overnight with him. I actually got to sleep in his hospital bed with him (they had promised me a cot, but none was to be found)! As we spent time together in the hospital we reflected on all the years together and how little we could ever have imagined so long ago that one day we would be celebrating it in a hospital in Italy recovering from a stroke. Life is unpredictable. Sometimes it is good that we don't know what's ahead; other times it would be helpful. One thing is certain- we KNOW how the story ends for Andy and Linda- "and they lived happily ever after"- forever in the presence of the Lord!!!

One of the hardest things about a stroke is the uncertainty of the future. Will Andy ever walk again? Will he remain disabled? Will his life be forever changed? I must admit that these past three days have been the bleakest in regard to considering the future. But, just like our heavenly Father, whose mercies are new every morning, we received great news this morning.

Mark and I were able to speak to Andy's physical therapist at the hospital who has the reputation of being the very best. She was extremely positive and reassured me that he will definitely walk out of the hospital on his own two legs and be able to climb the stairs to our apartment!! This morning she already got him to the point of pulling himself to a stand from the side of the bed. She even got him to bend over while seated to untie his shoes!! Now she is working to get him to the point that he will be able to come home for a weekend pass in two weeks! You can imagine how that motivates him to work on getting those legs moving!! His left arm will be a greater challenge. As of now he has not been able to move it, but she feels hopeful even there that we will see improvement.

It's funny how God prepares His children for what He knows is ahead. This autumn the Lord spoke into my heart a new thought. I was facing a trying situation which called for some personal sacrifice. In the past my sister and I have shared a motto, which we learned from Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India in the early 1900's. In times when sacrifice was needed she would say "see in this (trial) a chance to die (to self)". The Lord gave me a new motto back in November. He said, "Linda, see in this (sacrifice) a chance to love"! For Christmas I made little bracelets for me, and Cindi and my three daughters-in-law, with the initials A C T, followed by a little red heart "a chance to love". So in hard days when we must put aside our lives for the love of another we look at our bracelets and remember-here is a chance to love. I am wearing my bracelet in these special days and finding great peace- I have been given a chance to love my husband in a new way- and thankful for it!!!

thanks to each of you who have also signed up to stand with us and find in this "A Chance to Love"!!!

Linda for both of us