Day 307 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson is home!

Regina and I went to the residence to pick up Grayson this morning after what promises to be our last day to sleep in irresponsibly. We packed up and had breakfast at our hotel much later than we thought we would. We savored our time together this morning, as we did after the farewell dinner last night. (Here is a belated picture of Grayson with the staff at dinner last night.)

I was not nearly the emotional basket case that I'd thought I would be. I only lost it three or four times – emptying out his room, cleaning out the food from the kitchen, hugging some of the staff as we signed him out permanently (and posing for a picture with Grayson), and that most poignant moment when we drove out of the gated parking lot for the last time. Farewell CNS Centre Village – what a blessing you have been!

We stopped for one last treat at Cold Stone in Bakersfield before hitting CA-99 for the final trip home. It felt kind of odd really. We have spent so much time in Bakersfield that we felt a bit like locals. We racked up over 7000 miles since January driving to Bakersfield, and spent 30 hotel nights sleeping there. I learned that SW Bakersfield (where we spent most of our time) is a pretty nice place. I must admit that I never did get used to the speeds – who ever heard of a boulevard with a 55 MPH speed limit? White Lane, Ming Ave, Rosedale Hwy, Stockdale Hwy, Gosford Road, Coffee Road, Truxtun Ave, Panama Lane, Stein Road and New Stein Road are streets that I won't soon forget! And thanks to the wonderful congregation at Redeemer Lutheran for making us feel at home in worship on our Bakersfield weekends.

10 months and two days after he left for work that fateful morning, Grayson is now home again. I wish things were different, but I am grateful that Grayson is still with us at all. He came perilously close to death and even closer to living a life on tubes. He was spared that fate and his life does have quality. He is forever changed in some pretty significant ways. Our lives are forever changed also. We are in this together with God.

Pax!

Brant