Day 958 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends,

Tonight Brant is at his 40^th high school reunion. I celebrated the 40^th anniversary of my high school graduation three years ago and have recently renewed friendships from those days.

Thinking about it tonight made me wonder if Grayson will or should attend his own 10^th reunion in two years. Certainly he will enjoy listening to friends talk and laugh and tell stories. Will he feel different? Will it be too noisy and over stimulating? Will he be frustrated that he is not able to answer questions or participate in the stories? Will he be content to observe and laugh?

His friends are kind and loyal. I imagine they will be so in those circumstances, too.

In peace,

Regina

Day 957 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

When Regina went in to check on Grayson this morning, she discovered that he had another major nosebleed overnight. He was a scary sight and needed some major clean-up early this morning. What a way to start the day!

I spent the afternoon shuttling between doctors and was given a clean bill of health from both my cardiologist and my orthopedic surgeon. Another 4 to 6 weeks of PT on my knee and I should be as good as new – or at least a well maintained old car.

This evening we joined Rita, Richard and Howard (Regina’s father) for dinner. It was a wonderful time of conversation and food that we enjoyed outdoor on a beautiful Southern California evening.

The weekend is officially here!

Pax!

Brant

Day 956 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today I returned from a trip to Phoenix. Suddenly 85° doesn’t seem so warm anymore!

Grayson was glad to see me when I walked through the door. I changed clothes into something proper for physical therapy (for my knee) then Grayson and I headed to my session. They like Grayson there and as I do my exercises, Grayson also gets a few things to do. He always listens to the conversation in the room between patients and laughs at the general good humor in the place.

Regina joined us for dinner when I finished my PT and she and I caught up on the activities of the week in a relaxed atmosphere.

Home is good!

Pax!

Brant

Day 955 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends,

This evening Grayson and I sat down together to look at his Facebook page. The first thing I noticed was a warning that someone in Korea had tried to log into his account.

The second thing that struck me was how many of Grayson's friends posted birthday wishes to him. We read each message together and I asked him where he knew the person from. Many were from high school, several from college, some I couldn't understand his answer. How wonderful to see that they have not forgotten him and took a minute to say hello. It brightened the day for each of us.

So change your Facebook password once in a while to keep from getting hacked and while you're at it, say hello to an old friend you haven't seen in a while. Each only takes a few seconds. One will protect your account; the other will protect a friendship.

Peace,

Regina

Day 954 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends,

Today is Grayson's 27^th birthday. It was filled with doctor's appointments, multiple heart tests, medication adjustments, and unexpectedly long waits at USC Medical Center. One of the tests is an external heart monitor that he will wear for 24 hours to detect a particular heart beat irregularity that doesn't show on his internal monitor. I can only hope that the leads and device stay on him throughout the night with as restless as he usually is.

The time at the medical center was so much longer than I had planned, that by the time we finished it was after three o'clock and Grayson finally got some lunch. We then made a special trip to a toy store to allow Grayson to select a couple of items, then a quick visit with my dad and headed home. Brant called from Arizona and spoke with Grayson on the phone.

Austin and Xixi surprised Grayson this evening and spent a couple of hours with him. They shared his newly acquired stuffed seal (he picked it out), a new jigsaw puzzle and a new card game that encourages word comparisons and categorizing (I picked that one). It warmed my heart that they wanted to make sure Grayson's birthday was special.
 
Throughout the day, I kept asking Grayson how old he was. The answers ranged from 20 to 26 early in the day. By this evening he answered 27. We'll see what he says tomorrow.

I didn't get the work done that I had planned this afternoon. Juggling is frustrating and our caregiver has been off for two days (death in her family also). The most important priority was that Grayson was well cared for and that he felt loved.

I am so thankful to God for 27 wonderful years with Grayson. Each day is a gift that I treasure.

God's peace to each of you,

Regina

Day 953 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends,

Sunday afternoon and evening my family and my brother and sister's families all gathered at my brother's home. We shared food and stories, lots of hugs and plenty of tears.

We made a conscious effort to bring love and happiness into the home that has been such a center of happy gatherings for many years. Julie's joy and love will be missed by each of us and we are determined to carry on her philosophy of joy.

Grayson spent the day watching and listening and laughing as his cousins, aunts, and uncles filled the day with memories. It was absolutely beautiful to see Howie and Julie's home filled with love and life again.

Today was also bittersweet. It was the anniversary of my niece and her husband's wedding. We said farewell to him three years ago. He is still sorely missed and loved. This evening, my father flew in from Hawaii to spend time with Howie and the family. It will be wonderful to have him close for a while.

Oh, treasure the days, my friends. Appreciate your family and share the days in love while you can.

Peace,

Regina

Day 951 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

It was Sleep-in Saturday! Of course that meant that I didn’t get up until almost 8:30 - a far cry from my younger days when noon would have been a bit of an imposition!

I got Grayson up around his normal time of 9:30. From that point he was around us all day as we prepared for a family gathering at Howie’s home tomorrow. We ran from store to store gathering items and some lunch along the way! Grayson was, as always, my “cart pusher” following me around the store wherever I go. Today the task was complicated by the load in the cart – many beverages makes a heavy and difficult cart to steer! I like to think that the shopping cart is good therapy requiring awareness of the things around him, anticipation of when to turn and when to stop, and the ability to adapt to constantly changing conditions.

Tomorrow we have church, the annual congregational meeting then off to the family gathering. Somewhere in here I need to find time to pack for my trip to Arizona on Monday!

Pax!

Brant