I was very moved by a Facebook post by a brother who's younger brother was thrown from a horse while working on a ranch and was in a coma. This boy is friends with my nephews and they have been greatly effected by the sudden disruption and possible threat of their friends life. They have had a long 3 1/2 weeks fighting and praying that their brother's brain would heal. At first it was touch and go, the future looked very bleak, but thankfully he went home from the hospital yesterday. This doesn't quite fit our Chiari journey but a brain is a brain. I was so moved by this brother's final posting that I wanted to share part of his message:
"As we reflected across the days of last month we realized something. This accident occurred the Friday after Labor Day weekend. It was that Labor Day weekend that our family had the chance to be together and have a good time. Ya we may have broke a porch swing (thanks for adding another project to my list of things to do, dad and Laine) and we may have had to do a little hard work, but we got to be together. Then, when the time came for us to get back into our "regular" lives the following Tuesday, we all left with good and positive attitudes toward one another.
While no one is prepared to have such a crazy event happen in their life, that Friday at a time of uncertainty, we were glad to know there had not been any regrettable last words spoken. Now, we are thankful to know that we get to have yet another chance to have another fun holiday or weekend.
But, there are times and families where they do not get another chance to correct a spiteful or angry word. The critical point is that no one is fully prepared for life to take a crazy or even fatal turn, so all we can do is be as proactive as possible for whatever life throws our way, including never leaving from a conversation angry.
What a crazy set of weeks for us all. Get better quickly Laine, there is work that we have got to get done!
I want to say thanks to everyone, I am looking forward to getting things back to normal. But, I'll have you know that as of late my definition of what should be normal has changed. As for me, I know that I look at life and family and friends a little bit differently now...do you?"
Sometimes our Chiari path is so full of pain and fear that our emotions and fears, albeit justified, can maybe cause us to say something we don't quite mean or our "pain was doing the talking". I know I have had those days to where I feel horrible, but life around us keeps going no matter what our pain is . I know this is something that I have to work on at times. I have been so impressed with this brothers daily updates that even though I don't know him, their experience has made me realize that we should take for granted our loved ones whether family or friends. I know that I am so grateful for the friendships that I have made in my new ever expanding Chiari family. May everyone have a wonderful day, as pain free as possible and hold their loved ones just a bit tighter today. Hugs to everyone!
Susan