3 weeks and headed for a check-up

Today marks three weeks since my surgery and I am happy to say I am feeling better each day. Well, I can't exactly say that I sense a noticeable improvement every day, but progress is certainly being made. I have taken advantage of this time to catch up on all the "sitting down" things that I never seemed to have time for before.

Late last night I finished the newest edition of our ministry newsletter and it is at the printer and will hopefully be in the mail by Thursday. It is also posted on the ministry website, www.CalvaryCampus.org if you would like to read it online. Thanks to the invaluable help of Austin, the calendar on the website is also updated to reflect all the goings-on that are in the weeks and months ahead. I have also begun to catch back up with the ministry blog, and should be up-to-date with that by Thursday also.

We will be headed back to SC Thursday. I have my post-surgery check-up with Dr. Kinard on Thursday, another doctor's appointment on Friday, Austin will be attending pre-registration at North Greenville University on Saturday (including placement testing), and we will be visiting with Tabernacle Baptist Church in Belton, SC on Sunday. It sounds like a lot, so please pray with us that I won't overdo it and that the Lord will give us plenty of rest inbetween each of the appointments. Pray with us also for Gil and Debbie as they remain here to take care of the Campus, and horses, and dog, and cat and... well, you get the idea.

Please also know that we are very grateful for your continued prayers as I recover. When Dr. Kinard said that recovery would take 4-6 weeks, I really thought I would be farther along at this point in time than I am. Hopefully we will find out on Thursday that everything is right on schedule. As always, we continue to rest in the Lord.

2 weeks out and holding

Yes, it was just two weeks ago today that I was taking a nap on a table at Spartanburg Regional. In some ways it seems like much longer and in some ways it seems like it was just a few days ago.

I continue to get a little bit better each day, although most days I don't really notice any improvement over the day immediately prior. We continue to be amazed at how your prayers and the Lord's strength have sustained us. I am still spending most of the day on the couch, although I have found that it helps tremendously to go lay down for a short time a couple of times a day. Last Friday I was way too energetic and spent too much time on my feet and sitting in a hard backed chair. I certainly paid for it the next day...I could barely move, and was not able to spend any time outside during Kid's Day. I thought I had been doing good until I woke up Saturday morning! LOL

It has been raining here off and on for over a week now, and they are calling for more rain every day this week. The cooler temps are nice, but that grass sure will be a bear to cut (for Gil) when it finally does quit raining. A local ministry passed on a tremendous blessing to us last week that had been given to them, but they could not use. It is one of those string trimmer lawnmower things...like the DR Trimmer Mower you see on TV. It's not self-propelled, but it sure does the work on weeds and trimming along the fence line. Gil has already been out there with it a couple of times and says it's great. I'm looking forward to getting back up to speed so I can get MY turn on it, too.

Rachael's folks headed home yesterday and we are sad to see them go. What a great help they have been and we have really enjoyed having them here. They "forgot" a couple of things, so maybe they will have to come back soon to get them.

Hey, don't forget (especially us guys) what this coming Sunday is! Make this Mother's Day the most special one ever.

Many blessings to you and yours!

Taking it easy...

Well, I am now officially 10 days out from surgery and feeling a little better every day. My typical day right now is spent mostly on the couch, with either the computer or mail or thank you notes in my lap to keep me occupied. I have discovered that Rachael wears a great nurse's cap, but she is swapping it out more and more with the old police captain's hat. I guess you could say I have heard "While you are sitting there..." more than once in the last several days, but I have to admit, I don't really mind. I'm just glad to be able to, if you know what I mean.

I try to get up every hour or so and make a few laps between the front of the apartment and the back, and then 2 or 3 times a day I'll wander out on the Campus as far as I dare for a short walk. It feels good to move around and I can sure tell when I have waited too long inbetween. I am hoping to make it to church Sunday, but I just don't know right now. As much as I want to see everyone and hear Bro. Mike preach, I don't want to get too frisky too soon. Dr. Kinard made it pretty clear that how well I behave myself will be the biggest determing factor to the length and effectiveness of my recovery.

Tomorrow (weather permitting) is the Letcher County Kid's Day here on Campus. There will be free food, pony rides, fire truck rides, train rides, inflatables, racing pigs (a 1st in Letcher County) and a petting zoo. We have hosted this event for the past 4 years and attendance is usually about 400-600. A team from Ivy Creek Baptist in Buford, GA will be here in a few minutes to help us with this event, and we are SO GLAD they are coming. It will be great to have the help and I don't think we would make it without them this year, since I am obviously useless. It will be hard not to be involved, but just another lesson in the "it's not about you, Jamie" lesson series that God has been taking me through.

Hope this finds you healthy and happy, and making a bigger differnce with your life today than you did yesterday. Many blessings to you and yours!!

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!!

As I write this I am sitting in my favorite spot on our couch at HOME, with the windows open and blowing a cool breeze across the room at HOME, having slept in our own bed at HOME, having had supper with all of my family at HOME. Do you see a trend in this post? YES, we are finally at HOME, having departed Spartanburg late yesterday morning and arriving here just in time for supper. It is so good to be at home and be back with the kids!

I'll be spending the next few days mixing rest and relaxation with going through mail and email, and then moving on to working on the desperately late next edition of our ministry newsletter. Also during this time the doctor said I needed to work in a little "light exercise", so I could not resist the beautiful weather today and got out to help Heather get her garden in. Think this is what he meant? (PS Please note the pajama bottoms and slippers...I may be a little slow, but not THAT slow! LOL)

The next day

Today has been restful and quiet. We are hoping to get to head home to KY tomorrow, just have one last thing to check on with Dr. Kinard in the morning. We are SO missing Austin and Heather and SO ready to be home. Pray with us that God woould work it out that we can.

Thought you might enjoy seeing a couple of pictures from last week. The week before my surgery, our church (1st Baptist, Hindman) was doing the church directory photo thing, and although we just had some family pictures done, we went anyway so we could be a part pf the directory. After the pictures were done we had decided we did not want to waste all our dressing up, so we went in to Hazard to have Rachael's (belated) birthday dinner at Applebees. We had a great dinner and it was an enjoyable evening. In spite of myself, don't I have a great family?!?

Released from the hospital...now THAT'S an update!

Well, I guess you could consider this our last “surgery update”, as I have been released from the hospital and am now resting comfortably at the Smith’s home. Since Rachael last updated you yesterday, I made several more “trecs” around the track on the 3rd floor, Dr. Kinard came in yesterday afternoon and gave us the pathology report, which was great, and assured us that now all I have to worry about is getting over the surgery. This morning Dr. Atkins came in gave the final “OK” and we started packing to leave. By 1:00 his afternoon we were headed down the elevator. Best elevator ride I’ve had in years! LOL

Of course there’s still a few “housekeeping details”, like getting the staples out next week (which we can do in KY), and going back in a couple of weeks to see Dr. Kinard. Other than that, I’ll just have to get a CT scan or MRI in 6 months and 12 months and so on. This really has been an amazing journey, and while it’s certainly not over, I have to admit that I‘m glad we’re on the downhill side of it.

Many, many, many thanks for the phone calls, cards, letters, flowers, etc. While they weren’t expected, they certainly brightened up the last few days. Most especially we want to thank you for your prayers. We sensed constantly that we were being lifted up to the Lord continuously. So many times over the last few weeks and especially the last several days there have been occasions where things took just the right turn at just the right moment. We thank you so much for your prayers.

Just a little over four weeks ago when this all started, I wrote in this blog that the Lord had led me to a particular passage. Just to help me keep things in perspective, I’d like to share that with you again. It’s found in Psalm 39…

“LORD, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them. “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.

As I said that day, God has given me a new window to look through. He has given me the glorious blessing of being reminded once again that this life is Oh, so short. Whether we have 5, 20 or even 60 more years to live…or maybe just a few more minutes…how will we spend it? Will we make a greater difference with the rest of our lives than we have up until now?

The Lord has indeed made me to know my end and how utterly frail I am. From day one until now and for all time… Our hope is in the Lord. We rest in Him.

Surgery Update #4

Lots of progress since we last talked. Dr. Kinard came in yesterday while I was napping at the Smith’s house and talked more with Jamie. He checked him over said he was progressing well and doing fine. I think he hinted that Jamie needed to do more walking, because when I got back Jamie was ready to take a lap. He didn’t quite make it all the way around last night, but he did this morning.

Dr Dunn came by last night right before we went to sleep. Dr. Dunn is the doctor who did the colonoscopy back in February and referred us to Dr. Kinard when we knew that Jamie would need a urologist. He is a great Christian man and has checked in on Jamie’s progress through Dr. Kinard several times and even stopped by to see Jamie right before his surgery in the holding area. Last night he was checking to see if we needed anything and even offered for us to stay at his lake house after Jamie got out of the hospital if we were not able to go all the way home. How sweet is that?!

Last night was kinda rough, with Jamie waking up about 3am with pretty bad pain and nausea. We got some meds in him and we both got back to sleep about 4:30 and slept pretty good until about 7:30 this morning. Dr. Kinard hasn’t been in yet this morning, so I am headed back to the Smith’s for a shower and a nap.

Thanks for your continued prayers… trust me, we are very aware that we are being lifted up to the Father. Don’t forget to pray for Austin and Heather back at the Campus with my parents, Jan and Earl Heath, and also Gil and Debbie Tomas. We appreciate them “holding the fort down” while we are away. Pray also for the RCDA (Rural Church Development Alliance) Men’s Retreat and Campout going on at the Campus tonight and tomorrow. Many blessings to you and yours!