October 1, 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

It's been a very busy and somber month for Everett and I as we lost a dear friend from church and then two weeks later Everett lost a cousin who had fought cancer for the past seven years.

As I stated in the last Blog, Kevin was to give his testimony at school. After he gave his "speech" his teacher opened up a time for questions. All in all, I understand it was well received and of course, was a great opportunity for Kevin to share his faith.

The weekend of September 19th, Everett and I spent four days in San Diego for a much needed break. That Saturday, Kevin and Sarah and Keith and Kim joined us and we spent the day at Sea World. The weather was perfect, the crowds were minimal, and we had a great time. We were first in line to enter our first show of the day and we chose seats up close for Kevin's sake, or so we thought. Fortunately this was a show where the audience was not soaked. However, when we came out of the show Kevin told us he was unable to see most of it because we were too close. Because of his narrow field of vision we needed to be up higher so he could gain a wider visual range. Needless to say, we took to higher ground for the rest of the shows. As we stood mindlessly waiting to be let in for the Sesame Street show, I in uncharacteristic fashion (ha, ha), began to clown around. At one point, I stood directly in front of Kevin, crouched at bit, put my finger to my lips in a gesture for all of them to hush as I whispered, "Quiet, I'm hiding from Kevin". We all had a good laugh, including Kevin. I know it was a silly moment, but it was the first time in almost a year and a half that we all felt comfortable and safe enough to make light of a very difficult circumstance. For me, it was a very freeing and giddy moment. In some small way I felt I had finally come to terms with the fact that my son was now almost blind. Truthfully, I still have moments when I lapse and become sad or fearful for Kevin, but God has helped me to not dwell on those moments and always softly assures me that He is in control and that Kevin's future is fixed squarely in His grip. I am reminded of Psalm 37:23-24 which says, "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand." Yes, we and Kevin are safe in His hands.

After our day at Sea World we took them all to an old-fashioned diner Everett and I had visited the previous evening. This diner was built on site of a local film studio and was aptly named "Studio Diner". The food was great and portions were huge. After an appetizer of buffalo wings, Kevin ordered a salad as he is watching his weight, but we all laughed as he finished his plate, my plate, Everett's plate and Sarah's plate. Keith loving calls him the human garbage disposal.

Not much else has changed. Kevin and Sarah are still waiting to see how Worker's Comp. will finalize his case. His lawyer seems to think things are looking favorable for him and that there shouldn't be any dispute that Kevin should be considered 100% disabled. We would still appreciate your prayers regarding this.

Grace and Peace,
Tami