SHOWER!!!!! :-)

Today I got to enjoy my first shower in 32 days. I can't tell you how great that feels! They are gong to do another echo cardiogram this afternoon, and if the results are good, they are going to let me go out for dinner tonight!! YEAH!

This weekend I was able to get off of all my IV medicines. So, if I can tolerate a beta blocker pill to help my heart regulate its beats, I can probably go home in a few days. Please keep those prayers coming.

Spending a holiday weekend in the hospital is no fun; however, I had some awesome company. My Mom, Dad, and husband were here faithfully as always (and they are always fun to have around), but my sister Nikki and her husband and four girls came, my sister Janie and her husband came twice (once with their two kids), Ray's parents came twice, and Ray's brother and his wife and two kids were in all weekend as well. Then today, I had a dear friend from work drop by (thanks Jimmy D). I can't tell you how much it lifts my spirits and helps pass the time to visit with such great friends and family. Thank you to everyone who has come or called. You have been true blessings to me.

Today is my 32nd day in the hospital. Some days it gets tough to keep positive and keep striving to encourage those around me. Then I look back on the dark journey we have had these past several months, and I can see the hand of God in so many blessings along the way. I have found that the cure for my blues really is to count my many blessings. See, some times I can't see God's hand in what I am going through, but once I get through it, I look back and see how He has provided and watched over me.

Another exciting thing that happened this weekend, was that some of the nurses asked me if I would talk to a young man down the hall who just got the heart pump that I have. They told me they thought I would be an excellent role model for him. I was truly touched. The man is only 22 and developed heart failure from the chemo he had to have for his leukemia. He is doing pretty well though and smiles bright when I stop to visit him. He also has a family like mine that is so supportive and loving. It is amazing that even just a few weeks after open heart surgery, I think God is beginning to use me again in big ways. And I want to be faithful!

Ray's parents gave me a book entitled "When Bad Things Happen" that has been a big encouragement to me lately. There is one quote in the book that I have been trying to meditate on quite a bit because I still have a lot of anxiety about going home, having to come back and have a defibrillator inserted, having more tests done, and knowing that I have ANOTHER open heart surgery in my near future. But with God's grace, I know I can be strong and continue to endure and heal. The quote:

FEAR AND DOUBT ARE CONQUERED BY A FAITH THAT REJOICES.