Long time...

It's been too long since I've been here - too much going on.

Grandpa King:
My Grandpa King suffered a stroke/brain hemorrhage last Friday and was taken to the hospital. At first, they gave him only days to live and the situation was very serious. When my mom got there, he was alert and eating his lunch. Since then, he's been put on 3 medications to reduce his very high blood pressure, and has been moved to a Rehab facility, where they hope to help him regain use of his left leg. The most recent CT scan did not show any additional bleeding or problems, and the doctor, while remaining very serious, seemed to indicate there was more to hope for than just a few days. Mom & her 3 brothers, Alan, Greg, & Terry, have all been there. Mom plans to be back home this evening.

9/11:
I thought all day about blogging on the subject of 9/11. It is really a very touching, emotional day for me and one I will always memorialize. It's not something I can fully put into words, even 5 years later, and I had memories of 9/11/01 throughout the day. The first person I could get ahold of outside the MedPay office was Greg, via email. The phone lines were down and I remember how reassuring it felt to connect with him, even when I couldn't connect with my family yet. I cannot watch the film footage of the 2nd plane hitting the tower - every time I see it starting, I turn my head or close my eyes because that image alone kept me awake for most of the 3 next days. It was several weeks before I really felt like I could sleep.

I'm a little ambivalent about seeing the recent movies related to 9/11. On one hand, I'm fascinated by the people involved, and on the other hand, I'm entirely horrified to consider reliving their last moments with them... Even seeing or hearing the ideas for the memorials at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania are a little unsettling. I can't believe it's been 5 years already.

Claira:
She is such a funny little kid. During the worship service Sunday morning, Claira was singing and swinging her arms and clapping. She was raising her hands above her head and twisting at the waist - she was getting "in the Spirit" and enjoyed the music service very much. Other folks were clapping but few raised their hands, so we're not sure what to think about our Pentecostal daughter. She is moving right along now. She took about 6 wobbly, unsteady steps alone last night at Mama Taylor's house. We all cheered and clapped, and then she cheered and clapped. She is very reserved in some ways about trying new things - but she's getting braver and wanting to walk (with help) more and more, and has just started wanting to walk without much help this week.

My brother Dave is spending the night at our house - he has job training (in Columbus or Mansfield or somewhere around here), so it'll be a short, but fun visit. He's done this a couple of times before and we've enjoyed visiting with him.

I should go - need to eat my lunch and get back to work...