Caringbridge – August 31, 2021

Hello family – just wanted to peek my head in with a little update. 

It’s been a week since Earl came home from Mt. Sinai.  In that week, progress has been made in the right direction.  Where he is today in comparison to where he was last week is like night and day and the outlook continues to get brighter as he gets stronger. 

The only thing faltering right now is his patience.  Those of you who know Earl know well that this man has the patience of Job.  He will wait quietly, without complaint on most things that would infuriate us regular humans to no end. But he is easily frustrated when he can’t be his normal self instantly.  He wants to be “back to normal”.  But as the human race has learned in the last 18 months, the normal we’ll find at the end of all of this will be new. Mostly because we’ve all changed and the old no longer suits us.  All of that to say, he is doing his work to get to his new improved self with razor focus. The Visiting Nurse Service of NY sends a physical therapist to him twice a week to implement exercise for the week and then I coach him through all the exercises twice a day for about 40 minutes.  He’s a real champion. What he couldn’t do yesterday, he fights to accomplish today and tomorrow so he can climb to new heights of wellness. We’re waiting on word for the speech therapist and will be following up on that shortly.  He reads passages aloud every day from various books, the Bible, and of course your kind, loving encouragement on this site and on Facebook. 

Of course, being under the same roof as his beloved dimpled goddess (our daughter) has pushed his focus even more. And she is not reserved in how much love and adoration she spends on him. I’m so glad they found each other 🙂 !

Earl is happy to accept phone calls as long as you’re patient with him when he speaks.  He’s not as quick worded as he once was but the quick wit and the sharp mind are there.  Texts are still a bit difficult as he hones in on his fine motor skills.  I’m working to teach him dictation on his varied devices to help move it along.  And of course with his permission, please set up a video call if you’d like to see his face.  We’re working on a nice shave for him this coming weekend but right now, he’s full-on #beardgang.

As always I end these posts with my personal unending gratitude.  This community.  This village.  You’ve BOWLED us over with your enormity, your thoughtfulness, your generosity, and your deep show of love for Earl and our family.  Special shout out to the mysterious member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. who we think drives a Jeep of some kind who dropped off a bag of groceries while our family was out getting some fresh air this past Saturday.  My mother-in-love for the life of her cannot remember your name but your good deed is appreciated and we feel the love! It’s this kind of selflessness that fuels what we are doing to get Earl back to 100% so he can interact with you all again, not like he used to – but even better. 

More to come…