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July 21, 2005
Remapping the Mind, July 21, 7 PM
asher is getting ready for bed. it is amazing all that is involved with that. he is asking more and more to be allowed to go home, or even to the apartment where we are staying right now. he doesn't put up too much of an argument when we tell him that he will get to come home, but not until he is finished with his therapy. he will usually let it go for a while, and then he brings it up again. this can usually go on for about 30 minutes at a time before he let's it go.
he is continuing to make progress every day and we are hearing good reports from all his therapists. please pray that he will be ready to be moved by the end of next week into the spinal center. what this will mean is that his brain has recovered enough to be able to start undergoing therapy for his spinal injuries. the way he is progressing it is looking good for him to be able to do this by then, but it is not assured at this point.
another prayer request would be for asher's appetite to improve. he has never had a big appetite, but he has lost so much weight that he really needs to increase the amount he is eating at every meal by about 25%.
he is complaining more and more about pain. this is not necessarily a bad thing if it means that he is regaining more feeling. sometimes, though, we think that he may be complaining about pain as a diversion from other things that he doesn't want to do.
now that we don't get to see him until after 4 each day, he is really happy to see us when we come in, as we are to see him. he is usually pretty tired after his therapies, so he is usually sleeping when we come to see him and he doesn't wake up until 5 or later. we found out when we came to see him this afternoon that one of his therapists had him working on a computer. he said it was really hard, but i think he enjoyed it. he got to visit some web sites he was familiar with.
honestly, i just can't believe how well he is doing, how good he looks and how his personality is coming out more and more. even his nurse commented today that she could recognize some new personality traits that she hasn't seen in him before. it is kind of interesting that over the last few days that when i am not with him, but i am thinking about him in my mind i am starting to imagine him more the way that he was before his accident, but in his present condition. i don't know whether i have said that in a way that makes any sense, though.
it was really nice for gloria and i to get to spend some time together today and to drive around the city some. this was the first day that we have spent together by ourselves since may 23. it is hard to believe that it has been that long now since he fell.
as i said in an earlier update, when we found out that we were going to get to come to the Sherpherd spinal center, that i use to live in mid town atlanta back in the early eighties. it has changed more than i would have ever possibly imagined, but amazingly gloria and i were able to find our way around without ever getting lost. the only thing i really had trouble finding was where i used to live off of myrtle street. i couldn't remember the cross street that it was on. while we were driving around trying to find it we came across it almost without realizing it because everything has changed so much. all in all it was really nice for me to revive the map in my mind of the layout of so much of the places that i used to frequent that has lain dormant and forgotten in my mind long ago. as we were talking about this with someone today they drew the analagy of what asher is going through in his own mind for remapping once familiar pathways with what was being revived in my own mind as we drove around for a good part of the day. obviously, this experience for me was not a difficult or painful one, but in a very odd sense i can, on a very minimal level, maybe understand some of the process that he is going through. i had a vague sense for where parts of the city are, but i couldn't remember the names of any streets or how they were all connected. as we drove around all of that began to be filled in and a more complete map began appear in my mind. the process probably wouldn't have been all that big a deal if asher were not going through what he is right now. it is so amazing to me that God can use something like this experience today to better understand what it must be like in asher's mind right now. God is so good.
early in the morning i will leave for chattanooga. i have to move our dogs to another kennel. the one they are in are booked up for the weekend. hopefully the new place i am moving them to will be able to keep them for awhile.
please pray for the next place we will be staying when our housing runs out on the 29th in the shepherd apt. we would like to stay as close as possible to shepherd if we can. for the time being we are planning to just move back into a hotel until something else opens up.
also, please pray about where we will be able to go when asher finishes his therapy if our house is not finished enough for us to be able to move back into it. i cannot possibly imagine how it will be, but i am optimistic and am not giving up the hope that it will be.
thanks and blessings for your continued prayers,
marveling at remapping,
andy mendonsa
| By Andy Mendonsa | 07:37 PM
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Comments
God speaks thru bumper stickers:
this morning i read "GOD is in control" w/ a friend.
later, after another friend and i had prayed for healing for the girl who had been with me in the car this morning, i read "MI DIOS ES REAL." i almost shivered at the timeliness of that, because the friend who prayed had done it in spanish after she had emphasized several times that "GOD is real." Praise HIM!
Posted by: grace at July 21, 2005 11:28 PM
I have been following the Asher Update and I was wondering after reading today's note if Asher can move his arms? How about his legs? I am happy to hear he is coming along. Tell him to remember 2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me My Grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Posted by: Lisa at July 22, 2005 06:15 AM
it's wonderful how, through everyday details,
GOD gives us lessons about now and future life.
may HE keep us more and more attuned to HIM.
Posted by: grace at July 22, 2005 06:21 AM
Andy, I was involved in Widow's Ministry while I was at Covenant over five years ago. I just found out what your family is going through and wanted to let you know that my husband and I will be joining the many, many people already praying for you. I am amazed and thankful for the glory given to God in your response this.
Posted by: Jill Waters at July 22, 2005 04:09 PM
"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:3 Dearest Mendonsas, you are shining so brightly with Christ's beautiful light. For weeks I've been meaning to print blog photos of Asher and Hadrienne so I could add them to our fridge's "prayer photo gallery". Tonight, when did, I looked at Asher's self-portrait photo, as I do most every day, and noticed something new: the star-like reflection on Asher's glasses lens. I immediately thought of Daniel 12:3. Surely Asher and all of you are leading many to righteousness as you walk by faith. You are doing this in small private ways wherever you are geopgraphically but you are also doing this before people around the world. You are leading us to draw near to God as prayers for you well up within us and pour out of us continually. This year has been the most difficult, painful year of my life, but God has been unfailingly good throughout every previously unimaginable trial. Many things I have suffered this year have fallen into "life will never ever be the same" category, which I often think about when I think of Asher's fall, but I have also seen God give beauty for ashes and surprise me with His incomparable joy. He has taken me places I never wanted to go on this faith journey, but I find myself thanking Him even for the most heartbreaking, painful, confusing, and overwhelming experiences because they have drawn me closer to Him and helped me know Him and His love so much better than I did before. (So thankful to be thankful). Another scripture that keeps running through my heart and prayers for you (partly because of Gloria's beautiful name), is Romans 8:18: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us.' How true! Through this blog countless people get little glimpses of how far spread this glory might be revealed, but I'm sure we can't fully grasp or measure all the ultimate eternal ripples this will bring about in God's kingdom and in the lives of His people. When we weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice we comfort and bless each other and we are also strenthened and encouraged to press on to the goal to which Christ calls us. I have loved you for years, ever since we lived so happily, side by side at the duplex on St. Elmo Ave., but after we moved from there even though we lived in the same neighborhood and had kids at CCS we were in different churches and didn't see each other as much as I wish we had. But praying so often for you these past 3 months, makes me realize in a new way how truly one we are in God's family and how dear and precious, beyond expression, each one of you really is to me. Not only you, but many of the people I haven't seen as often as I once did in the past, but who have been adding comments to the blog. How good to know we are all carrying you to Jesus. I smiled at the ideas and conclusions that were shared regarding submitting your house for "Extreme Home Makeover" which I'd also entertained :-). I also want to thank Grace for her many wonderful scripture entries. We love you. Elsa
Posted by: Elsa Stewart at July 23, 2005 02:35 AM
