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January 16, 2006
Our Last Day At Shepherd, 11:55 PM, January 22, 2006
January 10, 2006 was Asher's last day of out-patient therapy at Shepherd Spinal Center, as well as our last day in Atlanta. Our lease on the apartment we were renting ran out the same day so we headed back to Chattanooga as soon as asher finished all his therapy sessions and he/we went around and said goodbye to everyone (pictures below).
As many of you have probably figured out there have been no recent updates, because we are trying to make the transition(s) now that we are back in Chattanooga. In fact, that is why we did not even announce when we were coming back. We just wanted to arrive back in town unwithout drawing any attention to ourselves. having lived in atlanta for six and a half months, as much as we couldn't wait to get home, we also did not know what to expect as far as what life would look life without being at the hospital all day four and a half days a week. especially since our house is still not ready, and probably won't be ready before the middle of february. so, until then, we are living in a very familiar setting, a hotel.
hopefully, i will be able to give a more detailed update by weeks end. blessings to you all for continuing to keep us in your prayers. truly, i don't know where we would be without them.
the following are pictures of many of those at shepherd that we have grown to dearly love as family. it was so hard saying goodbye that at one point gloria just couldn't take it any more and had to leave and wait for us in the van.
blessings and thanksgiving,
continuing to pray for the peace of jerusalem,
andy mendonsa
| By Andy Mendonsa | 11:51 PM
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Comments
Praise God! I am so thankful you are back in Chattanooga. Of course, I am continuing to pray for all of you but will be praising God for this big step. Thank you so much for taking the time to share these updates with us.
Posted by: Virginia at January 23, 2006 08:05 AM
Andy, Gloria & Asher -
I would also like to thank you for updating us despite your everchanging schedules. I have been asking Mark about you guys and your house, and I am very happy you are back in Chattanooga and almost home! Every morning I find myself thinking about your family and wondering how you are. In the pictures you included, Asher looks really good. I hope to see you all again soon. You are always in my prayers!
Lindsey
Posted by: Lindsey Morris at January 23, 2006 11:05 AM
i'm missing hadrienne more today. school usually can distract me but it's efforts are futile today. i'm in the student development office and i haven't been able to focus all day. my mind keeps drifting back to the fact that i can't hug hadrienne. i'm about to go to my intro to music class. this was one of the several classes that hadrienne and i were scheduled to take together this semester. i helped her register for classes the night before the accident in my dorm. every time i go to music, i miss here more and more. i love you. i'll be over tonight.
Posted by: skye at January 24, 2006 10:34 AM
So good to see Asher smiling and to know you are one step closer to being home! Thank you for the update.
Posted by: Abby at January 24, 2006 12:00 PM
hope asher feels as good as he looks in the photos...thank you for keeping up the postings and pictures...i was blown away by asher's ability to elicit real laughter through the tears at the funeral - what a spirit! and i cherish the photos and incredible self-portrait of hadrienne ...hatch and i pray for you and hope your house becomes your haven soon....much love, elizabeth
Posted by: elizabeth miller at January 27, 2006 10:40 AM
Welcome home Mendonsas!!!! We're so glad to have you back.
Posted by: Chattanooga Loves You at January 27, 2006 10:49 AM
I love you all and continue to pray for you and think of you all the time!
Posted by: Lauren Bosworth at February 1, 2006 08:13 AM
I hope you are having some quiet time to readjust. I am continuing to pray for you, as are all my prayer-warrior friends and family (we've surpassed MCI!).
Posted by: Virginia at February 1, 2006 11:45 AM
Dear Andy, Gloria, and Asher, Thank you for sharing your pictures. I have been out of town for a while, and just wanted to let you know that Jack and I pray for you every night. We love you and glad you are back home. Susan Bosworth
Posted by: Susan Bosworth at February 2, 2006 04:45 PM
a song came on the other day and i cried. i mean sure i cry a lot, but this time it was something about this song that brought it on. the song was "hide and seek" by imogen heap. i had no idea who this was and no clue why the song made me ache. it racked my mind for a day or 2 and it finally came to me... this was the 1st song that my brother dan played in our car ride home late on November 19, 2005. it was the 1st song that i heard after last seeing my closest friend. we were on the way home from the hospital the night that hadrienne, my other half, died.
i could barely walk, much less drive, so dan drive me home. i'm surprised he could drive either though. he adored hadrienne and has been effected emensly by her death. when we pulled out of the parking deck, my dad was walking down the sidewalk to check on how hadrienne was. i jumped out and ran to him. i fell apart as i hugged him. "she's gone" was all i could get out.
when we got back in the car, dan said we had to call cameron ryan who was close to hadrienne. i heard her burst into tears while talking to dan and i grabbed the phone. as i talked to her, 'hide and seek' played
about a week ago, i was talking to cameron at a party about music and imogen heap came up. she said she loved them but one song always made her cry for some reason. i looked at her and said "it's hide and seek". i told her i may be crazy but explained why i thought it made her cry. it was in the backgroud when she found out about hadrienne. maybe i am crazy.
this was a really bad day for some reason. i had to go to the bathroom at work twice because all i could think about was hadrienne. everyone says it'll get better. i don't see how i could ever stop...i don't know if i want to.
Posted by: skye-webb at February 5, 2006 01:21 AM
Dear Andy and Gloria and Asher,
Each day I check your web site hoping to hear an update, but I know you must be very busy with so many things...your ministry, your house and most of all Asher and the trauma all of you have experienced. Please know that we are lifting you up in prayer and know that God is with you. His "Right" hand will uphold you. His love is all around you and in you. Remember that.
We love you,
Peggy Thompson and all the Thompson's
Posted by: Peggy Thompson at February 14, 2006 04:34 PM
Woke up burdened to pray for your family this morning........the third morning in a row! May the Joy of the Lord be your strength today! Hope all is well and you are back in your home!
Posted by: Laura Lee at February 15, 2006 08:42 AM
I just wanted to say hello again, let you know i've been thinking about you and praying for all of you a lot this weekend. i feel god's been nudging me to pray for you more recently. i still have hadrienne's number in my phone, and i decided instead of deleting it i was going to stop and pray for your family every time i passed it. well, this weekend i had two friends visiting from out of town, heike and ileana, i was calling both frequently, and they both required pressing that number 4(GHI) on my phone, and seeing hadrienne's name at the top of the screen (i apparently have no friends whose name start with the letter G). i hope you're all well, and i pray god continues to give you strength and hope for every new day.
Posted by: Erin Wert at February 20, 2006 10:16 PM
