Saturday, August 23, 2008

What I've learned

Kevin is doing remarkable.  He spoke on the phone to alot of people yesterday and just hearing his voice puts everyone at ease since he sounds so good.  The only thing he is waiting for now is getting the chest tube out so that he can shower; sponge baths only do so much.  I believe they may be taking it out today.   
We had a visit from Don & Maria Boatman two days ago.  One of Kevin's favorite Thai dishes is Laab.  Don experimented a few times and came up with a great recipe.  We all ate it with enthusiasm.  Yesterday, Rebecca, Corey and Caitlin visited.  Rebecca made Kevin a birthday cake from scratch (no box here) and frosted it with "kevin's famous frosting".  The cake was beautiful and delicious.  Catilin brought her guitar and sang Kevin a song she wrote for him for his birthday.  We were all moved to tears; even Caitlin struggled to finish the song.   

What I've Learned
Being married to Kevin is easy.  He is a 'take care of things' kind of guy.  We, as in most marriages had our roles.  There were responsibilities he took care of and others I took care of. Often times I would appear lazy and just expected Kevin (and knew he would) take care of things that I didn't want to. In my head I felt he was much better at it anyway.  For the past two months I have had to take on many of his responsibilities; some I don't like and some I am uncomfortable doing.  This experience has made me more observant & given me the realization that I can do more than I thought I could.  I'm more observant to my surroundings, discussions, maps, computers,  learning about things I never thought I could learn or needed to learn.  It has changed the way I think.  Everything now has importance to me.  I have this feeling that everything I hear, I may need to know someday.  So my challenge is to categorize it and store it somewhere in my brain for later use.  Recalling it will be a challenge, but one worth trying.  Life and knowledge have changed for me.  They seem greater and like I said, have more importance.

4 comments:

Jed and Cindy said...

Kevin-

Hi there friend. It's wonderful to see you outside enjoying some fresh air. You look great! We're so glad the girls were able to come see you. Being with family lifts your spirits. Know we love you and your family. You're in our family prayers. Don't push too hard, follow your dr's orders :)

Jed and Cindy

Wendy said...

Happy Birthday Kevin, belated. We are so happy to know you've gotten this far. It just puts a spring in our steps thinking of you. You and Barbie are so inspiring to us. When you were our Bishop/Stake Presidency member we loved it when it was your turn to give talk. I still remember talks from you (the talk on "Faith is the opposite of Fear" is one of my favorites.) It seems it is your job in life to teach those around you. Both of you are blessed with that calling. Thank you for being one of our life teachers. We cherish that.

Anonymous said...

i'm reading :) like a good child

Anonymous said...

Barbie,
That is so neat that Caitlain writes songs! I don't know if Caitlain remembers Heather at all but Heather also composes music. I received a song for my birthday present as well! I'm sure they would have been best friends had we stuck around in CT for awhile longer. It's so rewarding watching our children grow up and accomplish so much. Heather says Hi to Caitlain.

Take care as always,
Linda Reichert