Friday November 4, 2005

Friday November 4, 2005 Zack was up at 7:00 to eat breakfast and take his shower. On the way to Frazier East we talked about the plans for tonight. My niece would be taking him and some friends to the movies. He had brought one of his new C.D.’s with him and we listened to Christian rap by Grits 7. It was really good and I had a new appreciation for this type of music because of the message they were trying to get across to their fans. Music is very important to teenagers and if you are going to reach them for Christ through music, then you better play something they want to listen to, which happens to be rap. I told Zack that I would find out when they were going to be in concert and take him to see them. When I dropped him off for therapy he said, “Are you really going to take me to see them? It would be so cool”. I promised I would. Zack worked on reading and attention to details in Speech. They are trying to get him to slow down when answering questions and listen to himself to determine if he is right or wrong. They worked on visual memory and techniques for scanning the environment to help him remember what he sees. When I picked him up he told me he was very tired and couldn’t wait to get home to take a nap. He wanted to sleep until it was time to get ready for the movies but I told him he would have to get up to eat dinner. Then I gave him the big news. I had called about the concert schedule for Grits 7 and found out they were playing in Nashville at the Winter Wonder Slam. It is a benefit concert for Toys for Tots and would also feature Toby Mac (another favorite Christian Rap artist) and Barlow Girl. Since we would be able to see several bands and I have a good friend Kelly that lives in Nashville I agreed to take him and several friends. He was so excited, first to be going to such a big concert but also for the trip to Nashville with his friends. He used my cell phone to call several of his friends and tell them to be at our house around 6:00 to plan the evening. My nieces Erica and Shannon arrived first. Then Zacks friends began to arrive and before long I had a houseful of teenagers downstairs playing pool. They decided to see “Fog” and headed out at 7:00. Even though it was my nieces driving him it was difficult to send him off in a car with someone else. After the movies they went to Coffee Crossing and played games before coming back to the house. Zack said the movie was kind of stupid and the girls agreed. They said there were some pretty scary parts and that Zack laughed at them when they screamed. I told Ashley and Macy that Kelly in Nashville was trying to arrange for us to meet some of the artist at the concert and this made them scream some more…this time in delight. Zack was safe at home again and very tired. As soon as his friends left he was in bed but he told me he wanted to talk to me before he went to sleep. I go to his room and he tells me he had a good night but he still hadn’t kissed a girl since his accident. I tell him not to rush things but it seems to be an important milestone for him. He thanked me for working on the Nashville trip, told me he loved me and kissed me good night. He smiles at me one more time, points to his temporary braces and says, “Maybe when I get these off I can get a girl to kiss me”. I assure him he will have no problem. I go upstairs and tell Scott of our conversation and we marvel at the new, unique relationship we have with our 16 year old son. He confides in us about things most teenage boys don’t talk to their parents about. He is still sweet and somehow innocent. I think about the many times I kissed him as he laid in his hospital bed, hardly knowing we were there. I remember Scott leaning down to kiss him and telling him how much he loved him. A kiss…how monumental at times…Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss, a husband kisses his bride as they are pronounced man and wife, a mother kisses the newborn baby she has dreamt of for so long. Not long ago I could only kiss Zack’s hand because of all the tubes covering his face. What a blessing it is to be able to talk with him about his desire to be kissed by a girl now. We have so much to look forward to. We still struggle with his deficits but they seem so insignificant because we have him, whole, very much alive. Pray for patience for Zack as he waits for that important kiss. Please continue to pray for his complete recovery for the glory of God.