Friday March 24, 2006

Friday March 24, 2006 Zack is so busy now with school on Tuesday and Thursday, therapy the other three days, homework and the Easter Pageant that I hardly get to see him. Most days he and Scott have already left for church by the time I get home. It dawned on me just yesterday that now our rolls are reversed. When Zack was in the hospital and at Frazier Rehab I was with him all the time and Scott was home with Dylan and the girls. Now they are off being soldiers together and I am at home with the kids. I know how Scott felt when he said he was lonely. I miss them. I wait up until they get home but usually Zack is tired, takes a shower and goes straight to bed. I am grateful that they are in the pageant, it is a spiritual experience, they are making good friends and it is a bonding experience for Scott and Zack ….but….I am looking forward to playing cards with Zack again and having a conversation with Scott that’s not rushed.
Wednesday I sat in on Zack’s speech session at Frazier East. Leslie wanted me to see where Zack was in his reading and get a sense of the work we need to do over the summer to have him ready for school in the Fall. Zack still reads slow but is able to read every word in his high school world history book. Comprehension is still difficult because he has to focus so much energy just reading and we still fight the aphasia. However, when she had him read the same subject matter at an easier reading level his comprehension improved drastically. She suggested we look into some alternate books that are easier reading in subjects like history and science. She also said that we needed to plan his classes out to give him the necessary credits to graduate but not overloading his schedule. I talked to Carol Britton (Zack’s tutor at Christian Academy) and she was going to check into what credits Zack needed for his Junior and Senior year and how we could utilize alternate books. Carol has become such an advocate for Zack within the school system that takes such pressure off of me. She has already worked out Zack’s schedule for his Junior year and it is set up to where Zack can be successful. He will have plenty of study halls in which she can work one-on-one with him. Zack took a really heavy class load as a Freshman and met many of his high school requirements the last two years. God was planning our path even then because now Zack is able to have a light schedule as a Junior, which will be his hardest year while still recovering. Scott and I talk about how we see God’s plan unfolding every day…how he set this up years ago…how he put just the right people in all the right places. It is so comforting.
Thursday morning we went to Ky Country Day to speak to the Upper school (about 180 high school students). Zack had written his own speech and had been diligently practicing. Dr Perri, Leslie and the new student speech therapist, Suzanne and the new student occupational therapist, Carol Britton and Trish Tobe (she arranged my first speech at KCD) all came to support Zack. Rick Thompson (Zack’s friend that graduated from Christian Academy last year and now attends Western University) came with us and ran the power point. Although it was an audience of mixed religious beliefs, the students were attentive and interested. Zack did great. He spoke slowly, clearly and had it perfectly memorized. It was short but to the point and I think those students that might have tuned me out were definitely interested in what he had to say. Zack didn’t seem near as nervous as I felt. We were all very proud of him and I hope this is just the beginning of his desire to speak publicly on the journey God has placed him on. The upper school director spoke to the students when we were through and did an excellent job of addressing the faith issue. She stated that there were many different belief systems within the student body and even if they didn’t share our faith we still had a message they could learn from. It was our first experience speaking to such a diverse group of religious beliefs and we look forward to other opportunities. No matter what they believe they can’t deny the fact that “our” belief in a powerful, merciful God has changed the way we look at our situation. We can have an attitude of hope and victory “because” of our faith and that alone is a testimony to God’s power.
Zack passed his final, all inclusive written driving test at Frazier today. Suzanne had told him that if he got an 85% of above on this last test she gave him then he could get his permit. Before he went to bed last night he told me to get him up an hour early so he could study. He also studied as we were driving to Frazier. He wouldn’t let me turn the radio on (which he usually has blaring) and I couldn’t talk to him. He was serious about passing this test so he was studying every free moment. As I drove in silence I was remembering what Dr. Kraft told me at Frazier…”He will be able to do anything that he really wants to do”. He was right. Everything that Zack has set his mind to he has accomplished, against terrific odds. I steal glances at him and am full of admiration. He has been through so much in the last eight months and has proven what faith, prayer, determination and a positive attitude can accomplish. Monday morning 8:00 AM I will take him to get his permit. He got a 99 on his test. He deserves it more than I can justify being nervous. It represents hard work, a major accomplishment, a well deserved reward. Please continue to pray for us. Pray for Zack’s continued recovery. Pray that he will be ready for his Junior year in the Fall. Pray that he will have more opportunities to share his testimony. Pray that God’s glory will shine through Zack as an example of His faithfulness and awesome power.
Sidebar: as soon as I figure out how to use my scanner I promise to post new pictures.