See You in a Minute!

Sorry about lack of entries on the blog, but Michael has taken to his facebook page and loves to spend time there with his friends. Much has transpired, and mostly good news.

He is doing better. We hit the gym regularly and he is very fit and strong. Pushes dear ole dad. He gets stronger and I just get sore.

Lack of memory is still Michaels biggest challenge. I would say that and having to basically 'grow up' again. We have been through several stages of life with him again. But he is still making progress and we will all fight hard to keep it going. He wants desparately to be his former self and it is a major source of frustration for him. The fact he is handling this as well as he is is a testament to him and the support he gets from his family and friends.

'See you in a minute' comes from Michael's nighttime routine. One of the last things he says to us is 'see you in a minute', because to him he just closes his eyes and then wakes up! To him, its as if no time has passed.

I told Rosi that is what I want as my epitath. In the big scheme of things life here is short, (and I may add it is hard), and God's promise is that when we die we will be rejoined with our loved ones, but nobody will be sick or old or suffering. I am going to hold him to that promise, and thus the 'see you in a minute'.

Pops

Settled in

It has been exactly 1 month since we have been back home with Michael. He loves being at home and spending time with us which we are so thankful for. He is going to therapy on Wednesdays and hopefully they will add a second day soon. I have found a great counselor for him to talk to and she can manage his meds as well. It seems like every evening he questions us about why he was away from home so long. Even though we explain it over and over, he can't believe he was "sick" that long. Almost every activity we do with him is some sort of therapy but we try to make it fun. He is very helpful and performs severasl chores around the house and yard. He is so sweet and affectionate and that is something else we are very thankful for. He does have very limited conversation skills,due to his loss of knowledge. We are having to work on appropriate social behavior and slowly he seems to be retaining it. He is relearning body parts, names of objects, and how to take care of his daily personal grooming needs. Sometimes, when we are out in public, I feel super sensitive to people's reactions around us. I realize that most folks don't know about Michael, and that coupled with the fact that he looks normal, makes it awkward at times. This son of ours didn't deserve what has happened to him, and we will dang well make sure he has every opportunity to get back what he has lost. Please continue to pray for Michael,as he has alot of work ahead of him, as do we. Thank-you all for caring and following this blog, but mostly for your prayers. Post by Mom

Home Sweet Home

It has been 9 days since we arrived home and things are going quite well. I can't count the number of times Michael has said, " I am so happy to be home ". Those words are priceless! He is extremely sweet and willing to do most anything we ask. He has started his out-patient therapy and is spending time with family and friends. He loves sleeping in his own comfy bed, and is getting really good sleep. Let me just say that this will be a great Christmas! Post by Mom

Homeward

Rosi and I are doing a little packing here in Conroe. Michael is due to be discharged tomorrow from Touchstone. We have tickets for wednesday afternoon on America's favorite airline, Southwest, to fly home.

Michael has been spending a good deal of time with us at the apartment. We wanted to see how he would do out of the facility and he has been fine. We took him yesterday to Red Lobster to eat. When he was small we used to take him out of school one day towards the end of the year and declare it "Michael Sluder day". It usually involved a movie or something like that and eating the feast at red lobster. It was his favorite. My boys have never minded orderering steak or lobster as long as pops is paying.

I also took Michael to a golf driving range yesterday, kinda as a test to see if he remembered how to hit a ball. We used to play together some. At first he watched me and didn't want to, but I gave him a club and told him to give it a try. I didn't say a word, and he took the club and hit the ball just like he used to! He grasped the club the same and proceeded to put it way out there. The range had targets and on his last shot he aimed for the 100 yd target and hit it! He was very exhuberant and wanted to quit on that one. We were only there for 20 minutes but he did great.

Wednesday is a day we have looked forward to for awhile. We are hopeful, but we also realize it means a lot of work ahead for our family. We are thankful to have family and friends that have stepped up for Michael and us. Over the next few months, I hope the house is full of Michaels friends that will spend the time with him that he needs. He is fun and needs folks his age to do all the stuff you do for fun and learning. He may not know you at first but he can learn. He knows most of the folks in his facility because they spend time with him. That is the key.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know we are headed to Nashville.

Pops

BIG News

This is the news that I have been waiting for months to be able to announce. If all goes according to plan, Michael is set to be released (when I put it that way, it sounds like he has been in the slammer) on October 18th!! 

Whew! Just typing that brings so many conflicting emotions. I am so excited to have Michael home. I am nervous about him making the transition and how it will work. I am anxious to see what new challenges will surface (and I know there will be many, that is the nature of this beast called brain injury). But mostly, I am so so happy that he will has improved to the point that we have arrived at this place.

The first time Michael came home last December, we were covered in love by awesome friends. Ultimately, the reality is that my parents are now accepting (gladly and gratefully) an adult son that will need them way more than they expected. Because of that, they need their friends way more than expected too. And Michael's friends- what an amazing group of people- he will need you too. Dredge that love back up from the months of absence and setbacks and hopelessness, and bring it on. Pretty please.

If you are still reading, I want to share something with you that I heard this week at a conference. It floored me. In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son. If you have ever been a churchgoer at all, you probably know it. The father in the Bible welcomes his son back with open arms with an enormous party despite tremendous pain and bad choices that he had made. That is a picture of how God loves us. Did you know that the father never speaks to the son? Not one word. Not all the time the son is gone, not even when he comes home. He speaks to the servant and gives instructions on how to welcome him, but never to the son. The speaker (Jon Acuff) said that is how it works sometimes when we are in the worst pain and we feel like God is not with us, not speaking to us. He feels silent, and the reason is not because he doesn't care or doesn't know how much we are hurting. It is because he is planning a party. It feels so amazing to have hope.

Partaee!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had an awesome party for Michael on Saturday! My sisters and Chelsey were here to liven things up. Of course, all were invited and one by one they strolled or rolled in for the festivities. We started out with some Marvin Gaye on the boom box to get us in the party mood. As you all know Michael and us Samson women, we had to bust some moves! Lots of smiles and laughter. We probably spent 30 minutes alone just hitting balloons at each other. Michael thought it was hilarious when one would hit him in the head and crack up. Michael had a special Birthday hat that he proudly wore during the entire party. We played pin the features on Michael, and we think he was peeking when he took his turn (what a surprise)! We all sang before he blew out the candles, but he made a wish first. Interestingly enough, he knew what that meant and did so without telling what he wished for. I think the funniest thing that day was the cakecapades. Everyone got a large slice along with ice cream, and he ate his without wasting any time, then reached over and took another. When I had my back turned, he dug in with his own fork to take his third and last piece, because we whisked it away while his eyes followed it out of the room!
 It was so heartwarming to bring some joy and laughter to these young men who are facing a difficult recovery. Just wanted to thank the Edwards family for the gift they sent. Michael really enjoyed it. Also, Michael received his first memory from Logan Redden and it was so sweet. He listened to every word, and we were all teary eyed by the time it was finished. We are putting it a memory box for him to read later. Thank-you so much Logan. We are seeing improvements daily and are very encouraged. He couldn't be more loving and affectionate. I am so thankful for that. He is starting to remember his brother and sister's names. He is also starting outings off campus once a week. Post from the "Partaee Animals" I will post pics when Loren shows me how.

Out and About

Michael had his first off-site outing yesterday. Went to a local park and played basketball. It went great! Next week he is going to go out to a restaurant. This is huge. It is a step towards his homecoming, which we are all pumped about. I hesitate to guess at a timeline, but I think it is pretty safe to say that this Christmas will be a MUCH better one than last year.