Journal Update 12/14 From Kristi

This Scripture came to me via text early today: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart..... “. Ps 73:26

And then Physical Therapy came. I watched as Zac lay in bed on his back, floundering around, struggling unsuccessfully to get up on his elbows, his body so weak, unable to obey his wishes. I almost lost it. “Oh Lord! Be the strength of my heart...”

I scrolled through photos of memories from earlier this year. I saw videos of Zac last month in DC, running, jumping, goofing around.... and I started weeping.

“Oh, Lord! Be the strength of my heart...”

I had a 90-minute conversation with Craig Rehab today, explaining what we could expect. A physician, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a recreational therapist, a phycologist, a chaplain, a nurse, a clinical care manager - all assigned to oversee my boy. I was asked to describe Zac and I was suddenly overwhelmed with tears.

“Oh, Lord! Be the strength of my heart.”

My heart, so fragile. God’s strength, so strong. 2 Cor 12:10

So... on a lighter note... Zac is SO Funny. He continually mocks his weakness, making us laugh with him. His legs are very active. We poke them, rub them, cool them... and they respond.

Zac: “my legs are twitching around like frogs in a fry pan!”

I asked Zac about eating publicly in the cafeteria at Craig. He is already making jokes about being “among his peeps”.

Zac: “Imagine five of us getting a pizza and just all going after it with our [awkward] hands... we will be like a room full of gorillas.”

I touched his legs and both legs stiffened straight up for a moment. Zac: “Yeah, I felt that... I feel like a Chole dog stretching.” (Chloe is our dog back at home)

Zac regarding his paralysis: “One nice thing is that I don’t feel pain.” So I started scratching his highly sensitivity left middle toe.

Zac, “No, not the gnawing lizards!” (his way of describing the ‘feeling’ of touching his toe)

Trying to eat pretzels from a bag, he wrestled Forever to pull out ONE pretzel.

Zac: “You try to eat with T Rex hands!”

And then eats the pretzel: “I almost bit my thumb off!”

“Be careful!” I admonished. “You don’t have sensitivities in your fingers.”

“Yeah,” he replied. “And the pinky will be the first to go!” (He has the least amount of feeling in his pinky).

Suddenly I realize the day has ended and my flesh and my heart have not failed. God has been the strength of my heart..... and the joy of the Lord is now my strength.” Ps. 73:26/ Neh 8:10