8/9/09-The return of the "Original Jenna"!

Yesterday afternoon at about 2pm a change occured. Jenna (all of a sudden) was finally back to herself, back to "Original Jenna".

The docs reduced the withdrawal related medications the day before. At about 2pm yesterday it was like Original Jenna walked out of a fog into our world. Her speech was largely intact. Her smile was back. She enthusiastically greeted her brother and sisters by name with BIG hugs! What a day it was! She does not feel well this morning and is much less "herself" mentally and verbally. I suspect that adjusting to the reduced rate of medicine will be a bit of a "lumpy" process. At the very least, we are very grateful to see that "Original Jenna" is still inside. We are optimistic and hopeful that O.J. will become more common in the next few days and will stick around permanently in the not too distant future.

She got out of her room for the first time yesterday for a ride on a little car/wagon down to the cafeteria for dinner with our family. All 6 of us were reunited for the first time in a MONTH. That's right, as of today we have been in the hospital for 1 MONTH. We are unbelievably thankful for the progress Jenna has experienced, but are ready to get home. They are talking about sending us home perhaps mid to late next week. Jenna will dictate the schedule. We want to stay just as long as Jenna needs it, but not a minute more.

Just to be clear, we definitely believe Jenna was the recipient of a miracle. In looking at the list of Biblical miracles, it seems they were performed/granted for 2 reasons:

1. For the benefit of the individual & their family.
2. To deepen the understanding of this world and the next world for all those that witnessed it.

A miracle by definition is something that natural law can't explain. Some are more dramatic than others. One minute a person is can't walk, the next minute they can. Other miracles are a bit more cloaked within the folds of normal life. Jenna's miracle was cloaked in the frenzy of critcal care medicine. She was going downhill fast. Missy and I engaged in frenzied prayer for a couple of hours. While Missy and I were engage in this prayful session, the docs (somewhat in a last ditch effort) tried a certain blood pressure drug again, that previously hadn't worked. This time it worked. While recovery has been a rollercoaster ride, the news from that point forward has largely been good. Because the miracle was within SOME of the processes of medical science, doesn't make it any less of a miracle.

The miracle itself shakes people up. It gives you a glimpse into the world of the "unseen" and reaffirms there is a lot of stuff going on just out of our sight. These tangible testements to the unseen, hopefully draw us back in, closer to our Creator. I think He wants the best for us. Bringing us back in the fold with a few of these really remarkable experiences, help us reorder our lives into God's order of importance, not ours. It seems to me that the human experience is better for us and those around us when we follow the rules in the owners manual.

Jenna (and her family) are certainly the primary beneficiaries of the miracle. However, I believe Jenna's miracle (whoever is out there in Blog land reading these ramblings) is for you too. If you believe like we do that this was really a miracle, tell somebody about it. These experiences are rare. It may be jsut the thing they need to hear. I also request you contemplate how this experience has touched you and spend a few moments in silence and see if there aren't a few "whispers" in that silence that might lead you to the next part of your journey.

Thanks again for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for visiting. Friendly smiles and tales of life outside the hospital "bubble" make the days go faster. Thanks to those helping keep the "home fires" burning with grass cutting, gutter cleaning, meal preparation, and shuttling Ben, Kate and Jacie around. We are forever indebted and connected to each of you.

Please continue to pray for a full recovery for Jenna (and all the kids here at Cincy Children's) and patience for us as we appear to be walking towards the finish line of Jenna's exit from the hospital. She will probably need extensive rehab after leaving the hospital, but getting back home will be a HUGE milestone on the return to normalcy. We continue to EXPECT GREAT THINGS (and so should you)!