Light and Shadows

Driving into my office today, a thought struck me as the light filtered through the trees, resembling a picket fence as I drove along. We have glimpses of light and shadows as we travel through this journey of life.

This relates to our brother Al’s recovery as well. We will see the glimpses of light and shadows during this recovery. In this early stage of the recovery, we can either be overly optimistic or easily become discouraged. It is difficult for us, as laymen, to fully understand this process. When we cut ourselves, we attend to it, and our body heals itself, usually in an amazing short time period, then it is forgotten. Al’s injury is not at all like that. I repeat, the waiting is the hardest thing.

As Kristen and I spoke this morning, comparing visits and discussing Al, we know that all the experiences will be totally individual. I am speaking about the roller coaster ride. I found an online book which has been personally helpful in understanding this injury, titled “The Traumatic Brain Injury Suvival Guide” by Dr. Glen Johnson a Clinical Neuropsychologist. Reading this can help everyone understand what is going on. This can be found at: http://www.tbiguide.com/

Now, I must state that I am not saying that everything found within it relates to Al, but Kristen and I believe that education is an important avenue in understanding his recovery. We continue to encourage visitation, but it does need to be kept to a minimum due to over-stimulation (read book). When you visit, try to keep it brief (read book). Try to follow some of the guidelines in the book. This is all in helping Al to heal.

God is in control, never forget that.