Day 27 - Letter from Aubrey

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Sunday 26 April

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Aubrey wrote the letter below very late Saturday night and emailed it this morning, but one of us (we won't point fingers) overlooked checking his inbox. When we were at Aub and Mendy's house tonight Aubrey said, "did you get the e-mail I sent this morning?" Belatedly, here it is:

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written Saturday 25 April, around Midnight

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Dear Bill,

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Daniel had his first shower today...they put Saran-wrap over his drainage tube. I can only imagine what he felt, after almost a month of not being able to shower.

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He called me and ordered a pizza, as only he can. Of all the places to order from, he wanted Papa Johns. The last thing I wanted to do after being out all day, was to drive downtown for an underrated pizza, but I decided indulging him was probably a good thing. He ate piece after piece until he almost polished off the whole thing. Now his stomach aches will be considered self-induced. Hopefully the suffering will be worth it, since it was his idea.

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"This pizza looks fabulous. I believe I could eat the whole thing."

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"In fact, I think I will eat the whole thing. Here goes!"

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Christine smiles contentedly while T-Bob chows down.

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He looks great. Our Daniel is back with us. As I left the hospital tonight, I stopped outside the elevator and looked around. It suddenly hit me and a few tears welled up in my eyes. We came so close to loosing him and I'm just now allowing myself to realize it. Our kids are precious gifts to us. Life is a precious gift to us. We are all a bit weary, but I drove home with a new perspective. It is sobering. I think this concludes another chapter of a long book, and you know how I hate to read. I usually fall asleep during the first few pages, but this one has captured my attention.

We love everyone who has cared for us and who have stood ready to help in any way that we needed. I came outside yesterday evening to see a freshly cut lawn, by a loving neighbor who has more needs than any of us could imagine. It was his way of showing us he cared. It showed me again that often it is the ones that have the least to give (money, time, energy, talents), that truly give the most. It's ironic that when we are downtrodden or weary and feel we have nothing left to give, we can actually be renewed and uplifted by giving even more. It works every time.

Aubrey