Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Tuesday!  All is well here at 811. We attended Bruce’s monthly Family conference today. He continues to make wonderful improvement. His testing increases in level of difficulty throughout each month and the results are announced at the conference. It has been a year since therapy began and he has come at least 900 miles of that 1000 mile journey. He is currently working on constructing sentences that match pictures using more complex language and parts of speech. He said today, “Adverbs are hard!” His silent reading comprehension is great. He is reading far more complex passages with fewer miscalls and interruptions.  He is a far cry from  “Yes, No and Ok” from a year ago. God is so good, love wins, Bruce’s determination is unparalleled and the folks at CNS are phenomenal. We have much for which to be thankful!

The candle is lit…

Dear God, I will consider repeatedly the counsel and direction you give me.  Thank you for wanting a relationship with me. I want to know you more each day. Help me to seek you and love you more every day. Thank you for the precious life of Bruce. You have restored him and renewed his spirit out of your great love and tender mercy. Thank you Lord for everything. I love you Lord, in Jesus’ name, amen.

When I sign off each night I write take joy in the journey praying as you go. Why do we pray?  We pray because God created us to have a relationship with us. In every relationship there must be a way to communicate. Prayer is the medium through which we communicate with God.  If God had created humanity and then satisfied our needs without any request from us then why would we have need to interact with Him?  Why would we need to ask for our heart’s desires to be filled?

When Bruce first had the stroke the communication was really tough. I missed our daily conversations.  And then when we began to converse again it was like learning a new language and trying to figure out what Bruce was saying so that I could understand. The point is we kept on trying. We did not stop talking to each other and our relationship grew as we learned new ways to communicate.  I had to learn a new way to listen to understand what Bruce was trying to say especially if he needed help.

God wants us to ask for help so that the lines of communication open and our relationship with Him happens. When we pray we open ourselves up to receive his love and provision. It is the way we let God into our lives.  And it is the way we learn of God as our friend, Savior, counselor and confidant. Pray as you go…

“Be kind to me! I pray to you all day. Make my heart glad! I serve you, and my prayer is sincere. You willingly forgive, and your love is always there for those who pray to you.”

Psalm 86: 3-5

Take joy in the journey praying as you go.  Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene