Growing and Growing

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

November 21, 2008 in Uncategorized with 3 Comments

Saturday

Pastor Ray

Fried Dough

Cup ‘o Joe

That’s right! Tomorrow morning is exactly 2 months since the ViolentSilence. It is time to celebrate … not a party, but just a little recognition of God’s miracles in this man’s life … wanna get in on it? CountryClub, SweetStuff and BitO’Honey (as well as countless others) wanted to welcome Dad home in a special way. It is last minute, but will you join us?

What: Welcome home “yell” to surprise Dad on his morning walk.

Where: Right outside their house. (Need directions?)

When: 9:50am … Mom will get Dad to go on a walk at 10:00am.

Who: You, you family, and any other person you want to bring.

Why: You’ve walked with us in prayer … now really walk with us!

[Note: If you cannot make it by 10:00am, please stop by the house to say hi to Dad and for some coffee, donuts and bagels. We will be there from 10:00-11:30am. If you have any questions, email me.]

WordJr Seeks Samson Strength

November 20, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Our good friend WordSr will be standing guard over his son, WordJr, all day tomorrow. And we need your help! WordJr will be going to KiddieLandHospital tomorrow for a SuperPower surgery … he is expected to stay the night and come home on Saturday. While it is a minor surgery for him, he is still a little concerned for about what tomorrow brings. That’s where you come into the picture.

Pray for WordJr … that God will calm the fear and anxiety … that God will bring wholeness and healing … that God will give WordJr Samson-like strength … that God will use this experience to bring WordJr closer to Him! If you want want send him a card or a word of encouragement, you can do so at:

WordJr

c/o Woodbine CP Church

3016 Nolensville Pike

Nashville, TN 37211

Righty Update: Go Titans!

November 20, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Remember our friend Righty? Well, he is home … just like Dad … but has a little more mobility. Here is what’s up:

Went to both my PCP and the Cardiologist, Dr. A, (He is the same one BigVolFan goes to) and they both said there were very pleased with my progress. Dr. A said that I should have had much more damage for what I went through, but he said that the damage was only negligible, just a “blip” as he called it. He said I could go back square dancing, but just “ease” back into it. Said he didn’t need to see me until a month from now – Yeah! He even said that I could go back to tailgating and rooting for the Titans – Go Titans! Thanks for your concern and keeping everybody updated.

Good to hear the good news, Righty! Remember my concern when you get Superbowl tickets!

World Phone Home

November 20, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

There is some much to talk about yhis afternoon that I am absolutely overwhelmed. So, I will start with … DAD IS HOME! You can call him there! If you don’t know the number, email me here and I will be your Operator!

Celebration Station!!!

November 20, 2008 in Uncategorized with 2 Comments

Yep, that’s right!!! I just got “the” call!!! Dad is being released … not from prison … but from the rehabilitation hospital!!! We’ll let you know when he is home and settled. Thanks for all the prayers!

Rooting for Ray … Sports-Style

November 20, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

If you are “Rooting for Ray” … then send your pics here. Today’s FeaturedFotos come from around the world … from some of the greatest arenas … from some of the greatest players and fans …

Please send your “Rooting for Ray” pictures here.
Whether you are family, friend, or perfect stranger,
we want to hear (and see) from you!

Making Sense

November 20, 2008 in Uncategorized with 1 Comment

It is a good thing that I did not go to medical school … because it has taken weeks to understand what are the 6th and 7th nerves, as well as the overall nerve damage to Dad’s face. Now that I found this post and this post, it is all starting to make sense. Let’s see if I can put this in G&G, easy-to-understand-non-medical language:

Dad’s right eye is like me on a Monday evening at about 4:50pm … it doesn’t work.

Dad’s right side of his face is like my tummy … it sags.

Dr. EyeGal first reported to us that he had damaged his “Seventh Nerve” … the problem was that P-Pet told me it was the “Sevens Nerve” which does not exist.

Yesterday evening, I finally found it!

“Seventh Nerve” is the same as the facial nerve, which is the 7th of 12 cranial nerves ( … see ORANGE NERVE above …). This nerve controls the muscles of facial expression and part of the tongue-tasting muscles.

So, when Dad has trauma to the left side of the head ( … see BLUE ARROWS above … ), it affects the movement of the mouth.

Thus, saggy-faced and Al-Pacino-voiced Dad.

Now, it gets tricky. Enter the “Sixth Nerve” … which has also been damaged (… see YELLOW nerves below … )

“Sixth Nerve” is the same as the abducens nerve, which ( … go figure … ) is the 6th of 12 cranial nerves. This nerve … which has one function … controls the lower eyelid.

We still don’t know how that got damaged, but the result was that Dad’s eye began to dry out because the eyelid would not close.

Thus, the EyeTeam had to stitch the right eye closed so that the 6th & 7th Nerves could begin to heal.

Is it making sense? Good. Please pray for natural healing and regeneration of the 6th and 7th Nerves.

100% Update: Gonna Miss You!

November 19, 2008 in Uncategorized with 2 Comments

I don’t get to the hospital as regular as I want, but I still get regular updates from either the on-the-scene Mom or the actual-messed-up-dude Dad. Apparently, yesterday the RehabTeam was overwhelmed with feelings … of … missing Dad. And he has not even left yet. That’s right! The physical therapy team, the nurses, the technicians, the medicine girls, and everybody else on that Second Floor told Dad how much they are going to miss him after he leaves. He has that effect on people, you know? Here’s an update:

Dad got the AYCE Food Tube taken out yesterday. Dr. Groovin’ warned him at first, Dad took a breath, and then yank! OUCH! *^@# $&*@# $#! … It came out. Mom said that Dad turned white …
Dad’s physical therapy is doing great. He walked about 150 feet along the parallel bars without placing his hands on the the bars. For the slower ones out there, that means Dad walked by himself for about 150 feet.
Dad also stood without assistance for 5 minutes … twice!
SouthernDrawl and JrKatz stopped by for a visit. What, did you run out of stamps?

Dad is scheduled for a visit with Dr. Neuro sometime today. We will let you know.

2 of 100s …

November 19, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Mom and Dad have received 100s of cards and notes and emails from around the country (and World). Here’s one from FrozenBra … a longtime family friend who once babysat none other than … SELF! Her name originates from close to 30 years ago. Her brother SnoCone and I were playing hooky from school one day … we raided her underwear drawer, soaked a certain undergarment in water, and stuck it in the freezer. We were about 6 or 7.

FrozenBra brings backs some memories, along with a few words of encouragement:

What a blessing it is to read your blog each day and keep up with the “goings on” in the DeVries family! I reacquainted myself with you last year when I was in Nashville at a conference. It was a busy day at your Dad’s church with the garage sale/flea market. Your dad picked me up at my hotel, lunch with a couple of your kids and back to the church to meet you and the rest of your family. You gave me a big hug even though you didn’t particularly remember me from your childhood or maybe you did? [ ... Yep, I did ... particularly freezing some of your undergarments! ... ]

Your dad was my first “boss” at McDonald’s in Santa Fe. I was 14 – he was ??? He taught me that customers always come first, that hard work is essential. Funny how I don’t see that in McDonald’s employees today. I worked for him for two summers. The only time I ever ran from Ray is when he showed up at work with the family’s boa constrictor [ ... that's right, we had a snake ... ] in his shirt around his waist. YIKES!

I babysat you and Chris often in your stucco house off the Old Las Vegas Highway. After you two went to sleep, I sat on the couch facing the hallway for hours and never, ever drifting off to sleep — just in case that SNAKE got out of the closet and decided to pay me a visit. Fortunately, the SNAKE behaved himself and knew to stay away from me.

One afternoon I was with your mother in her car parked along the Old Las Vegas Highway waiting for your school bus to drop you off. We were on the opposite side of the highway when the bus finally arrived. You got out and darted in front of the bus to cross the highway to where we sat. A car going about 50+ mph missed you by INCHES!!! Your mother and I both screamed and she didn’t know whether to hold you or scold you. I think there was a little bit of both. But there were tears and prayers of thankfulness. The Lord SPARED YOU at that moment and now look at the legacy of faith that resides in your home!

The Lord knew then that your children would need you, that your wife would need you, that your mom would need you, and that Ray would need you and your strong faith. May the Lord bless you as you are faithful to HIM, the Alpha and the Omega, the originator of all that is and will be.

FrozenBra, good to hear from you. Sorry it has taken so long to write. We love you, too! Thanks for the good memories!

Chills …

November 19, 2008 in Uncategorized with 1 Comment

These 4OperaDudes were on the television this morning …

I asked the kids if I could change the channel from what they were watching ( … something about a huge red dog named Cliffy … ) to something I wanted to show them. They whined, “Daaaaaaaaaad ….” and finally conceded, “Oooooh, okay ….”

Over the next four minutes, we all sat there glued to the tube … listening to Amazing Grace … if you missed it, then you missed an amazing rendition … full of chills … enough said!