Sorry, I have not updated in a while; I just have not felt like writing. I have gotten a few enquirers about Melinda, so lets start there. Melinda had another round of Chemo on May 20th. She will have an MRI next week and then we go and see her Oncologist in Austin the following week. He wants to physically see her, so we get to drive to Austin. She is acutely weak at times. Her aphasia is getting a lot worse in my opinion. Some days are a real struggle to understand what she is saying. She is eating and drinking well which is a blessing. She gets quite a bit of sleep each day. She also gets in a bit of exercise walking outside each day or around the kitchen island when it is raining outside.
Megan and I laugh about the facial expressions Melinda gives us. We decided if we had pictures of them all we could create a game called, “Name That Look”. I have to laugh because some of the facial expressions are very depressing. She has a few where I can tell she is trying really hard to recall something or come up with the right word, but it is just will not come. I keep trying to remind myself to talk slower when conversing with her, as when I talk quickly she does not understand what I say. I have also learned I have to be extremely careful with my sarcasm, jokes and picking as Melinda takes some of them very literally.
All in all every time that Melinda awakes to another day is a Good Day and I just Thank God and do the best we can that day.
Our son, Brian got a job in Houston; Praise the LORD!!! I think he will enjoy it and learn a lot that will help him in his career. We got him moved into an apartment last weekend. Melinda was determined to go. Six hours in a car that day took a toll on her for several days after the move. I am glad that she got to go and get out of the house. Megan starts a shortened version of her internship in a few weeks. It will be a remote one from home. It will not be the same as being there in person. I’m a little sad for her, but I’m also am a little relieved she will not be living in downtown Houston this summer. Daddy was having a little anxiety about his little girl living there for two months. Megan also does not know what to think about TAMU moving up its start date and plans to finish classes by Thanksgiving. She is a little worried about what it might mean for her fall schedule which might include Saturday classes. For me, my employer currently plans to start a soft reopening mid-June depending on COVID-19 stats from the area. I am very thankful that our executive team is being very cautious about reopening and looking at the numbers.
Well, now that I have started writing, I have to say ” PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY”. In my opinion, it is almost impossible to talk to anyone, watch the news, or get on social media and not be bombarded by tons of conflicting information. Wear a mask, don’t wear a mask, mask help, a mask does not make a difference, you should only wear a mask sometimes, COVID-19 will kill 6%, 1%, or .0267% of those infected, COVID-19 only kills old fat men, COVID-19 kills people that were going to die anyway, the coronavirus is a hoax, things can’t get back to normal until we have a vaccine, the government is using this to control us, the government is using this to take away our rights, the government will save us, a man shot while just jogging, police kill unarmed man already in handcuffs, people riot in protest over the killing, Bill Gates is the Antichrist and wants to chip us all, Monkeys steal coronavirus blood samples from lab worker, and on and on and on.
It is no wonder that everyone’s mental health is at risk. You pile on anxiety/worries about job loss, thoughts about possible job loss, evictions, finances, thoughts about starvation, and you find yourself asking is it all worth it? Should we have just let COVID-19 run its course and build up herd immunity? Some so yes, many say no, some delusional folks say the virus does not exist and I say I just don’t know. The mental health toll of the pandemic is only beginning to show itself according to psychiatrists that say they are seeing an increased number of patients. Some of those psychiatrists speculate we may see a significant rise in suicide rates if things like our economy do not improve soon.
The one thing I know I can do is PRAY. I praise God that I have a job, a roof over my head, food to eat, both kids are employed, for Melinda, and the rain we have had here. I pray for those 1 out of 4 Americans that have lost their jobs. I pray for those facing eviction, because of job loss. I pray for our schools, especially our superintendents and school boards. The decisions they have to make over the next few weeks and months are enormous and you can bet no matter what they decide someone is going to be extremely upset about it. I pray for those in the medical field and supply chains. I pray that people will use good judgment but will start visiting restaurants, stores, and churches. I pray that our economy starts to recover. I pray that no one takes their own life. I pray for the senseless violence going on and that it will not worsen. I pray for our leaders and our country. I pray that those dying from COVID-19 or anything else know Jesus personally. Most importantly, I pray that GOD’s will be done. I pray for a sense of calmness through this storm for me, my family, my church, my community, and my state, and my country.
