Thanking God for the little things

Good news today! Aron responded to me!!! We are so excited and are praising God for this miraculous step in the right direction.

I asked Aron to move his thumb, and he did—at least a dozen times. The movement was isolated to his thumb. He didn’t move any other part of his body or arm, and it wasn't a twitch. I also asked him to move his fingers, and he did. The responses were not always immediate. Sometimes I had to ask a few times, and it seemed like a very concerted effort. At times he would barely move his thumb, and I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it or not. So I would tell Aron he had to move it BIG, so I could see—and he would move it more obviously. Aron is fighting to regain function, and God is answering our prayers. I think that Aron will have highs and lows as far as responsiveness goes. Sometimes he is more alert than others, and we need to remember that his brain is still healing, and he needs time. After responding for several hours, he seemed worn out and wasn’t as responsive. So we gave him a break.

My mom and I kept encouraging Aron and telling him how proud we are of him and how it makes me so happy when he responds. After that I kept talking to Aron and repeating all of the things that we’ve been telling him all along—how much we love him, that we’re all praying for him, and that we want him to come back to us. As I was holding his hand, Aron continued to move his fingers occasionally. To me it seemed like it was in response to what I was saying. He would move his thumb or repeatedly squeeze my hand, and I kept telling him that when he did that I knew he was hearing me and responding. He also squeezed my hand when I played music for him and talked about Mandy and how much she misses him. Everybody keeps telling us this will be a long process, so I am trying to prepare myself and keep the right perspective.

This definitely is not how I pictured coming home, and I know Aron had different plans that would have made us both immeasurably happy. But I keep thinking of one of the verses Aron wrote on his mirror: Proverbs 19:21—Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

I appreciate everybody’s encouragement and prayers so much—more than words can express. No matter what happens, Aron is in the palm of God’s hand. He is faithful, and we will continue to trust the Lord with childlike faith.

-Amy