HOMEWARD BOUND...

The McCain Boys

Gene's Girls + Oliver!

Whew; what a crazy few days! With many snafus, what seemed impossible this morning is finally coming together. What usually takes 2 weeks to pull together has taken us less than a week; not without alot of drama, I might add. We are coming home tomorrow and we will have quite the entourage with us; nursing, respiratory therapy, and the home ventilator company will be coming with us!

Gene is progressing nicely. I have learned alot this week; though it all still makes me very nervous. It feels something like when you take your first baby home from the hospital--I feel like I am going to break him and do something wrong.

This has been a difficult day (seems like we have had many of those lately). Getting things into place has not been easy, but I think everything is moving along now. I thought I would completely lose it today and when I was hunting for a certain business card in my purse, I pulled out this card out instead; it said: Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that He has promised. Hebrews 10:36

Ahhh, the exact words I needed at just the right time. I was able to calm down and reminded myself that God is for us and not against us, that He is our present help in times of trouble. Shortly thereafter, things started to happen; things began to be organized for tomorrow's homecoming.

This past weekend our kids were here and we had such a nice visit; they even brought Oliver! Gene was so encouraged to see his little grandson. Oliver was not intimidated at all by the hospital stuff and looked with curiosity at Gene's new apparatus. It made us all the more anxious to be home before Christmas!

Gene continues to gain strength everyday. He is eating well; getting into his wheelchair for several hours a day, and getting very tired of hospitals and being in bed for hours upon hours. He has lost strength in his arms since he was first hospitalized, but our hope is that once we get home and back to our normal routine of exercises, he will regain the strength he has lost. He is also tired of having people hovering over him at all hours.

These pictures are from our lovely visit with our kids. If we don't give an update to you before Christmas, we want to wish you Merry Christmas. This is a very different Christmas season for us this year. While others are out shopping and going to parties, we are being reminded that for some Christmas is lonely. Some people actually spend Christmas in the hospital or have no loved ones to spend such a special day with. We are also reminded that the importance of Christmas is not in all the things we have a tendency to get caught up with.

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made Himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself

and became obedient to death--

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place

and gave Him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:6-11

Merry Christmas,

Michele and Gene