Making Adjustments

What a difference a week makes! This time last week we were dealing with frigid temperatures and snow that wouldn't go away. This morning, we have a wet, gloomy morning that feels more like spring. So, as we often do here in South Carolina, we make some adjustments to our wardrobe and life goes on.

Adjustments are part of life. It may be because of weather or some other circumstance of life, but we all have to learn to make adjustments. For me, there have been a number of adjustments in this period of stroke recover. The most recent adjustment came a few days ago.

For weeks following my stroke, I wore an eye patch because of double vision in my right eye. About two weeks ago, the double vision was gone, so I stopped wearing the patch since the patch no longer served a purpose. You can't imagine how happy I was to be rid of that patch! However, although I no longer had double vision, I couldn't see very well in my right eye.

I saw the Neuro-ophthalmologist on Friday. The result is that I will be wearing glasses again which will improve my eyesight because of whatever went wrong as a result of the stroke. That's the good news. The bad news is that I have lost my field of vision on the right side as a result of the stroke. That means no more driving for me, and that is going to take some getting used to! But, while this definitely an adjustment, it's ok. I can see! I will be able to see better once I get the glasses. And I think that will be a big help as I'm learning to read and right again. Being able to see clearly will make a big difference!

When I think back over these last two months, I'm amazed at how far I have come. From those early days in ICU, which I don't remember at all, to rehab and now to outpatient therapy, God has been so good to me. I still get very tired and am working to regain my strength, but on Friday I walked to the top of the hill and back. I can't read a book yet, but I can read sentences and occasional a short paragraph. It's a more labor-intensive process than it used to be, but I'm able to blog again. And I'm looking forward to the day when I can once again be teaching in our Sunday School class. There was a time when I never thought that would be possible again, but now I have a target date in mind and I'm praying about that, which is something that really excites me.

Is life exactly like it was before the stroke? No. Will it ever be exactly the same as it was before? Probably not. But life is good. And I am very thankful!

We all have adjustments to make in life. We all have things in our lives that are less than we would like them to be. You may not have had a stroke. Your issues may be different than mine. But we all have issues. And no matter what our issues, we can face them the same way. By trusting God to bring us through. By remembering that He has a plan and a purpose for all things. We may not always understand it, but it's still true that God is at work for our good and for His glory.

These last two months have not been easy, and I confess that I have more than once wished I could turn back time to before November 16. Even so, I would not trade any of it for what I have learned in this process. God has been so good to me. He has blessed me so much through this process. And I wouldn't trade what He has taught me for anything!