A Better Day

August 22, 2008


As I entered Marilyn’s room today the atmosphere was different. Not knowing just what to expect, I was elated to hear her voice, no longer a whisper, and to see her eyes, no longer closed. The confused and frightened clouded stare was now replaced with a hint of the old twinkle. On her bedside table were the remnants of a tuna fish sandwich she had eaten for lunch, evidence of a returning appetite. My spirits rose, and inwardly I uttered a prayer of thanks. A ray of hope entered the room.

I could see as the afternoon wore on, that despite the obvious improvement, Marilyn still had a long road ahead. Soon tiring, it became clear that the chatter between myself, her dad and Dorothy was quite bothersome to her. It was apparent that we needed to vacate the room and allow Marilyn some uninterrupted time for rest. We retreated down the hall to the visitors room.

An hour later I decided to see if Marilyn was up for some exercise and was pleasantly surprised with a positive response. After some confusion she was able to position herself for a walk down the hall pushing her wheel chair. Clearly, the turn-around I prayed for was in sight. Marilyn managed to walk the distance back to her room and stay sitting up for just over an hour.

My heart was celebrating as I drove home in the rain. Today Marilyn forged ahead. In my mind I compared her efforts to that of the Olympians we have been cheering on all week.

Bryon

PS - An answer to you question Jenny. – I know that anytime the Stewart family would like to entertain Marilyn with a visit and a song that she would welcome it. Let me know when you plan to drop by so I can bring my video camera. I would love to feature your talent on this blog.