(and most likely the last one I'll do until my new 1st birthday in March)
I'm in the middle of the Christmas Season and we just got done with Thanksgiving so I thought I will reflect on my very busy year and say thanks for alot of people who have helped me get to this point.
My Lord and Savior:
I have experienced countless touches from my Lord this year. Primarily, the whole transplant experience was completely a God thing. Nobody had control over finding a donor that was a better match than a family member would have been. The doctors didn't anticipate my faster than normal recovery from a surgery that removed 4 organs and transplanted one. We were surrounded by felt prayers and people the whole time. I am now 9 months from surgery and I am stronger and more energetic than I have been in 10 years. I am doing crossfit a few times a week and exercising more than I thought I ever would again. For my healing and renewed strength I give complete credit to the only one that is capable.
Family:
I don't know about you but I am bad about taking people for granted and my beautiful, caring, intelligent wife bears the brunt of my neglect. Thinking back on the last few years, she has carried this family more than her share. Just this year alone she had to be my dialysis nurse, my surgery nurse, my rehabilitation encourager, my dietician, my driver, my accountant, my cook and then all of the mountain of other things for the other people she cares for. There's no way I could do all that she does. I appreciate her more than I can express, but I should make an effort. My boys have been great through all of this, they were all so helpful during the dialysis time, they are my role-models. I want to be like Paul: active, strong, smart, funny, outgoing. He is the reason why I started Cross-Fit (more on this later). I want to be like Jake: confident, smart, strong, funny, talented, Godly. I wish I could sing and play the bass like him. I want to be like Ben: witty, smart, active, talented, on the verge of something great. I am anxious to see what he makes of his life. My Dad, brother, sisters, in-laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, did I leave anyone out? The amount of concern, prayer, encouragement and love I got from all of these people helped me get up and put the pieces back together and I still feel them every time they check on me to see how I'm doing. I want to pay them all back with my own successes and recovery.
Friends:
You never really know how many friends you have until you go through something dramatic like we did this year. My Facebook friend count skyrocketed. I have one person promising to pray for my every single day until they die. I have people stop me every time I see them and genuinely ask me how I'm doing and are so happy when I tell them I am a new man. I'm blessed to have so many people care about me and my family. At one point back in March my family was going through withdrawals from not having someone bring us food every day. I am very very thankful for all of you who have taken an interest in my family.
Coworkers:
It's never a good time to be away from work for 6 weeks, but I took that to an extreme. I work on a team of 3 people and a contract helper who all help support a complex system. This system went live after a multi-year project on March 1st. This was also when our team of 4 people started working 24x7 in 12 hour shifts. Also during this time one of our team members managed to schedule the birth of their first child so he was out for a week. 3 days after go-live I screwed it all up and got a kidney transplant which meant support of this system landed on one person with one contractor helper. I never heard complaints from anyone and I still feel indebted to my team for covering for me during this time. My work energy has not been very strong for the past couple of years but it is growing and I finally feel like I'm carrying my load again. My thanks go well beyond just my team mates, my boss, HR, my execs, everyone has been so helpful and encouraging all year.
Doctors/Nurses/Lab Techs/Dentists/Dialysis Clinic/Medical Staff:
I believe my medical team has been custom built for me. I can't think of one complaint about anyone that has worked with me since all the way back when I started Dialysis. I'm very thankful for each of them especially Mary my Lab Tech that takes my blood every month, she's awesome (always be nice to people who stick needles in your arms).
It's been a long year full of a roller coaster of emotions. When I look back I can't help but be thankful for everything and everyone involved. This time last year I was tired, fat, depressed with no end in sight. Today I'm as 'normal' as I get. I am in the best shape I have been in for at least 5 years probably more (I'll post more on that in a different post). I can eat what I want, mostly. I don't have any tubes in me. I am more than happy to take my small handful of pills twice a day if that's what it takes to keep me feeling like this. Most of all I'm surrounded by a wife and family who put up with all my issues and love me despite of them.
What more could I ask for.
Happy 2015
Family:
I don't know about you but I am bad about taking people for granted and my beautiful, caring, intelligent wife bears the brunt of my neglect. Thinking back on the last few years, she has carried this family more than her share. Just this year alone she had to be my dialysis nurse, my surgery nurse, my rehabilitation encourager, my dietician, my driver, my accountant, my cook and then all of the mountain of other things for the other people she cares for. There's no way I could do all that she does. I appreciate her more than I can express, but I should make an effort. My boys have been great through all of this, they were all so helpful during the dialysis time, they are my role-models. I want to be like Paul: active, strong, smart, funny, outgoing. He is the reason why I started Cross-Fit (more on this later). I want to be like Jake: confident, smart, strong, funny, talented, Godly. I wish I could sing and play the bass like him. I want to be like Ben: witty, smart, active, talented, on the verge of something great. I am anxious to see what he makes of his life. My Dad, brother, sisters, in-laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, did I leave anyone out? The amount of concern, prayer, encouragement and love I got from all of these people helped me get up and put the pieces back together and I still feel them every time they check on me to see how I'm doing. I want to pay them all back with my own successes and recovery.
Friends:
You never really know how many friends you have until you go through something dramatic like we did this year. My Facebook friend count skyrocketed. I have one person promising to pray for my every single day until they die. I have people stop me every time I see them and genuinely ask me how I'm doing and are so happy when I tell them I am a new man. I'm blessed to have so many people care about me and my family. At one point back in March my family was going through withdrawals from not having someone bring us food every day. I am very very thankful for all of you who have taken an interest in my family.
Coworkers:
It's never a good time to be away from work for 6 weeks, but I took that to an extreme. I work on a team of 3 people and a contract helper who all help support a complex system. This system went live after a multi-year project on March 1st. This was also when our team of 4 people started working 24x7 in 12 hour shifts. Also during this time one of our team members managed to schedule the birth of their first child so he was out for a week. 3 days after go-live I screwed it all up and got a kidney transplant which meant support of this system landed on one person with one contractor helper. I never heard complaints from anyone and I still feel indebted to my team for covering for me during this time. My work energy has not been very strong for the past couple of years but it is growing and I finally feel like I'm carrying my load again. My thanks go well beyond just my team mates, my boss, HR, my execs, everyone has been so helpful and encouraging all year.
Doctors/Nurses/Lab Techs/Dentists/Dialysis Clinic/Medical Staff:
I believe my medical team has been custom built for me. I can't think of one complaint about anyone that has worked with me since all the way back when I started Dialysis. I'm very thankful for each of them especially Mary my Lab Tech that takes my blood every month, she's awesome (always be nice to people who stick needles in your arms).
It's been a long year full of a roller coaster of emotions. When I look back I can't help but be thankful for everything and everyone involved. This time last year I was tired, fat, depressed with no end in sight. Today I'm as 'normal' as I get. I am in the best shape I have been in for at least 5 years probably more (I'll post more on that in a different post). I can eat what I want, mostly. I don't have any tubes in me. I am more than happy to take my small handful of pills twice a day if that's what it takes to keep me feeling like this. Most of all I'm surrounded by a wife and family who put up with all my issues and love me despite of them.
What more could I ask for.
Happy 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment