On Easter I was thinking about the crucifixtion, the people that Jesus died for.  Wondering what he must of thought about as the religious leaders, the leaders that professed his father God as their Lord.  I wondered if the church today looks like the religious leaders of Jesus's time or like Jesus and his disciples.  I like to think my church is different, I think we all like to think our church is different.  We aren't like those people....the ones who judge, the ones who make assumptions about someone just by looking at them, hearing them talk, or by the people they may be walking with.  

I had someone tell me that my oldest boy was a really great kid.  Why thank you, as a Mom he's almost perfect. :0)  Then he proceeded to tell me that based on how he looks, he probably wouldn't have ever taken the time to know him....based on how he looks.  This person is a christian and it's sad to think that many people judge us christians based on everyone that goes to church.

I had someone else ask me if my son was saved.  I responded yes, his heart is on fire for  God, there isn't a lot of gray with him, it's God's way or it aint.  They said, what about his lip ring, what does the people at your church say about that.  I told her that they were okay with it.  She's been in a lot of churches where she did not fit their mold even though she loves the Lord wholeheartedly.

God brought into my remembrance that what I told her wasn't actually the truth.  That the truth was there were some that questioned my son and his decision.  They determined he was rebellious based on his outward appearance and never bothered to actually ask any of us what the deal was.  My heart breaks when those who know us can so easily pass judgement without asking.  How can we ever really love those outside the church when we can't do that in the church.

Jesus said they will know us by our love.  His disciples were a group of people who were at odds with each other as far as social status, jobs, etc...  They really didn't have anything in common except Christ.  The early church had a hodgepodge of people from all over, nothing in common other than Christ.  They not only lived and loved together, they thrived.  I yearn for the day that all people can come to Christ and come to church just as they are, fully excepted, not judged if they don't change to become like everyone else.  The model that Jesus left us was a group of individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses.  He didn't make them cut their hair, wear suits and only talk with "those" in the group/church.

As the world spins along faster and faster, as right is called wrong and wrong is called right.  I pray that the church wakes up and starts sharing the good news.  The good news that we are all on the same level, we are all sinners, that we can be delivered ~ but we still sin.  Your sin is not greater than my sin, we both need grace and forgiveness from God and from each other.  The sad thing is that some days I look at myself and see the religious leaders of Jesus's day.  I look at the church and see the religious leaders of Jesus's day.  Oh, that we would shake off those traditions and chains that keep us in bondage to the way things have always been done.  Because honestly, I don't think this is the church that Christ had in mind when he picked out his disciples and picked up his cross.

Hillbilly Shower Written August 4, 2012 8:46pm

Oh the irony....Max loves the water, swimming, canoing, sking, tubing, boats on the water.  It's going to be a little tricky to figure out how to do those things again.

One thing he misses is the shower.  We are in the process of trying to finalize plans to renovate so he can get into the shower.  Being clean is one thing, having warm water poor over you is entirely different. 

If no other reason, the hot weather is great for showers!

Flying Time Written July 26, 2012 2:59pm

So sorry about having you all sign in.  We decided for several reasons we needed to restrict the blog right now.  Most people have our best interests at heart but there are a few who may not.

There were several people who have asked us this questions and for a fairly long time we could say no.  I didn't dream it would actually happen but it did.

Yesterday was a very long day and when we got home it was late afternoon.  I was getting stuff out of the front passenger seat and Zack was helping Max get out of the van.  We are not sure what happened ~ if Max bumped the controller to hard, if his finger/s accidentally bumped the speed up but somehow he went over the end of the ramp.  I heard a noise, turned around and Max was face down on the concrete.  I yelled at Zack to pick him and and amazingly we got him up off the concrete.  Ray had to run out and help us get him back up on the ramp.  It's amazing what you can do when your freaking out!

We checked him out and he had a small red spot on his left knee and later we found a scrape on his left elbow.  It's always nerve-wracking because you don't know if he's hurting because he can't feel everything.  Thank you Lord everything seems to be find this morning.

Somewhere along the way, the controller for the ramp was pulled out of the control box.  It takes us a little longer to get Max in and out but hopefully we will get that fixed Monday.  Nothing like another trip to Columbia.

I pray you all are getting some of this rain, it was so sweet to hear the thunder and rain this morning!

A Different Type of Anniversary Written July 19, 2012 10:17pm

Well, today was the anniversary of  Max's accident.  Our lives were turned upside down and put on an entirely new path this day a year ago.  I remember trying to sleep in the ICU waiting room and really having no idea what the next day or next hours would bring.  I am so thankful for everyone who made our life richer by supporting us emotionally, spiritually & financially.  We've made lots of progress this last year but we still have lots to go.  God is good and he has assured me he is not delayed and our lives are in his timing!  Thank you Lord I don't have to do it all ~ I just have to wait on you!

A Hot Day In July Written July 18, 2012 9:15pm

Again, life gets in the way of blogging.  Max has been doing physical therapy 2 or 3 days a week.  That keeps us very busy.  While it's not as far away as Columbia, it still takes a good chunk of time going, working & coming home.  The good news is he is getting more muscle mass in his left arm.  We had to go to Columbia today to get his straps lengthened and his splint adjusted so he can use it.

My Dad had surgery June 15th for an aortic aneurysm.  It was a strange things because it's the first time I wasn't able to take Dad to surgery.  He was already in the icu recovery room and it was the same icu that Max was in.  There were several nurses that were there when Max was there.  It was nice to see them again and thank them for all they did to keep him alive.  Ray stayed with Dad for a few days, we couldn't convince him to stay with us.

We went to Bushnell, IL  for the Cornerstone Festival July 2 - July 8th.  Talk about having to grow....there is no way to get all the tents, etc... in the van.  So I had to borrow my Dad's trailer.  I have never pulled a trailer, never wanted to pull a trailer, dreaded the whole thought of pulling the trailer.  Well, when push came to shove, I did pull the trailer all the way to Bushnell, IL.  Max and Zack's favorite thing about the drive up there?  Hey Mom, is the trailer still back there?  Of course I had to look, of course they had to laugh!  We had this silly song on a loop that the kids said I would get tired of....they got tired of it before I did!  Ray said well, I guess we can still have fun.  The whole trip was worth it, just so they could see we can still have fun.  Things change but they don't have to change who you are.

It was hot, hot, hot in IL.  The kids stayed on the grounds in tents, we stayed at a hotel about 30 miles away.  We did pretty good until the last day (Saturday) it was just to hot to stay out and listen to the bands.  We left early but the kids had a great time.  It was neat to see them working together.  I was worried that the heat would bother Max but he did great.  There were times he went to see bands and all I wanted to do was stay at camp and read a good book instead of standing out in the sun!

We are slowly getting back into blending our old life with our new life.  We started going to the food pantry once a month and helping out.  Max was worried there wouldn't be anything for him to do, but they found him a job and forward we go.  

We once again are helping with the summer lunch program.  It fun to see the kids come in and be able to serve them.  Kids always have fun things to talk about.

We did have to get rid of most of our outside animals.  We tried to round up all the ducks, turkeys, and chickens.  We still have 8 guineas and 1 chicken.  We couldn't catch that last chicken.  She had been attacked by an owl and she's very good at getting away.  The funny/sad thing is now every time we walk out the door she runs away squakking!  Oh well, I miss the turkeys, we had them 6 years but the animals made such a mess on the porch that it was hard to get Max into the van without getting stuff on his wheels.  Not really a smell you want following you around!  

We finally have time and are together so we can go to bible study on Wednesday.  It's nice because the kids love to come and learn with us.  God is good and he always provides just what we need.
 
I pray you all are blessed and take time to count your blessing.  Life can change so fast and you never see it coming.  Never take your loved ones for granted! 

Happy Mothers Day! Written May 13, 2012 6:25pm

I woke up this morning missing my breakfast in bed.  Max is the cook in the house, just ask any of my kids...LOL   Mom can put a meal on the table but she really has to work to be a good cook.  Baker is a hat I wear with no problem....cook, well, I'm working on it!

So before I could really get into my oh poor me, God reminded me of all the blessing I have in my life.

I had a Godly Mom who never gave up praying for me even when I didn't look like I was coming back to God.  She prayed I would have a Godly husband even when on the outside you couldn't see it when I married.

I have a Dad who would do anything he could for me and loves me very much. 

I have children who are wonderful and are such a blessing to be with.

When I look over at Max sleeping next to me, I am reminded that a good sister in Christ lost her husband and friend of 56 + years Friday.

I think of a friend who's husband was so overwhelmed with things outside his control he decided in his pain he couldn't deal with it. 

I am surrounded by family and  friends who would do any thing they could to help me if I just asked and I'm lifted up in prayer.

While things are not the same, I am still so blessed beyond measure.  I sing a song of joy today for a God that never changes, never leaves, never disappoints.  I miss those I love but I know that we will be together again.  Not a seperation, just a long wait until I see them again.  I hate how distracted I am with the things that matter not and forget that those who love us are what matter. 

So this Mothers Day I want to say THANK YOU to everyone God has put in my life and in Max's.  I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so much love.  If I could I would send flowers to all of you!

A Hunting We will Go Written May 3, 2012 5:52pm

Well, add a new thing I need to do now....  The other night the chickens out front were squawking and I got up to see what was going on.  Ray had already left for work so I couldn't holler at him to come and help.

Out front was a fairly big oppossum.   Stupid oppossum, didn't it know it was supposed to run away?  Quickly run away?  Not wait for me to go inside, find a gun, go out and look again.....stupid oppossum still eating eggs,  go back in and find the rifle?   Not my favorite thing to do.  I knew if he wasn't going to run away when I was outside, he wouldn't be chased off by my duck who was sitting on eggs right next to it.

So last week, we had a raccoon somewhere outside.  The dogs were whining and wanting to go outside so I grabbed the gun and the flashlight.  Didn't see anything so I put the dogs back inside.  I walked around back and saw something in the woods jump down and take off running.  It's really hard to hold a huge spotlight and fire a rifle at the same time.  LOL!

Friday & Saturday Rheanna had a friend spend the night.  Friday night they stayed up until after 4:00....silly girls and  Saturday they went to bed at a fairly decent time.  Sometime after Ray went to work, I heard an awful sound on the back deck.  Yeah, same routine, grab a light, grab a gun, throw on the crocs and run out back.  Fired off several shots but didn't hit the raccoon.  I went in to google the sound I heard and it wasn't too long the girls came out.  Rheanna's poor friend was so freaked out.  Ooops, I really didn't think they would hear it.  Rheanna usually doesn't even wake up when there are critters outside.

I'm fairly good at shooting at a target, I really don't and have no desire to hunt so obviously I haven't got the raccoons yet.  We set a live trap and put snap traps inside so we didn't catch any of our animals.  I heard one making a loud racket but by the time we got outside it was gone.  There was a little fur in the snap trap but it had gotten loose.  Luckily I haven't seen or more importantly heard them.  ;o)  

Just another fun time at the Wachter house!

Friday Night in April Written April 27, 2012 10:51pm

It's crazy how time can be bent to any given situation.  If your waiting for a phone call ~ a minutes seems like eternity,  if your trying to get something done ~ a minute is gone before you blink your eyes!

There have been lots of things going on here at the Wachter house.  Max has a new standing glider.  Basically he transfer from his wheelchair to the seat of the glider.  We block his knees, put on a waist belt and then he can slowly be brought up to a standing position.  You don't realize how much gravity helps your body when your up and running until you no longer have that option.  It helps your bones, your blood pressure, your heart.  I didn't realize how much it helps Max mentally to be standing again.  So many things I take for granted.

We have a new bed now, well, two twin beds we can push together!  I told Max if he gave me to much grief I would push his bed to the other side of the room! LOL   They are great to sleep on, but sometimes a little hard to move Max where I need him.  I have a ah oh moment when I went to pull him and was standing up.....my lower back did something it was not supposed to do and brought me right on down.  I had to have the boys help me for a few weeks because what ever I did, it was not good.  I still have a few problems with it, but it is healing. 

At the end of April Max got a manual wheelchair.  It's good to have in case his electric one breaks down or the van breaks down.  It harder for him to stay in it for long because it's uncomfortable but it is smaller and an option for when we may need to go somewhere his other chair will not fit.  We are hoping to get some power wheels for the manual chair so he can push it better.   With his left hand not working it is harder for that "hand" to push.

Max has been going to rehab in Jefferson City 2 times a week.  It is really helping him get muscle tone in his left arm and they are working on his balance.  The plus side is he's getter stronger, the downside is it seems he has a lot more muscle spasms that make his legs kick out.  Sometimes by the end of the night he might move and both legs will kick straight out and just sorta bounce in the air.  It's the strangest thing!

We went to see Dr. Tanaka the 9th of April.  Max had been having a lot of trouble with his back ~ he kept telling me it felt like a screw was loose and moving around.  The week before we went to see Dr. Tanaka he was in so much pain they cut down his therapy until he saw the Dr.  Dr. Tanaka took xrays and told us that everything looked great, everything was in place and healing well.  When Max mentioned the pain she felt around and seemed to think it was the back muscles that were tense and sore.

One of the next things was she told Max that he inspired her to try and get a grant to research spinal cord injuries.  She's looking to try and minimize the damage to the spinal cord right after an injury.  Max felt pretty good.  He said he aggravated a lot of people but he never thought he would inspire somebody.

We are hoping to get some ideas of how to remodel the house so Max can have a bathroom/shower he can actually get into.  He wants to try and get something done before the fall rolls around.  I know he misses his shower.  I wasn't sure but I think I'm going to have them put a roof over the porch.  The van blocks my view of the driveway, so I figure I might as well keep the weather off of Max.  We put our craft tent up to see how it would work and Max said he did enjoy not setting out in the sun the other day when it was really hot.

It's been an adjustment going from Max being gone to having him home all the time.  We are slowly getting into a groove, venturing out to more.  I look forward to a time when Max isn't in so much pain, is much stronger and going out is always fun, not exhausting!

Our house is always open and he enjoys seeing and hearing from everybody.

I pray you all are enjoying your own journey, your family and your health.  I look forward to filling this journal with many more of our adventures!  Sometimes the journey from point A to point B is a slow, sometimes bleak expanse but God has promised that he is in control, he knows what he is doing and he will not be delayed.  I look back to how Max was in the hospital, compared to how he was at Rusk, to how he was when we left Rusk, to how he looks now.   It's easy to forget just how desperate some of those days were now we are in the slow march to getting better.  My prayer is to be content in the knowledge that this will not last forever, that life is made up of seasons.

Till next time,
Sherry

It's A Good Day Written February 22, 2012 12:52pm

I had everything all typed up and I guess I didn't get it saved...  ;o(  I hate it when I do that!
At the end of January Max saw Dr. Tanaka, she is his neuro surgeon.  She said everything is healing well and we will do another xray when he comes back at the end of April.
He saw Dr. Volgus the next day and he also said everything was healing well and he dismissed him.  He won't have to go back to him unless he has problems.
We went to Kansas City and spent some time with friends earlier in February.  I really had to stretch myself.... Max usually is the one who drives so I don't have to worry about where we are going, what the traffic is like, etc...   Max doesn't worry about those things!  I am not as confidant a driver as Max....yet!!   I made it up to our hotel in Kansas City without no problem.  Our friends had us follow them to Zona Rosa to eat out.   I guess somewhere along the way I forgot to tell them that I DON"T PARALLEL PARK!!  That was all there was where we were eating, there was a parking lot a couple of blocks away and I was going to let Max out and walk back to the restaurant.  As I drove around the block I passed one parking spot I thought I might squeeze into but wasn't really sure, then there was a huge parking spot on the right side that I could pull into and back up.  God is so good!!  I not only could park there but I could set the ramp down on the sidewalk.  Sometimes it is hard to find a place to put the ramp down because of flowers, trees and benches.   Who else but God will leave me a huge place to park when almost all the other spots were full.
We had a great time ~ good food, great friends and it was a blessing to be out and about.
We went back to Zona Rosa and did some window shopping.  It's like a huge shopping mall but set up like a downtown area.  All these great places all next to each other.
We stopped at The Brass Armadillo on the way home.  It is a huge indoor flea market.  It was nice because Max could get up high enough to see in most of the locked cases.  There was only a few places where we had to move items so Max could get around.  I was so tired of walking after 3 hours but Max wasn't tired at all. LOL
It's hard to explain just how our life has changed.  Someone asked him if he could tell them how his life has changed since the accident.......Max answered the better questions is how has it not changed.   Functioning with one hand has changed everything he does.  Think of something ~ it probably has to be done a different way or with someone elses help.  We all have to relearn things.  All those reminders to put things away after you use them......now we have to remind the kids & myself that we need to leave things out and on the edge of the counter.   The coffee pot has to be on the edge, the sugar has to be on the edge, the spices have to be on the edge, etc....  while those little grippers are nice, in reality they really don't do that great a job, not near as well as your hand used to do.
I miss going to flea markets and what I call knick knack shops.  Most of them are so stuffed full of stuff that Max can't get his chair around.  We noticed when we were at the Columbia Mall alot of stores are so crowded with stuff you can't take a chair in and shop.  We have a pie safe full of goodies we have found over the years at shops and craft shows.  I don't think his wheelchair will fit in most craft show tents now.  We are still trying to decide what to do with our nail stamping stuff.  I'm still selling but mainly out of the store in California.  When I don't do craft shows, people don't know much about it!
Max has started out patient therapy in Jefferson City and is going 3 days a week.  It's helping him get stronger and also making sure his legs are stretched out.  I pulled my back about a week ago and haven't been able to do as much as I used to.  I'm trying to minimize what I do while it heals.  Thankfully God is good and I'm healing quickly!  They have Max working on his balance, standing in a frame & doing a hand cycle.  The hand cycle strengthens his shoulders and builds his cardio.
We are waiting for a new bed, it will be nice to sleep close together without anyone having aches  & pains when they get up!  Max is also waiting for his gliding standing frame.  It will allow him to stand up and also exercise.
The neat thing is Max went out to the field Monday.  It was a nice day and a friend came by to see him.  They went to the field but wasn't sure if they could get across the water so on the way back Max got his chair stuck in the mud.   His friend had to pull him backwards out of the rut and his wheels were buried in mud.  Max came in and tracked mud everywhere!  Going in and out of the bedroom he would rub against the door and door frame and just scrape bigs gobs of mud off.  It made me smile!  I was so tickled!  Some would worry about the mess, I was excited because it meant Max felt good enough to get out and about.  I look forward to many more days of sweeping up mud in our house.
(The pictures of the wheels were taken the next day, a lot of the mud had already dropped off!!)
With so many things we can't do that we did before I'm looking forward to figuring out what we CAN DO!

Promising Dr Appt Written January 22, 2012 9:08pm

The new van is riding nice! I really enjoy having the hands free phone so I don't have to take my hands off the wheel. My phone now rings more than it ever did before the accident.  Nurses, dr. appt, therapists, children, friends.....I could get used to this phone thing!

Friday we went to Dr. Colbert ~ the plastic surgeon.  He seemed to indicate last time there wasn't really much he could do for us.  This time he was tapping on Max's arm and asked him to tell him when it was tingling.  There were several areas that were tingling and Dr. Colbert seemed to think that it may be nerves coming back.  He said it may take time but he was hopeful.  I believe God's report that he will be fully restored ~ God is not delayed so it's not in my timing, but God's.

Next week while we have things to do, we don't have anymore dr. appointments until Jan 30 & 31st. I'm ready for warm weather so we can get out and do more things.  I ready to see what Max  can and can't do. We have been talking about if we are going to do craft shows again.  I"m not sure even with 2 booths it would work.  Rheanna & Zack are not real hip on doing shows and they would both have to step up if we did them.  I'm not sure what Max would be able to do from the wheelchair.  It takes a lot of room to turn that mini atv around! LOL

I just wanted to take a minute to update everyone about what is going on in the Wachter house.  The kids are thinking we should do a blog and set up a site where Max could tell railroad stories.....I may have to look into that!

You all be blessed and stop by if you have a minute.