Dear Friends:
Well, today it’s been a year since the accident. I wondered what it would feel like, whether it would make any difference in the way this day evolved. In many ways, October 6, 2007 seems so, so long ago. Much has happened; Will has been through a lot. The photo you see is Will leaving the nest, going off to college (back in August) as we packed the van for his first day. He’s attending Oglethorpe University (here in Atlanta), living on campus and taking a full load of classes. It’s tough and he’s working extremely hard. In fact, I recently told him he needed to break from studying, as I thought he was too consumed with it. It was the 2nd ironic thing he’s heard this year, because earlier his occupational therapist said it would help his processing speed to play a lot of video games. So, I envision myself yelling at Will next time he’s home, reprimanding him because he’s studying too much and telling him to get his butt in here and start playing Halo.
On a more serious note, this will be the last journal entry for Will and I want to say thank you for traveling this unwanted journey with us. There’s a lot of mixed emotions we’ve gone through this last year and we are incredibly indebted to you for your prayers, your concern, your watching out for us. I know you really do care and that means so much, because some days it was just plain hard. Thanks. Also, I’m grateful we were able to rekindle some old friendships (and make new ones), though I would have preferred under different circumstances.
Where is Will at? Well, I’ll try and go through a few bullet points and then you can know how to pray for him.
• Physically, he’s walking (with a limp) and still favors the left side, particularly his left arm and hand. He’s made progress but this will be something he’ll need to continue addressing. Away at college, it’s his thing and he doesn’t have his parents nagging him like he’s used to. So, pray for continued recovery.
• Mentally, he’s come so far. I remember when he couldn’t recall who had been in the room five minutes prior. The processing speed (of his brain) has been reduced somewhat and he still has to deal with routing (forgetting how to get somewhere) issues. We don’t know if he’ll fully recover this or not. As you’ve read previously, it takes a while for the brain to wake up. Still, we are thankful for how far he has come.
• Visually, he continues in therapy. His peripheral vision is a bit better and is working on different aspects of his sight.
• He was recently pre-evaluated by Shepherd for a possible driving evaluation. Yikes. Even typing this, I get a little nervous. It remains to be seen whether the neurologist will sign off and let him be evaluated at this time. We’re not pushing it but at some point, he’ll want to try it again. I can’t blame him.
• Socially, he’s doing great. Someone asked me yesterday whether he had lost his personality and clearly he hasn’t. Same ole Will. Articulate, funny, creative, easy going. I really enjoy being around him and I think people enjoy him too, even though they don’t always get his humor.
It’s funny. I really miss Will, though he’s about 10 miles down the road. I see him every week, because I pick him up for therapy. I guess we were around each other so much this past year, that Debbie and I now need a Will fix. He’s taught us so much through his strength and perseverance, which I attribute to God’s grace. Will, unintentionally and intentionally made us stop and reflect. He caused us to think more deeply about others, to consider the hurts and pains we all go through. For us, it’s a daily struggle to not get caught up in things that don’t really matter, but God (using Will) has made us think a bit more about that which does matter. Though, I’d like to turn back the clock, I’m thankful that Will has caused us to say thank you God for this day for we truly do not know what tomorrow may bring.
Our God, we are grateful that you chose to spare Will’s life. We realize you could have easily taken him but we trust that you kept him here for a purpose. We pray for all those who read this entry that they too would reflect upon your purpose for their life, that they would say thank you God for this day and they too would seek you and your will.
God bless you all. We love you and are hopeful we can stay in touch.
Bob and Debbie Carter
1070 Tuxedo Drive
Roswell, Ga. 30075
770-594-8048
BobC@Perimeter.org
ldcarter29@gmail.com
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