#TheGoodFight 1 Timothy 6:12 & 18

“Fight the good fight of the faith…Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share”.

It was one year ago when this Caring Bridge was started, so Kathleen and I thought it was only appropriate to do one final post.

Needless to say, the past year has been one wild and crazy year. We went to Grady Hospital on Tuesday night, June 12, 2018, not knowing what to expect. We were shocked and in disbelief when we were told what to expect during the upcoming weeks and months, and we were horrified when we finally saw Brendan 6+ hours after arriving at the hospital. I know Pat's parents experienced the same shock, disbelief, and horrified feelings we experienced.

During the next forty-five plus days, it was a roller coaster of a ride with some never experienced before lows mixed with some of the most joyful moments we have ever experienced. There were times we knew we were in a very dark, deep valley, but there were times where our optimism and faith told us there was no doubt we would get through this valley.

The support we received during these weeks and months was immeasurable and unimaginable until we were placed in the situation we found ourselves in. Our family and our friends from church, the community, college and high school and previous places we lived provided what we needed to get through this nightmare we were suddenly engulfed in, and there were plenty of "strangers" who also stepped into our lives that made an impact that cannot be explained in a single sentence or two.

Something we realized, probably for the first time in our lives, was how God had a hand in everything that was happening. Between the support from family and friends, the strangers who showed up at the hospital, the people we met at the hospital, the medical team at Grady and the people we met at a nearby church, we saw God's presence more than we had ever experienced before. I would have to go back to all the notes Kathleen and I jotted down to recount all the examples we could describe, and Kathleen and I could probably write a chapter or two, or maybe a book, about them.

Over the course of the past year, we have said thank you in this Caring Bridge site many, many times, and we want to say thank you one more time for the prayers, visits, gift cards, meals and everything else that was provided to us.

Last night, Brendan, Pat, Win and Pat's brother celebrated the past year and their survival by going to the Braves game. I can say without a doubt we are all thankful for the gift of life and have a very different appreciation for so many things than we had 366 days ago. Would we want the ability to reverse what happened? That is a question I know some people have asked themselves when going through a hardship, and sometimes the answer is no, people would not turn back time. Given the opportunity to turn back time, I would say absolutely, turn back time and avoid this period of turmoil we went through. However, I know that is not possible, and we have all done our best to deal with the cards we were dealt, have faith things will improve, and to persevere.

Lastly, I cannot close out this final post without a comment about our daughter, Bethany. She is still going through her long recovery from MALS surgery and has some chronic illness(es) such as POTS that we are still trying to figure out. She continues to make progress and we are thankful for each day forward. While this is another example where I would turn back time to avoid what she is going through, we do not have that option and need to have the same faith to persevere.

Thank you for letting us share this journey of the past year through this web site. It has been an amazingly effective way to keep friends and family updated on everything, and it has been therapeutic at the same time.