Four years. 

As I awaken to the sound of an unsteady walk with tennis shoes clunking on the hardwood floor I’m reminded daily of Jared’s struggle and how his story has unfolded since his accident. I realize he has given up on sleep for the night as I hear the tumbling of ice into his cup as he makes his morning iced coffee at 3:20. 

It’s been four years since the accident that left him lying on the ground, unable to move. To say he has come a long way is an understatement. He went from laying on the pavement unable to breath on his own to walking, talking, eating and coming home to his family ten months later. 

I have a vivid memory of the night I got the dreaded call. I have a searing image in my head of a video I saw of the scene of the hit and run accident (that we endured in the courtroom) that haunts me. His book bag and tennis shoes spewed, the last picture of Jared’s body comatose as the flashing lights around him highlight blood on the pavement. The last picture of what used to be Jared- his personality and soul forever changed. My heart forever changed. 

     Instead of measuring life by minutes like we did that night as we huddled together in the waiting room, we now measure life by the milestones throughout the years as we try and mend a broken-hearted family and son that didn’t deserve this thing we call catastrophic brain injury. I still have to remind myself to live one day at a time and pray for Gods strength, peace and wisdom to help me through it, not just to simply get over it. 

But on this 4th anniversary I don’t want to focus on the negative but on the positive because that is what Jared wanted. He said he “didn’t want to celebrate his brain injury but he wanted to celebrate all the things he can do now and how God is using him to bless other people.” Wow! 

    So here you go!  Jared continues to enjoy various local coffee shops (thank you Nancy and Jeff at The Sippin Flea for your encouragement) and going out to lunch with friends or family. His friend Todd takes him to Capital pancakes and Aromas every Saturday without fail where he is well known by everyone. He still reminds me that he is famous in Williamsburg. In fact, three days in a row someone reached out to him while we were in town. It makes his day as he returns home and excitedly rehashes the conversations, remembering every name. 

He still loves to take car rides, loves to listen to all sorts of music. He has graduated from being “Uno Master” to the “Game Master.” He is also very focused on the weather— all his activities revolve around the weather. He is very sensitive to the heat and he allows the weather to dictate what he is willing or not willing to do. He loves spending time with his friends- some new and some not so new-but it is usually a highlight of his week when someone comes by and takes him out. 

     His mornings are his best times. He is happy, joking, always greeting me with wide open arms and a kiss on my cheek, asking me how I slept, and letting me know he prayed for my day and for many others. He often sends text messages in the morning to those he prayed for. 

     His left foot still drags a little at times because his leg remains stiff but he gets around really well, only falling occasionally. His speech probably remains one of his biggest obstacles—that and his own stubbornness and refusal to have any further therapy. 

     He still works 1-2 hours a week (weather permitting of course!) at Chickahominy Riverfront Park,  where as he says, he “keeps the park beautiful.”

     He is tormented at times complaining about thoughts in his head he can’t get rid of or about his brain injury still affecting his life. He gets very frustrated when we can’t understand him and is constantly looking to us to provide the next form of entertainment, talking (in his hurried slur) non-stop. His mood frequently changes but he is fairly quick to come back and apologize for any bad behaviors or hurt feelings, wanting the reassurance that everything is “ok”. 

In spite of his frustration, he chooses prayer every morning, worship songs on car rides and Church day is still his favorite day of the week. He has a strong connection to the Lord which brings me comfort because God can understand everything Jared says,  feels and thinks even before he attempts to utter a word. All in all I believe Jared is happy and experiences joy in his soul. He will tell anyone who listens that “God survived me so I could be a blessing to others”. As a Mom, that’s what I pray for—for all my kids—that they would find true in spite of life’s circumstances. 

If you have read this long update thank you. As a family we still covet your prayers for Jared— that God will continue to heal his body, that Jared will be receptive to speech therapy, that one day he will live independently, and that he will continue to seek the Lord all the days of his life. Thank you all for your love and support. May the next four years of everyone’s life be for a higher purpose and to give others a blessing as Jared does.