Wed., Jan 23

Today is the day! 

Last night, the hospital bed was delivered and set up. Today I will try to get to the hospital well before noon to pack up Clem and prepare to take him out of St. Francis. He should be released by noon; that depends on doctor's orders and when we get Clem's medicines to take home with us from the hospital's pharmacy. If the weather is decent, we will bring Clem home for a couple of hours to unpack him and make sure everything is in place before we leave for Shreveport (we may be back late on Thursday from Shreveport). Clem and I and his parents will stay overnight in a hotel and bring Clem to the hospital about 6:30 a.m. for his surgery.

Many thanks to Clay and Mike P. for getting the ramp built, for installing grab bars and all the other things that needed to be done so that Clem can move about safely through the house. I know that Clem will be excited to know that everything is prepared and ready. Thanks also to Clay for providing the materials for the ramp and his return trip to make the ramp skid proof. Thanks to Terri, Becky and Karen for taking care of our girl when we are away. Thanks to you all, everyone of you for your prayers and everything that you have done to make all this possible and to allow us to focus on Clem and getting him home. Words cannot express how grateful we are to you all. We just cannot say enough.

Please continue to pray for safe travel, a restful night, a smooth transition back to the hospital, contact with people to sew up loose ends at LSU, a successful surgery, and Clem's ability to be ready to come home quickly after his surgery. Also please pray for all those loose ends that always crop up even after careful preparations. Your prayers are what have uplifted us and kept us all strong. God has been faithful to bless us with His careful attention to our needs and with His love which is from everlasting to everlasting. We serve a great God. DV