As of tonight, Vernon has been sent back to Mesa Verde.  This round took a lot out of him and he still hasn’t returned to the Vernon of two weeks ago. I have been hearing stories of other brilliant men (without Brain injury) who were thrown off mentally for months because a UTI got the better of them. So we crawl slowly out of this space, believing that his mental and physical setback is only temporary.  The doctors think that getting back to a more normal environment will be better for him, that he will be less likely to contract MORE infections, as he won’t be prodded and poked every couple of hours.  And if there is a need to return to the hospital, his care home is only a couple miles away.

A couple of weeks ago, when I asked for suggestions for Vernon’s birthday playlist, his sister Vanessa sent in ELO’s Mr Blue Sky. She mentioned the vivid memories of their sitting around their childhood lounge, listening to this song on repeat.

It came to mind again today as I took a coffee break and the winter sky was blue as can be. Shocking how just getting outside and lifting my eyes up can make a difference.  There is ALWAYS something bigger than my little world. Always something more. In the course of my travels through the hospital halls this morning (an elevator trip or two, sitting in a waiting room) I overheard two stories of people preparing to say their last goodbyes to a beloved parent and another story of a possible overdose death. And I’m sure there are many more stories like that every day inside those walls.  As I walked out into the sunshine of the cafe patio, I remembered to count my blessings. Vernon is leaving this place. That is a GOOD thing.  When I start to feel sorry for our family or overwhelmed because we seem to have just taken another long-cut on the recovery journey, I am reminded we still have HOPE.  We still have a future. Vernon still has hope and a a future.  It doesn’t matter how he will get there, but that he will! It doesn’t matter how we will function till then, but that we will.

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” —Rabindranath Tagore

So there’s that…