Monthly Archives: June 2013

June 30, 2013 · 10:56 am

He goes before us….

ImageDeuteronomy 31.6 & 8 ~ This was our scripture reading in our devotional this morning.  Once again God is providing His comfort during times of need.  His timing is perfect…as always.  

Mom is having another procedure done today due to the development of blood clots in one of her legs.  Normally the doctor would prescribe blood thinners to combat the clots…but due to mom’s situation – blood thinners being the culprit of the brain bleed – they can not use blood thinners.  She will have a vena cava filter inserted in her abdomen to catch any blood clots that might break lose and head to the lungs.  She will have this procedure done this morning…Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m.  

We thank God for going before her in all of this. We thank Him for having a solution to this problem.  We thank Him for our family of supporters through prayer.  As of now, we still have July 2 as a release date…but we know that could change due to this new development. Thank you for your continued prayers!

We are trusting our Lord Jesus Christ with ALL our heart!

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June 25, 2013 · 5:16 pm

M.O.M. – Mom Overcoming Mountains & Mom’s Outstanding Moments….

Today has been filled with MOM – Mom Overcoming Mountains and Mom’s Outstanding Moments!  She has had a great day and a good two days.  She did end up having the CTA (CT with contrast dye in brain) just to make sure everything was still normal and PRAISE THE LORD – it was!!!  The doctors believe the speech issues were caused by the medication they gave her to remain alert during the day.  Needless to say, she is has not been on it for two days and she is a different person.  Woo hoo!

Mom is steadily climbing and overcoming the mountains ahead of her.  Her journey is providing her (and us) with some outstanding moments. 🙂  Today, Dad and I changed places.  He is with mom and I am at home – my home away from home in Arkansas.  Dad was able to witness some moments during her therapy sessions.  She beat him in golf on the Wii.  LOVE it! First, I love that they played the Wii. I wish I had been there to see it! Secondly, I LOVE she beat him!!! He called because he was so excited they got to play golf together.  They also got to putt with a real putter and turf hole. I think they both had trouble. 🙂  These moments are priceless!!!! We thank God for them!

Mom also has a release date of early next week.  We are waiting to hear if she can have her bone flap replaced before she leaves as well. The date may change if this is possible!  God’s is moving mountains and Mom is climbing them.  She will be home sweet home very soon! Thanks to each of you for all of your prayers.  Your prayers are getting her up the steep inclines of this journey.  She can feel them and so can we. We are so very thankful!

These are the outstanding moments that are drawing our family together.  God is blessing us through this very difficult time. We are reminded daily we are so blessed to be where we are with mom.  When we visit the rehabilitation gym each day, we see firsthand how blessed we are…tremendously!  I also received sad news from a friend today.  Her family had tragedy hit this week.  In the midst of her struggles she reminded me, “we are all on our new journey that seems overwhelming at the time. Our only hope is in HIM and we have to cling to that!”  I couldn’t have said it better…thanks friend! I love you and we are praying for you and your family!!!

God is our strength in times of trouble.  He is are comforter. He is our father.  He is our great physician and we are calling on Him to help us through this journey.

The pictures  you see below are random photos from my parents’ home.  One is purely to make mom and dad smile…they will get it when they see it.  One is a mailbox.  Mom is lookin’ toward the next mailbox minute by minute and day by day!  She is MAKIN’ it to the next mailbox too! We are so proud of her strength, her faith, her determination and her gumption.  She is such an inspiration.

We were talking about her humor through this ordeal today.  It has become more pronounced along with her laughter and smiling.  While talking about this over lunch she said, “we’ve gotta make it funny!”  She has such a positive outlook.  I have always loved my mom and dad beyond what words can describe and this new journey has shown me why – they both look for the good in ALL things! The love they have for one another is indescribable.  They love God first and each other second and it is so very evident.  God has them in His hands!!! We have and will continue to learn more about this love by watching them throughout this journey! So very blessed!

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THE MAILBOX

 “Just make it to the next mailbox!”

A mom and dad would say,

As they and their daughter

were out running one day.

 They, knowing another mailbox lay ahead-

As she was ready to call it quits-

would push her to persevere instead.

 With every mailbox successfully passed,

She made the victory lap to home at last.

 To this day the message is still very clear…

Struggles will come and try to steal your cheer.

But as the mailboxes came and went…

She learned…

In the end the prize will be held dear for the endurance that was spent.

“Just make it to the next mailbox,” they would say.

What is your mailbox today?

written by Trish Newsom

The Taylor Family is aware of their current mailbox. How about you?

  • Anything is possible through the Strength of God

Philippians 4:13 NIV
I can do everything through him who gives me strength

  • Through him the weak become strong

Isaiah 40:29 NIV
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak

  • Ask God for strength

Psalm 119:28 NIV
My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

  • How strong is God?

Numbers 11:23 NIV
The Lord answered Moses ” Is the Lord’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”

  • Who is your source of Strength?

Psalm 18:32-34 NIV
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

  • Do not be afraid

Psalm 27:1 NIV
The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall i fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?

  • God will uphold you in his right hand

Isaiah 41:10 NIV
So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

  • God will not give you more than you can handle

1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

  • Lean on God and you will not be tired

Isaiah 40:31 NIV
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on the wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint

  • Love of God brings strength

Mark 12:30 NIV
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength

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June 24, 2013 · 11:29 am

Positive news…

Mom’s speech issues have not yet resolved. She had another MRI yesterday and the results were once again normal.  The doctor came in this morning and said the MRI showed the blood is being reabsorbed in the brain.  This causes irritation and could be part of the problem.  They have also stopped one of her medications to see if that was part of problem.  The purpose of the medication was to keep her awake.  Therapy will do that today! She has  a full day ahead of her. 🙂  She is moving forward slowly but, she is moving forward! Thanks for your continued prayers!!!  We are learning to LGLG and be flexible…This is positive news! We are happy normal keeps coming back and healing is happening!

Once again my devotionals were very timely….20120424-213007.jpg

“Blessed are the flexible, for verily, they shall not be broken.”

Revelation 21.5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Luke 18.27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Philippians 4.19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 37.3-4 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

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June 22, 2013 · 7:41 pm

The highlight of the day!

Great news and good times! EEG shows NO seizures! Praise the Lord! Once again it leaves us with questions, so tomorrow we will talk to the doctors to see if yet another test will be ordered.  Still praying for answers!

Good times were had immediately following the good news.  I believe mom seeing Jasmine is such an important part of this healing process.  It was heart-warming to see the bond between mom and dad, mom and Jasmine, and mom, dad and Jasmine.  I hope I caught even a glimpse of it below. God is good all the time!

Ephesians 5:20  Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

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June 22, 2013 · 1:58 pm

Newest update on mom…

Her MRI was normal! Praise the Lord~this is great news! But we still don’t have an answer. She is currently having an EEG which will help determine if there is any seizure activity.  If so, they will up meds.  If not, another test.  Pray we find answers quickly as this is frustrating her very sharp mind!  

We are very pleased with the sense of urgency the doctors have shown.  They are ready to have answers too.  Being it is the weekend, we are refreshed by that!!  We could not be more pleased with the care she is receiving.  Everyone is treating her like she is their mom! So thankful!!!

One great thing is they are allowing mom and dad’s dog Jasmine to visit her today.  Once the EEG is taken off she will reunite with Jasmine.  She is SOOOO excited. 🙂 I thank God for the small creatures in life that mean so much and can bring healing. She is holding mom and dad together now.  

Col. 1:16 – All things were created by Him and for Him and in Him all things hold together.

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June 21, 2013 · 12:57 pm

LGLG ~ Let Go & Let GOD!

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You know how hard this is during this difficult time??? EXTREMELY! But we are trusting God has mom in His right hand!

Mom is having a MRI right now because of intelligible speech.  Mom has had spells where her speech becomes muddled.  She is aware of what she is saying but her ability to articulate it is difficult.  The spells didn’t last too long and were one time a day until yesterday.  The doctors, nurses and therapists told us this is normal for a brain injury.  But yesterday it happened more frequently and lasted longer than five minutes – of course we are worried.  After talking to the doctor this morning, they scheduled the MRI. Yesterday she had a CT scan and it came back normal.  In fact they said her brain looks much better.  We are grateful for this but we need answers for this new development.  Something is going on and we need to know what!  We are on the right track now.  I will update more on this issue once I know.

As I sit in the MRI waiting room I started searching for images showing God is in control. During my search, I found this on the Suzels Says blog (http://suzelssays.blogspot.com/2012/03/let-go-and-know-that-god-is-in-control.html):

Let Go and Know that GOD is in Control

My cousin, Katie, once told me this. “Sometimes I’m happy life is hard because it’s during the hard times that you become closer to God. If we were all honest in our faith, we would pray for trials and tribulations so we can grow closer to Him.”

Wow- talk about how much trust you need to have in your God to actually be able to pray for something like that to happen. When you have heartache, let go and know that God is in control.

Just a thought.

Another Godincidence…He knew I need this today! Thank you Lord!  Mom and our family are TAYLOR STRONG!  We are trusting and putting LGLG practice.  

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June 18, 2013 · 4:09 pm

Seeking His FACE…

My second devotional reading this morning was even more on target than my first.  God truly know where we are and what we need.  Mom’s next new mantra is “patient endurance.”  Being a go-getter it is hard for her to slow down.  She will and can do it.

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Psalm 105.4 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

Isaiah 40.31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Lamentations 3.24-26 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

These days we seldom have to  wait patiently for an answer or request. Today, we expect everything at lightning speed and assume tomorrow’s response will probably arrive even faster!

So it’s easy to start expecting God to work this way; that we’ll pray in the morning and have an answer by lunch. We think God isn’t listening because it’s taking so long.

God wants us to wait with patient endurance for answers and then, watch “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2 NIV). Waiting on God is how we were designed so that we would be always aware of Him at every moment.

What are you waiting for? God’s timing coupled with our patience renews our strength, increases trust (faith), ensures obedience, and leads us to peace. Can you be patient with God?

Lord I seek you today! I pray for strength on this journey. You have been so very good to our family.  You have taken mom to heights we didn’t expect to see so soon. You have had your hand of protection on her this whole time. You knew in advance all of this would be happening. You knew you would be the one we lean on. You knew we would be angry, frustrated, stressed, confused, sad, excited, happy and the list goes on.  You also knew  we knew you were our protector and our comforter.  You want us to reach out to you and ask for help.  So here I am seeking your face!!  And of course you are answering daily with many Godincidences…

Your face has shown up so much from the beginning! For dad it was the EMT workers who first responded to the 911 call.  Your face showed up when you had her airlifted to the best of the best – even though her PA is a Mizzou fan. 🙂  Your face showed up when the doctors joked about mom’s skull being in the cafeteria freezer.  Your face showed up on all of the faces of the ICU nurses. They cared for her like she was their own mom.  Your face showed up on a cleaning lady at the hospital who went out of her way to help us and then came back to get a piece of mail I needed mailed.  You face showed up when the physical therapist worked with mom and discussed how awesome it would be for God to trust us enough to go through trials like Job.  Your face showed up on the Debbie, the patient care advocate that assured us mom was in the right place after a scary start to a regular room. (She was off-balance going to the bathroom and very unsteady! Her CNA said her paperwork stated she didn’t need assistance. NOT!) Your face showed up on Sara, the other patient in mom’s room.  We wanted a private room but the Lord knew we would need Sara.  I decided to go to the hotel to get rest. It was a very conflicted decision! During the night, Mom couldn’t find the call button and tried to get out of bed on her own.  Sara called the nurses.  Mom was okay but Miss Independent wanted to do it herself.  She gained herself a new roommate after that-me.  Your face showed up in the caring nurses and CNAs on the floor.  They would check on her even if they weren’t assigned to her again.  Your face showed up in the beautiful flowers she has received.  And who gets flowers from a car dealership, a pharmacy and an auto part company? My mom! She is so loved!  Your face has shown up through the numerous emails, phone calls and Facebook posts. Your face has shown up with the visitors she has received. She is receiving all of the love she has so generously given out all these years!!!

She is amazing. She is still caring about others around her – cleaning the sink when she is finished brushing her teeth.  Sharing the TV with Sara and worried that she is the one controlling it.  Little things like this show me how blessed we have been because she is doing what Eddie Lou Taylor does naturally! It is still there. Praise the Lord!

Thanks for joining us on this journey! My blog will be my letter to the world about my mom…about my dad…about the AMAZING FAMILY the Lord has blessed me with.  We are running this marathon together…good thing we are all active. 🙂 Until next time!

ALSO – We are now officially on the rehabilitation floor. Woo hoo! Let the work begin!! Thanks for your prayers…we feel them.

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June 17, 2013 · 9:09 pm

A marathon of a different type…Taylor Strong!

The Boston Marathon was two months ago today! (I started this on June 15, 2013. Hospital life is much busier than I expected.)  Wow, how time flies.  As we live life, we have no idea how one event in your life will prepare you for another.  How that event will be similar in so many ways to another event you are unaware will happen.

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God knew on April 15, 2013 as I ran the Boston Marathon that on June 12, 2013 I would start running a different kind of marathon.  He knew my dad would be calling me early in the morning with news that would be life-changing as were the Boston bombings. God knew I would need endurance of a different kind to deal with this marathon.  He knew I would draw on my marathon training to sustain while on this new journey.

During that phone call, Dad told me mom had either had a stroke or a brain aneurysm.  She awakened at 2:00 am with a headache and throwing up.  She tried to go into the living room to rest so she wouldn’t bother daddy.  She stumbled and dad heard her.  He rushed to her and noticed how unsteady she was and tried to help her.  She continued to be unsteady and daddy realized he needed help. He called 911.  The EMTs were there quickly and rushed her to Mercy Hospital in Rogers, Arkansas.  Upon her arrival they knew she needed specialized help.  She was airlifted to Mercy St. John’s Trauma Center in Springfield, Missouri and had aggressive brain surgery.  It turns out she had a  subdural hematoma, which is a collection of blood outside the brain.

Mom had a section of the size of an adult hand cut out of her skull and the bleed was stopped.  To ensure the swelling continues to go down, mom will be without this bone flap for a month or so.  They will keeping her bone flap in the freezer.  The doctor’s physician’s assistant told us it would be in the cafeteria.  It was good to have a bit of humor from the docs. Once the healing process is far enough along they will replace the bone flap.  Due to the fact mom will have a part of her head missing, she has to wear a beautiful blue helmet.  🙂  She is thrilled! We will add bling to it soon.  She has decided she wants Danica Patrick’s race number because she has become so speedy. This helmet will keep her safe.

This blog was started on a day mom was moving slowly and unbalanced.  A day she was mumbling and confused.  A day we were unsure how quickly her recovery would go.  I can JOYFULLY say that on this day as I write…She is walking with assistance but without a walker.  She is mentally SHARP.  She is speeding along in her recovery.  The occupational therapist and physical therapist that worked with her this weekend were both SHOCKED by the gains she made in 12 hours.  She was a different person Day #2.

We were told mom would probably be ready for in-patient rehabilitation by Wednesday.  Well, our over-achieving mom is ready TODAY – Monday.  She met with the rehabilitation doctor today and she is ready to go.  We are now just waiting on a room to open.  Once there she will receive intensive therapy 3 hours a day, 5 days a week.  Then HOME! I will be in Missouri until mom is released to go home to Arkansas.  Then I will spend my summer in Arkansas with mom and dad.  We are so blessed that I have a teaching job and can be here to help!  Once again, the Lord’s provision.

We are so VERY, VERY thankful for all the blessings God is giving to us minute by minute!!! God has been so very good. Prayers are going up from Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, California, Texas, New York, Florida, Oklahoma, England, France and I am sure many more places I am unaware of.  If you read this and you are from a different location, comment below so we know.  🙂

The Lord allowed us to start seeing blessings from the get-go.  He enabled the whole family to gather to support mom.  Rob and Lisa were able to come to Missouri as well as Rob’s wife, Mari and their daughter, Aspen.  Lisa’s daughter Lane made the trip with her.  The other family members were with us in spirit and through prayers.  Aspen is four years old and kept us entertained dancing, coloring and singing GOING ON A BEAR HUNT. 🙂  Aspen and Lane brought a huge smile to mom’s face when she saw her grandchildren.  Taylor, Lane’s sister, sent well wishes to mom via video from her new 3 month old baby boy.  He made us all smile with his sweet cooing.  Blessings of the family we have can not be measured…we have an amazing family!

Mom was surrounded physically with her loving family.  But we also know she was surrounded by love through prayers from so  many others.  We have seen the many prayers answered.  Dad has been overwhelmed by the outpouring love from all over.  I told him I totally understand because I had that feeling after Boston.  It is humbling to be on this side of a near tragedy.  Once again I am learning life is so very precious.  Life is short.  Relationships are KEY!

We have a new mantra – Taylor Strong! Mom is a pillar of strength. She is a very strong woman.  She has had so many emails describing her as that and as a fighter!!!  She is. She will run the race set before her and she will cross the finish line set before her.

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We have experienced many Godincidences during this hospital stay. I will blog about them next…stay tuned!

Praising the Lord and still running blessed even though it is a marathon of a different type for Him – Trish

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