J-pouch Life

Alright, I’m just bragging now – but it is INCREDIBLE being a healthy couple again!  I simply appreciate every thing so much more now that Mark is healthy, it is like I am more alive and aware because I know now what it means to present in every moment in life.  You know, to cope with living sick for so many years, I learned to just be present because if I tried to look at the big picture it was too overwhelming at times, especially in those sick stages where it seemed hopeless to get him healthy (i.e. repeated failure of medicines prior to surgery decision, temporary and incorrect diagnosis of Crohn’s/colitis blood markers when prepping for surgery, health insurance complications, etc…).  So for me, I got a point where it was a day by day coping with the disease, and that skill  has benefited me today by allowing me to be really present in the great moments that occur now!  For me an unexpected benefit of learning how to cope with long-term and serious chronic disease, is learning how to enjoy the good moments to their fullest when they occur.

I already told you about how Mark and myself were going to be House Captains for a weekend volunteer project in Athens called Hands on Athens.  The objective of HOA is to help low-income individuals renovate their home over a weekend.  It is a wonderful service, and we took on the challenge. Mark was in charge, and we had over 50 student volunteers and family/friends turn out to help.

Over the weekend we gave the homeowner, Ms. Emma Jean a new exterior, stopped her squirrels in the roof problem, painted, cleaned her yard and most importantly, we installed a new kitchen!  Emma Jean had water damage over the years from a leaky roof she was unable to replace in a timely fashion. Her kitchen and other parts of the home suffered severe water damage, that eventually led to an inability to use her kitchen cabinets.  We were able to install a new beautiful kitchen, and the best part was over the weekend we learned from a homeless woman that Emma Jean helps feed that Emma Jean is known to feed the homeless that live under the bridge near her home.  No working kitchen and yet she still was able to feed those in need – what a remarkable woman! So, we know this kitchen won’t go to waste.

Back to my point of the post, it is incredible to no longer be so focused on ourselves and getting Mark healthy and keeping our family afloat that we can now focus on others. We’ve just had so many people take care of us through our hard times, that it is about time we can give back when/where needed.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

These posts might also help out:

• April 5, 2010 -- Home from Surgery #1 (1)
• November 10, 2009 -- 6 Months Later: Jaypouchirifical (22)
• January 28, 2009 -- Meet My Hernia (3)
• January 22, 2009 -- Workin’ It, J-Pouch style. (2)