The Wonder of Joy

Hello faithful family, friends, and followers and welcome to March. While March has several special designations for the month and certainly special days like St. Patrick’s Day, Pi Day, and others, it also happens to be Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month, something which of course is near and dear to our hearts and while the available statistics are a bit outdated, here just a few of the facts:

• In 2021, there were 69,473 TBI-related deaths in the United States. 


• In 2020, there were about 214,110 TBI-related hospitalizations. 


• Adults 65 and older are at greatest risk for being hospitalized and dying from a TBI. 


• Falls are the cause of nearly half of all TBI-related hospitalizations. 


• Unintentional motor vehicle crashes are a common cause of TBI-related deaths. 


• About 50% of people with TBI will experience further decline in their daily lives. 


• Some people may be able to return to the same level of ability they had before TBI, while others need lifetime care. 


• TBI affects the lives of people of all ages. 

As we live daily with the reality of a TBI, we are so thankful for God's grace and mercy shown and for each of you who have followed us faithfully, praying for healing, restoration, strength, and encouragement. For Joy, this will be a life long battle, as it is for many more people than I ever realized before this happened to us. So, as you make your way through March, we appreciate your continued prayers for Joy’s TBI journey, but also encourage you to be mindful of perhaps others in your sphere of influence who may be survivors as well and who could use a prayer and word of encouragement themselves.

Now, on to the reason for my title, “The Wonder of Joy.” While Joy is certainly a wonder, that’s not really my focus, but rather I’m referring to the childlike wonder that Joy shows day after day, most days, that is so heartwarming that it often brings me to tears.

Last week, Joy shared in her own blog post her appreciation for Jesus’ love for and attention shown to the little children whom he called to himself and blessed, stating that the kingdom of heaven belongs to “such as these.” Joy shared she often feels childlike as a result of her injury and the permanent brain damage she suffered. The struggle to find words due to her aphasia, the labored efforts to read, the struggle to understand things that used to be common knowledge for her, all have left her feeling, again, rather childlike.

Now, I honor her feelings and we often spend time talking through the challenges and limitations that lead to these feelings, but, I also want to acknowledge what an amazing brain Joy has. She still has a wondrous mind, that helps me daily in so many ways. Her memory of conversations, schedules, past events, and where I’ve left things, is flawless. Her reasoning and suggestions for plans and daily tasks/activities are amazing, efficient, and oh so helpful. So while I know Joy feels childlike in many ways, she is anything but childlike in her abilities which she displays daily.

However, one very childlike characteristic which I love and alluded to above, is her ability to have the wonder of a child in some of the most simple but precious ways. It may be on a walk or enjoying a meal together or reading a story or having spent time with family, Joy will spontaneously respond with, “This is amazing!” Or “This is wonderful!” All with a mile wide smile and eyes beaming with delight. These times mean so much to me especially because of the very real struggles and day to day grind that Joy lives with in confronting and living through her traumatic brain injury and the challenges it presents. I am so thankful for the wonder Joy expresses in such a beautiful, spontaneous, uninhibited, childlike way.

So, as you go about life this week, during this Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month, I’d like to encourage you to look for opportunities, in the simple, but wondrous, events of life, to exclaim, “This is amazing!” “This is wonderful!” And to thank God and think of Joy and others who despite the neuro/cognitive and physical challenges from their injuries are still able to see life as something to celebrate with mile wide smiles and eyes beaming with delight.