WebWalker's Blog

The Powers That Be at the Hearthstone nursing facility have rumored that Mary just MIGHT be discharged tomorrow... so everybody keep your fingers crossed! Mary wants to try living at her own home, so Cheryl will be moving in with her on a temporary basis to see how she does. Mary will still require oxygen, a walker, etc. but I have never seen anyone with such a fantastic iron will as this woman. Go, Mary, Go!!

Mary Wroten was transferred on May 10th from the hospital to a rehab facility (Hearthstone) and her progress has been nothing short of phenomenal. The woman is incredible. We are hopeful that she will be discharged to go home this weekend, so everybody keep your fingers crossed and keep those prayers going! She will still need oxygen and some home health care visits and meds of course, and will need to use a walker for a while yet to get around, but still, to have improved this much so quickly is amazing. She is going to try to eat 'real' food this evening (to be sure she can swallow properly rather than the food going into her lungs), and then they will do an x-ray to confirm that her lungs are okay enough that they can discharge her. You go, Mary!!

Most of the readers of this blog already know that Mary (Sanphillip) Wroten was admitted to JC Lincoln Hospital ICU on Wednesday, April 30th. What they thought was a cold and an asthma attack turned out to be emphysema and pneumonia, among other things. She has been on a ventilator (breathing machine) for the past four days. She's also been receiving four different kinds of antibiotics, rehydration (she was very dehydrated), lots of sedation, etc. etc. Cheryl, Toni, and I have been standing watch in the ICU room and the care Mary has been receiving can be referred to as nothing short of excellent. Long story short... today the ventilator was successfully removed and that is a MAJOR step toward recovery. We are all shouting Hallelujah and doing the Happy Dance. Of course, she still has a long way to go, but getting the breathing tube removed from her throat is a huge relief... and now she will be able to talk, as soon as her throat heals a bit. She is receiving nutrition via a nasal...

No one falls in love by choice, it is by CHANCE. No one stays in love by chance, it is by WORK. And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by CHOICE.

Today is April 22, 2008... two years from the day Thomas Marion Tate departed this earth. He was our beloved father, our mom's devoted husband, he was uncle, brother, friend... he was loved and admired by many, and missed by all. Mom, Gary (my nephew), and I went to the cemetery today. I think we were all feeling trepidatious, mom most of all. But it turned out to be a beautiful experience. We sang some songs, Mom recited The Lord's Prayer, I read a few passages out of one of Daddy's favorite books (Archy and Mehitabel). We sat and talked with each other and to Daddy. It was a beautiful day with a warm sun and a light breeze, and the Arizona sky was brilliant. And we felt like Daddy was right there with us, like we could just reach out and touch him. We knew he could hear us and we knew he would not want us to continue in sadness, but to go on with Life and to carry him in our hearts as we do so. Just as we were leaving, Sherry called from Israel and got to talk with each o...

I read this today and must share it. (The emphasis on certain paragraphs is mine.) She obviously loves her soldier even if she disagrees with the politics of everything. I loved her point that if EVERYONE in America were required to serve their country for a couple of years of their lives, the anti-war protestors would be supporters.. they would be part of "we." Anti-war wounds By Katie Dyer For The Register-Guard Published: April 20, 2008 We’ve marked the end of the fifth year of war in Iraq, and the 4,000th soldier killed there. They hold a peace rally downtown. There are dozens of people there. I’m sure many of them are the same people I see on the street corners — their signs say “Support the troops, not the war.” I watch them with tears in my eyes. I believe in my heart that the demonstrators are good people. They want what I want: for the war to be over, and for all the soldiers fighting it to come home. They are hopeful, passionate, and they have no idea how much it hu...

The following video is of the United States Army Glee Club singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic on the White House lawn April 16, 2008 during the welcoming ceremonies for Pope Benedict XVI. This is one of the most moving renditions I have ever heard. I get goosebumps every time I hear it, thinking of all the men who have "died to make men free." During this War Against Terrorism, the thousands of men (and women) who have sacrificed life and the tens of thousands who have lost limbs should be remembered every day by all of us with the privilege of living in Freedom. This is one citizen who is humbly grateful for their sacrifice. And following is another version, but with footage from WWII. Awesome footage; combined with this song it brings a lump to the throat of any American. May we always remember the sacrifices of these men and women.