It is truly surreal to realize our accident story started one year ago today! God’s grace has brought us way farther than most people would have predicted if they looked at the injury reports on this day last year…and yet even as we sit down to write this commemorative post, I’m reminded of just how far we have yet to go.

For those of you who have been praying and following our recent “seizure saga”, we do have some good news to report. I had another severe incident the day after Thanksgiving that landed me in the ER…again. (As in, I’ve been there so many times this month that the staff already knew who we were when Ivan and my dad brought me in. Yikes.) However, while the event was highly unfortunate, God did use it to produce some much-needed fruit. I’d already been referred for a 5 day EEG study to help solve the mystery of what exactly is happening in my brain…but we’d been warned the waiting list for that test was at least 2 months long. “2 months” sounded nearly catastrophic to us, since the severity of my recent episodes has caused therapy to be suspended and relegated me back to a transport wheelchair any time I need to leave the apartment (definitely a downer given how hard I worked to be wheelchair-free earlier this year). HOWEVER…after last week’s incident someone (probably a doctor but also absolutely God) worked something miraculous…and the short story is that I’m being admitted to Kaiser Redwood City to begin the study tomorrow. Tomorrow. Giant thanks to God, and to all our prayer warriors!

If I’m being honest, I must admit that a transport wheelchair and yet another hospital admission were not in my original vision of how we would commemorate our first “accident-aversary.” But nevertheless, these are the things God chose as best for this day and this upcoming week, and we desperately need them both. While recovery might not always be linear (only moving forward and upward), it’s always moving in the exact direction that God wants. And for now, we are full of thanks for what He’s already done, and full of prayers and hope for the much-needed clarity this week could produce.

Ivan: Wow. One year…so many emotions come with this landmark date. First and foremost, glory to God for all He has done, is doing, and will continue to do! He knows the span of our days from beginning to end, and His loving, glorious purpose will stand. This day last year God chose to spare Grace’s life, and we trust that He has more for her here on earth before she comes home to be with Him forever.

As Grace said, we hoped that by the one year mark we would’ve left the “critical” stage of her recovery and have moved on to the slow-and-steady part of her recovery…but the recent resurgence of seizures has forced us back into a period of multiple hospital trips and even another multi-day hospitalization. But God knew this was coming too, and we will keep trusting Him.

Thank you all for your continuing prayers for us! We can’t thank God enough for all of you, and we hope you all know how much we love and appreciate you all! May God keep working in all of our lives, and may we live open to His love, grace, and guidance. He gives us peace in the midst of the storm. To Him be the glory forever!