Happy First Day of Winter, everyone! I don’t know about you all, but I’m celebrating the shortest day of the year with a cozy fleece-and-scarf combo, paired with a steaming cup of Peet’s coffee (by far the best coffee in NorCal…or possibly anywhere).

So after that shameless plug, down to the real post 😉 :

We’ve spent a lot of this holiday season in various medical facilities (NOT exactly how we planned for things to go) and you, reader friends, have gone right along with us. However, Christmas is a time for celebrating all the gifts we’ve received: most notably our savior Jesus, but also literally thousands of other blessings that pop up every day.

So in the spirit of Christmas, I wanted to share with you all a “little” praise from last night: I played a game for the first time since the accident! My family has always been into games…card games, board games, long games, short games, etc…pretty much any kind of game except video games 😉 . The game enthusiasm dates back to our Wisconsin years, where frigid winters and little daylight made indoor games our pastime of choice.

Anyhow, the brain injuries from last December put my game career on a hiatus…short term memory, sequential thought, strategy, and spatial discernment all being skills I suddenly lacked. However, Anna brought a new card game called Sushi Go when she moved home last weekend, and it looked so adorable and fun that I just had to try it. We started out tentatively: Ivan and I were a “team” (Mom and Anna played for themselves since it’s not a team game) so I could have someone to remind me of the rules and give decision-making hints. It took less than 5 minutes for me to start debating Ivan’s strategy rather vigorously…at which point everyone voted that we’d all be better off (i.e. happier) if I played solo. I successfully made it through 2 games of Sushi Go all by myself! While Ivan ended up winning both rounds (I guess I shouldn’t have argued with his strategy after all) and Mom and Anna tied for the middle spots, my scores were still close enough to theirs to be respectable. It might seem like a small moment in the middle of “normal” holiday festivities, but last night was actually a great tangible reminder of skills regained. I think God knew we needed another landmark for how far He’s brought us already, and encouragement that no matter what current brain drama may be unfolding, He’ll keep carrying us the rest of the way.

Also, I’m reminded of how much I like games….and sushi.