After the rain...

Mary has been in Homerton now for four and a half weeks. Her assessments show that she is meeting goals set such as being able to continue to sit out in the wheelchair and breathe well on her own. We have also noticed her making little noises from time to time. However the team at Homerton have noted that Mary isn't able to benefit from all of the rehab just yet. Mary is generally fatigued after 20minutes or so of each physio session and still outsleeps everyone else on the ward. This may mean that Mary is only at Homerton for a few more months, this will depend on her progress in the following weeks.

If Mary leaves Homerton the following step would be some kind of residential care setting which is specially equipped for people with Mary's levels of injury. This option to leave the hospital system for a care home, even for the medium term, seems like a pause in progress. Yet never before have we, in many ways, been so encouraged by the prayers and high hopes of everyone that continue to tumble through letter boxes and email inboxes; people who meet weekly to pray in their churches, individuals who send us beautiful emails and positive thoughts, stories, photos and expectations for Mary's health and healing.

The other beautiful sister in my life was able to spend time with Aahana and I this week. We popped into see Mary a few times over the past few days and were encouraged by Mary's peacefulness as she slept as much as her wakefulness. As the nights draw in we were both also reminded of the accident, nearly a year ago, those horrendous visits to intensive care, and how far we have come. I'm sure many of you are also starting to remember those days at this time of year. On the way home to Cornwall Ginny saw this beautiful rainbow. Its not the first she has seen on that long train journey back from visiting Mary but always serves as a little bit of a reminder of the beauty that can follow, when we wait patiently, after the rain.