Love, Mashoo

It has been 1 1/2 months since dad came home.

It is amazing that he is out of the hospital, but the struggle is far from over....

The hardest thing is seeing him constantly depressed because he can't do the things he used to. Another thing that is difficult is that we now have to do all

of the things that he used to(that we have no idea how to do): Paying bills, trimming trees, fixing stuff around the house, etc. Before, if the sink starts leaking

or the washer makes a funny noise, we would just say, "Oh, don't worry, Daddy will fix it." Now, even if the smallest thing happens, like the filtered water comes only

as a trickle, its like it's the end of the world. And even if we somehow manage to barely get it working again, the exhilaration lasts but an instant, because then 

he'll say something like, "Oh, I guess y'all don't need me anymore," with a wry smile. 

It is also trying to see the big, strong, dad I remember having difficulty just walking down the hall. When we were younger, we couldn't wait untill we could beat 

daddy in an arm wrestle. Now that we theoretically can, it's just depressing. When I was 14, I went through a huge growth spurt; the problem was, I still thought

I was little and I would try to lean on mom or Hannah sitting on the couch. Mom would say I was a Great Dane who thought he was a puppy. The only one I could lean on

was dad, and because of that I never wanted to outgrow him; now I can't lean on him without hurting him or making him uncomfortable.

All that said, there are always going to be trials in life, and the only thing we have power over is our attitude. And all of the aforementioned trials are

nothing compared to him being in the hospital, and doctors saying, "He could die." Overall, he is making good progress and I am happy that he is home, and making a full 

recovery. 

-Matt