My mother-in-law, Joan, arrived in Las Cruces via ambulance & medical aircraft on Monday, a week ago. She weathered the trip better than anyone expected. What a week! She transferred from bed to a wheelchair the first day here, then from there to a shower chair for a real shower. This was all new, since she can't put weight on her broken/crushed left ankle or lean on her crushed left arm & hand. We spent a busy week encouraging her therapy & planning the funeral. By Friday, the plans were made, Joan's hair done & hat fixed. The Funeral service on Sat morning went beautifully, glorifying the God who Barney worshiped & served, witnessed by over 600 people. Joan held up better than some of us--what a blessing from God. Then Joan traveled from the church to the cemetery, enduring the heat & humidity with a little help from a fan Lee held in front of her. Barney would have been proud of her & grateful for that ceremony, as well. Then, Joan decided she wanted to be at Barney's party, a reception that fed over 400 people, complete with pictures from his whole life & stories from friends. What a time! Many who visited with Joan were amazed at her stamina, esp. her children & spouses who had seen her from the beginning. God has truly graced her through this whole ordeal. Today, the doctors confirmed the healing Joan has felt all week: her fractured vertebra has healed enough for her to discard the C collar. The arm has healed enough to reduce the cast size, & she was allowed to bear some weight on it. The leg is healing, but experiencing some infection, so antibiotics were started. Joan looked so good, even after 5 hours at doctor's offices & many x rays! Praise God with us for physical healing. Lee & his brother & sister-in-law have returned, part time, to their businesses. Lee's sister still has family here, but will be back to business soon. Our sons have returned to work & camp, so our house is quiet again. Please pray for us all to begin to process the absence of a very involved husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather & great-grandfather. Also, pray for my "little thing"--a sprained ankle--that seems so puny compared to Joan's ankle with its plate & screws & external fixator. Both are a bother, a pain, & complicate everyday activities, but it's the "little things" that can so easily undo us. I am encouraged by Joan's progress, but my ankle so easily discourages me. How can this be? I'm weak! Thank God He is so strong! Thanks for praying with & for us. Moira, for all the Rawsons