Saturday Shout Outs: Surgery Edition!

Greetings friends and neighbors, and welcome to my first new post in over month! For those who don't know I have been dealing with some medical issues. I was sick for 2 weeks, then had surgery and a two week hospital stay. I am now a few weeks into what will be a long recovery.  I will tell that story in full in a future post.  Today I just want to jump back into writing by thanking some of the amazing people who helped me survive this tough time with a brand new edition of my famous Saturday Shout Outs!  Here we go!

• My wife Marilyn has been truly amazing.  She has been my nurse, my waitress, my accountant and the CEO of this family through this entire adventure, and I don't know where I would be without her. Again.
• My 17 year old son Will. He has done so much for me and sacrificed so much of himself. And he made Thanksgiving dinner. All of it. Need I say more.
• My Mother.  She has been here for nearly 2 weeks, driving me to appointments, fixing me lunch and helping me stay off my foot.  She is the best.
• Many thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff of St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, who took such good care of me and kept me well informed.  Aside from being sooooo bored, I have no complaints abut my 2 week stay.
• Special thanks to my dear friends Jerry Hanbery and Lisa Jewett who were constantly checking on me and even paid me visits during my stay. They kept my spirits high even when I felt low.
• I also got visits from Rob Rose and Matthew Hartsfield from the staff of Van Dyke Church.  They were a blessing, and it is always cool to see the church truly BEING the church.
• I heard from old friends like Steve Semmler, Denise Langley, Teresa Tysinger, Beth McGalliard, Todd Willis, Jamie Robinson, Tammy Foster and others, who encouraged me to get well and quit being stupid.  They can say things like that.  :)
• When you are are in hospital bed bed for 2 weeks, TV is your best friend. I am thankful for reruns of Seinfeld, Friends, The Big Bang Theory and The Fresh Prince.  I am thankful for ESPN.  And Saturdays were the best days. 12 hours of college football. It was something to look forward to!
• So many friends- far too many to name- who expressed prayers and concerns through Marilyn's Facebook and texts- kept me going and made me smile.
• My Twitter family (#StraightJacketMafia) who prayed for me, checked on me and worried about me. I love you guys.

Despite the trials and tribulations of the past month or so, I once again come out the other side feeling incredibly blessed.  Thanks to you all.  I look forward to continuing to get better and to returning to this blog on a regular basis. It won't be every day for a while yet, but I am back.  

Because of Jesus,