You never know how good you have it...

My personal, and immediate challenges have been pushed aside to care for my brother. So my time has been overwhelmingly occupied. It used to be a luxury to get 5-7 hours of sleep, on average I sleep about 4 hours a day. That has changed to being a luxury to get 4-5 hours of sleep but for the most part surviving on 1 or two naps of 1-2 hours. I know it can't be healthy, but what else can one do when things need to be done.

My brothers story is amazing, on October 22, 2009, the house I grew up in exploded. There was literally nothing left to the structure. My parents are out of the country serving a Church Mission. My brother and sister were living in the home. My sister Mary was upstairs at the kitchen sink, my brother Tony downstairs on the couch watching a movie, when the explosion occurred. Mary had minor injuries and was only in the hospital overnight, Tony had 2nd and 3rd degree burns, but only on his legs and arms, and lacerations from the debris, and a broken fibula. Amazing, no other injuries, he was completely buried and had to be pulled from the rubble. Only Angels know how they survived.

I have been visiting him at the hospital, and learning to do his wound care. Now less than a month later he is staying with me. It has been exhausting, but a learning experience.

We were in the process of moving, and did not have a place for him to stay in our current house, I had planned on him coming home on Friday, they sent him home on Wednesday. So we stayed at the new place that night without heat, or hot water. The next day to do his dressing changes, I had to boil water on the stove. He had absolutely nothing, so I have tried to get him basics, such as a tooth brush, underwear, and a bathrobe, a few pare of shorts. But he is going to have a full beard before I can get him a razor. Though we have had little, it has helped my kids appreciate what the have.