4/12/01

Dear family & friends,

First, I want to thank each of you for your continued support through prayers, thoughts, financial assistance, cards, emails, etc. You will never really know how much they mean to me. Each of you has left a lasting impression. Thank you from all that I am.

This Sunday our family will celebrate Easter and I can tell you that this will be an Easter like no other. Sunday will mark the 120th day since breaking my neck. I can’t believe it has been 1/3 of a year. Life has changed so much for us. I used to walk out in my front yard and play basketball with my oldest daughter Nicole. Dani would bring me a toy and say “Fix Daddy” and a simple task would be completed in no time. How could I have taken any of what seemed to be the mundane for granted? The other night I hit a low spot in my recovery and rolled my wheelchair out into the rain and looked up into the sky and cried. I cried hard. It felt like everything had finally caught up with me.

It felt good to let the pain out and tell God how mad I was. I know He heard me. I know He felt my pain. I wasn’t mad for me, I was mad at what had been taken away from those that I love. As I went back into the house, Nicole asked me if I would tell she and Dani a bedtime story. When we were done, Dani said our goodnight prayer and finished it with “…thank you for Daddy and help him to walk again.” You know the tears welled up again as I hugged and kissed them goodnight. I looked up to God and whispered “Thank you!”

I hope this Easter you will find the excitement in the mundane. I get to be here with my family, using a manual wheelchair, climb the stairs in my house, and truly appreciate ALL that has been given to me. I hate to even think of the alternative.

May you have the best Easter ever!

Dan Whitney