We have not been very lucky lately. I don't want to go into everything that has gone wrong, but the past few weeks have been horrible. The worst of it started two weeks ago on Monday. Brad was walking to his 8:00 am class and was assaulted and beat by a man on the street which sent Brad to the ER. Brad is okay physically. He was heavily bruised, mostly on his head. No broken bones or serious head injuries. He does have a nerve that was damaged, but hopefully it should heal itself within several months. In the meantime, Brad cannot lower the right side of his lower lip.
It could have been so much worse. If it hadn't been for an ER resident on his way to work who came to get this guy off Brad it would have gone on for much longer. I cannot even begin to express my thanks to this man who put his own personal safety at risk to help Brad. When other people were standing by, watching, this man came running to Brad's cries for help.
The police were able to catch the man who did this to Brad. It is at least somewhat comforting to know that the man who did this is not on the streets anymore.
Emotionally, we are very shaken up. We have a lot of anxiety and are trying our best to deal with it a day at a time. And while I do not want to go into all of that, I did want to thank all of those people who have been praying, fasting, and thinking of us. We really appreciate it. I cannot say thank you enough. All the calls, emails, and love sent our way has meant so much to us. We haven't wanted to be alone and having everyone keep in touch with us has helped immensely. Please keep it up. We still need it.
We were very lucky to have Brad's parents fly out last weekend to help us. I could not have asked for better in-laws. Brad's dad had just gotten back from Japan and hopped on another plane to come see us. They are both such wonderful, caring people.
Last Sunday was a particularly hard day. We're not quite sure why it was so hard, but it was. We all went for a walk at the Heinz Wildlife Refuge to get our minds off things. I've gone there before with some girlfriends, but this was the first time that I was able to go with Brad. It was so nice to feel like we weren't in the city. We are still traumatized by this event and having to go any where in the city has brought more of those feelings to the surface. While traumatized may sound like a strong word, it is appropriate to what we have gone through. It has been scary and stressful to be surrounded by ghetto. We're having a hard time feeling safe in Philadelphia. We haven't wanted to go outside or go anywhere minus to pick up take-out. Being at the wildlife refuge was just so peaceful. Beautiful trees, calm water, and graceful birds. Just to take a deep breath for a second and be okay.
As we were walking around, I happened to glance down and something caught my eye. I didn't believe it. I couldn't have found one just by chance. That was just too unusual. But perhaps after a far out of the ordinary event maybe another one can happen, but for good. Perhaps our luck had changed for a second, but I found a four-leaf clover when I wasn't even looking for one.
I have since framed my little four-leaf clover with an Irish saying that goes:
"A best friend is like a four-leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have."
I do feel lucky that we have each other to help get us through this. I wouldn't want to go it alone.
We do still have hard days and hard times. We are going to trauma counseling to help us deal with what has happened to us. We do feel very lucky that we have family and friends who have been so loving and supportive. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Hopefully, our luck will turn around.
