I visited Ben this last weekend. He is remembering more and more. With the new freedom allowed with his day passes from the recovery center, Ben's world continues to expand. He LOVES being around people. Attending church, going to restaurants and driving through the city are all new adventures. After a church service Ben said that he was filled with "joy in this place'. I often think of all the prayer requests over the last year asking for the joy that is manifesting before my eyes. The church that has take an interest in Ben took video footage of him last weekend as part of the pastor's sermon series on faith. What an honor! My prayer has always been that  this story would be for good, to bring others to hope and faith in God.

Ben affects people. A waitress who was having struggles from a loss in her life, after meeting Ben, told him that he made her feel so much better. She waited on our table on Sunday. He told a mom at Target that her Down's syndrome baby was beautiful. He wants to engage and speak with everyone he meets. Everyone is important.

Ben has no clear memory of his accident. As part of preparing for the video, I obtained the information from our local TV station website about Ben's wreck. Ben told me that he had thought I exaggerated about the seriousness of his accident. He is finally starting to realize the miracle of his survival. He knows God has saved him for a purpose. 

Although we are seeing amazing things in Ben's recovery, the disability and frustration of his traumatic brain injury is very apparent. Ben's memory is short and he is extremely distractible. He does not pick up on social cues well. There are some socially difficult behaviors that would make it very hard for him to live outside of a recovery center. I have told Ben that these behaviors need to GO. This determines whether his world is going to be large and open or small and contained. These struggles are not intentional. The part of Ben's brain that filters impulsive behaviors is damaged. Undamaged parts of the brain must take over and perform this function before Ben can move forward. I am believing God for this! The recovery center has set his discharge date for January. Once again, Jim and I are looking for a solution to continue Ben's progress in a safe, therapeutic environment. God has never let us down. Please help us pray for a solution. It will be good.