Two Voices of Hope: Progress (6b video)

Dr Marry wants it noted that he doesn’t suffer from an out loud reading disability; this post was hard for him to read because he was “trying to be stoic” in spite of the emotion that threatened to overtake him. For the record, I didn’t know that until this morning, and I was sitting right next to him. I guess you’re better at stoic than I have ever given you credit for, sir!

My goodness, this was a test of my ability to stay patient, and my face clearly gives away my struggle. Sorry, Dr Marry. You’re so good at so many things–reading emotional content out loud is just not one of them (now is not the time to go back to 3b with a critical eye towards clear emotional reading out loud). But I still love you…and I should never, ever play poker.

For anyone who read 6a. and was appalled by my response, I hope this helps explain it a bit (although I still maintain there’s not much to recommend it). We certainly don’t suggest it as a good first step upon completing rehab. But in our case, it worked out ok, and, as always through this journey, I am grateful for all the blessings we have both received.

A little additional back story: We got to Luna that night and immediately ran in to our dear friends John and Emily Williams-Wheeler. They were among the few people who had some inkling of what our last six weeks had been. I remember seeing them and panicking, feeling this sudden and overwhelming guilt that we had been caught doing something we weren’t supposed to be doing (Seems likely an analyst would say this was my internal monologue reminding me that I had basically demanded my freshly-sprung-from-rehab husband take me for a glass of wine, but I digress…).

Immediately after seeing John and Emily, we turned and saw another friend, who didn’t know one second of our story. For some reason, she grabbed her phone and insisted on taking a photo, having no idea how momentous this moment really was. I think you can see the terror in my eyes. But much more importantly, I also think you can see the pure joy and confidence on Dr Marry’s face. He was so ready to be back in the “real” world, and this event proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt. I am happy to have this image to commemorate it all.