The Swicegoods
Patti and Allen - Established 1979

Happy Birthday to my 'little' brother, Wendell and to Keith...and happy birthday to me...it was 'my' birthday first!! :)

The day before Thanksgiving my cousin fell at home and hit his head. He was home alone at the time and we don't know how long he laid on the floor injured before his wife came home from work and found him. He had emergency surgery but suffered brain damage from the bleeding and then suffered a stroke. He has never regained consciousness. He was on life support for a while but when the breathing tubes were removed he started breathing on his own. In December, the doctors told his wife and family that he will not recover and there was very little brain activity at all. Feeding tubes were removed and he was taken to hospice to die the first of the year. Since then his body has just deteriorated but he is still holding on to life.

I have never been close to Roger. He is just younger than I am. Growing up, when our families were together for holidays, he was always playing with my brothers while I visited with his older sister. I know very little about him...his likes or dislikes. I've never been to his home. I send him and his wife a Christmas card every year but I haven't actually seen him in years. Seventeen years this February in fact. The last time I saw him was at our Grandmother's funeral. The time before that was at our Grandfather's funeral. We talked and I told him that we need to try to see each other more often instead of only at funerals. I didn't realize that the next time I would see him will be his funeral.

I believe in God. I believe that He is control of things and things happen the way He wants them to happen not us and when He wants them to happen. I do not understand why He seems to have forgotten Roger. If he couldn't be saved, why didn't God taken him when he first fell? That would have been so hard on the whole family to lose him suddenly but watching him slowly deteriorate is so much harder. He can't speak so he can't say goodbye to his family. He can't tell anyone that he loves them. He can't say he is sorry for anything he did to hurt anyone. The family can talk to him but the doctors say there is no brain function so he probably doesn't hear them. Why is God leaving him here? Why doesn't He take him and give him and his family peace? What lesson are we all supposed to learn by leaving him here to just deteriorate? I do not understand all of the 'whys'. I do understand the pain and grief his family is feeling. I do understand all of the 'what ifs?' everyone is feeling. I wish there was something I could do to help Roger or help any of the other family members but all I can do is to continue to pray. Pray for strength and understanding for the family. Pray that God will do what is best for Roger. I just wish I could understand why?

Happy 29th Birthday to Travis! Hope you have a great day!