Iron Man Too!

From Sam’s father Eric: Wendy and I were able to attend the current Marvel rage at our local theatre last Saturday, of Iron Man 2. What made this especially fun, is the fact we were able to go with Sam and Erin. Even with a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection), Sam sat and watched with interest; a movie with incredible special effects. He acted like He and Erin were on a first date, as He hugged Her, held Her hand, and leaned His head towards Hers. It was darling, and every bit as entertaining as the movie. As I sat and watched, I couldn’t help but think of the many analogies that Sam shares with this fictional character.  Surrounded by Iron, (wheelchair) Courageous, compassionate, but above all, a belief in what he was doing was the right thing. Call me biased, but Sam goes far beyond the movie in the areas of Iron Will, Courage to meet the challenges of his daily life, and the sheer determination to accomplish all that is set before him as the right thing to do. Just as the movie and comic book before it claims; mere human strengths are not enough to meet these adversities. Unlike the pulp fiction, we know exactly where Sam’s supernatural powers come from.

Sam is the redeemed of the Lord Jesus Christ and Disciple of the Most High God. He has faith that the Lord God is true to His Word, and is even now restored unto optimum health. Scripture says that He that believes, (on the Lord Jesus) IS healed. Not will be or can be, but IS. Simply because His manifestation of healing hasn’t been shown yet, does not mean that He doesn’t have it. God’s timing is not our own, and God knows when the right time is for Sam’s healing to be revealed to the world. We celebrate His healing now; party when Sam can join us. In the meantime, God is teaching Sam and Erin supernatural love, patience, determination, and compassion for the others with lots worse than Sam’s.

Sam continues to improve, even if it is with baby steps. Sam’s overall coordination and flexibility are accelerating with his aggressive physical therapy. Many TBI’s lose their physical prowess due to either inactivity or the lack of transmissions to the muscles. Sam hasn’t lost his; the strength on his right side is extraordinary. He enjoys flexing and showing off his arm strength when ever he sees me. When God is ready, he has the basic muscular structure already in place to rise and walk out of that chair. Sam’s wit and clever responses demonstrates for all his total presence of mind. I
asked him if he loved Erin recently, and his response was simple   and brief but spoke volumes; it was, "So Much". Yesterday, I sent a text inquiring as to their day; and Sam said simply, "Prime"—to which Erin agreed. As our dear family of friends who pray for the manifestation of Sam’s healing, I ask you to not forget Erin. Her characteristics of Iron like loyalty, dedication, and simply an IRON Love for Sam continues to be as strong as Sam’s resolve for restoration. She willingly oversees his therapies, keeps him company, entertains him, and challenges him to go further. All the while working recently at a few weddings of family and friends, helping with her darling niece, Holly, and finishing college classes with A+ averages. I am thankful to God for her and as proud as any father-in-law can be…

Much love,
Eric

PS:  If you are a facebook user, do a search on “Support for Sgt Samuel Nichols” to find the facebook page started by a Navy Corpsman who served with Sam in Iraq.