Do You Take Things for Granted?

Wednesday. March 4, 2009

Have you ever stopped and thanked God for the little things we are able to do? Things such as walking, talking, feeding yourself, combing your hair, brushing your teeth, saying your spouses name, and recognizing simple objects we use daily - glass, plate, and brush - all of which are some of the things we take for granted. Have you ever stopped to think about how to get out of a chair or a bed? What does it take for you to get up out of your chair and walk to the other end of the house? Is this something you've always known how to do? For some of us, we may think we have known how to do these thing since birth. But we didn't!! We learned how to do these things when very very young. Those of you have have young children, think about how thrilled you are when they say their first word, take their first step, and are finally potty trained! But do you realize that as fast as you blink your eye, you could lose all of the above? No longer will you have the ability to walk, talk, eat, and recognize all that you once took for granted. It happens everyday to many people - young and old.

Today was a very humbling experience for me as I watched my oldest brother take pride in being able to say ball, brush, plate, flashlight. Not only did he say them, he was able to recognize the object. His smile - even though it is still one sided (right side is still affected by the stroke) - is so adorable and so real. When asked if he knew Mom and myself (Rhonda had to leave to take care of some business) he said "I don't know." However, with some prompting from his therapist, he was able to say "Mom," "Sue," and even referred to Mom as "my Mother!" The therapist teased him that he had better know his mother or she might spank him. HE laughed!!!!!!!!

To watch Dink go through his therapy was heart wrenching, but it was also a blessing in that he was doing what they wanted and doing it with success! (He was following their commands which means the brain is trying to process what he needs to do!) The hardest part of his therapy for me (and possibly for him physically) was watching him trying to walk. The PT (physical therapist as they call them) moved his right leg for him! He was given instruction on how to get out of the chair, hold onto the cart, tighten his stomach muscles, hold yourself straight, look straight ahead, move your right leg, move your left leg - these were enough directions to keep my head spinning! But I could see the look in Dink's eyes and the look on his face as to how determined he was to do what it took to walk and do it properly!

Both the speech therapists and the PT's made comments as to how far Dink has come in a little over a week! It is going to be a very long road and what we find at the end of this road - only God knows. We are praying that Dink will regain the usage of his right leg which will help him walk; that he will be able to talk and let us know what he wants or needs; and yes, that he will be able to go to the bathroom - hopefully without assistance!

The next time you think about yourself and what might be wrong with you - according to you or someone else - think about all those who are recovering from strokes or brain injuries of some kind. Yes, you may be too skinny, have too much weight, have acne on your face, or even bucked teeth - but remember to thank God that even with these "faults" you are able to walk, talk, feed yourself, and recognize objects and people! The simplest things we take for granted are the things Dink is trying to relearn! Let's thank God for what we have and say a special prayer for those who aren't as fortunate as we are!

A special prayer for Dink:

Heavenly Father, your compassions never fail and your mercies are new every morning: We give you thanks for giving our brother - Dink - both relief from pain and hope of health renewed. We pray that as he continues his recovery and gives you the glory others will see through him what a gracious and loving God you are! We ask that you guide him and protect him as he goes through his therapy. Thank you for bringing him this far and for all those who have been insrumental in helping with his recovery. We praise you and give you all the glory! In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen.