So proud of us... we arrived on time.... an hours drive... and you know all it takes me to get out the door with the boy! Got him dressed, brush the teeth, wash the face, eat breakfast, out to the car, out of the wheelchair, into the car, put the gatorade in the cup holder, put the phone in the cup holder, buckle the seat belt, close the door, roll down his window and put the pillow between his left leg and the door folded a certain way (lol), roll the window up, take the leg rests off of the wheelchair put in the trunk, take the seat out of the wheelchair into the trunk, fold up wheelchair and HEAVE into the trunk, close the trunk.... run into the house grab my purse and phone, lock the door.. run to the car.... WHEW! All by myself... I did it! :0) I sure miss when I have my sisters or Aaron here to take a little of that off of me, lol! Even though we have never met Dr. Rankin, Alex was impressed that he has been following our story!! Mom was my savior and offered to meet me at the dr office so I didn't have to sit 5 hours by myself while Alex was in testing. Dr. Rankin was great and we were actually out of his office by 12!! During that time at his office... Alex's obsession was germs today. He doesn't like the way hand sanitzer smells so we had to actually WASH the hands like 8 times while there.... funny how little changes in his day will set off a new OCD procedure that we have to go thru. I actually asked Dr Rankin about the OCD behaviors and if I should be trying to divert his attention or stopping him from such things and he said No. Just to let him do it as it is the ONE thing he is in control of in his life. I guess it's his way of dealing with this journey so to speak. I think I can give him that! The 5 hours was really only 3 hours... FANTASTIC! He gave me a little bit of what he observed with Alex and it's not looking like Alex will be going back to a classroom setting with his friends. He is great with one on one when someone is engaging him... but he said to stick him in a classroom would be WAY OVER HIS HEAD, too much stimulation and not beneficial to Alex. I know that I can get 4 hours a week with hospital homebound but I am thinking I will need someone to come in and do school with him everyday?? THE SCENIC ROUTE once again. We will do whatever it takes... whatever we have to do so that he gets to walk and graduate with his friends in 2011! We have come this far... we ain't stopping now!! WE CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENS ME! AMEN!
Poor Nick has been having a rough week.... I need some prayers sent his way. He gave up a job at a camp in Ponte Vedra to take a job this summer from someone who has been following my blog and offered him a position with this new company they were starting up. Being he is majoring in Public Relations, he thought this would be a good opportunity to get his feet wet. He started on May 25th and worked thru like the end of July. He never received a paycheck and kept giving them the benefit of the doubt because they were really nice people and said he was going to pay him... blah blah blah. Finally we told Nick to quit and once he got a paycheck, he could go back. It just seemed like the logical thing to do and I figured it would only be a week and he would have his money. As if I don't have enough on MY PLATE, he NEVER got paid and basically is screwed out of his money because we can't get this guy to call us back or settle up! I don't have a paying job, Alex is my full time job so therefore I can't really help him out and he goes back to school next week! He came home yesterday and his back window in his car his broken... went down... never to come back up again.... so that has to be fixed before he heads back this weekend. He comes in the house yesterday complaining about how his life sucks and now his car is broken and it's a piece of $&*T..... and I feel horrible for doing it... but you know what I said..... "It could always be worse Nick, you could be Alex!" The words just flowed right out with no hesitation. THINGS COULD BE SO MUCH WORSE! Let's look on the bright side of things... let's focus on the positives here! Alex would give anything to be able to walk out that door and drive that car! Be thankful you have a car... you could be asking people for rides everywhere and not have one. Be thankful you can walk, you are getting an education, you are vice president of a fraternity, you get to leave here and go off to school.. hang out with your friends. YOU HAVE YOUR INDEPENDENCE! So the car window is broke...it's not the end of the world. Take a look around and focus on all the things YOU DO HAVE going for you in your life. I think that's what's wrong with all of us these days... we have sooo many blessings and always focus on what we don't have! We need to live IN THE MOMENT and focus on all the things we do have.... and if you have health, family a roof over your head.... you have more than alot of people in this world. Of course this has changed my life... but I will tell you for the better! My perspective on things... well let's just say that God has touched my life and I count my blessings daily and thank HIM more often than not these days! So Nick learned a hard lesson this summer... I hate that for him. Life isn't fair and now he knows that not everyone he works for or meets will follow thru with what they say they are going to do. I wish I could snap my fingers and make it all go away, but I can't. Life is something we have to take day by day, not knowing what tomorrow will bring....... But let's make the best of it while we are here! Let us all be thankful that we woke up today! If you have a job... BE THANKFUL you have a job to go to and not complain that you don't feel like going to work today. I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING FOR MY LIFE TO BE AS IT WAS PRIOR TO JANUARY 6TH AND GO TO MY JOB. The kids are running around screaming and fighting... be THANKFUL they are healthy enough to do that! Alex has no emotions except for smiling right now... I wish he could show anger or sadness or cry..... who knows if that will ever come back. FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES in your life.... I tell you what... you will see a difference in yourself and the people around you. You can start a chain reaction. I have given this quote from Charles Swindoll before and here it is again:
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact with attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change the past... We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge with our attitudes.
MOVING ON AND NOT LOOKING BACK! :0)
PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!
Lisa
