I haven’t written for a few days just because I haven’t had the time or focus…not because things aren’t happening.

In a nutshell, its been a head-spinning week. Vernon has been sent to hospital and back again, now experiencing a new antibiotic and room-isolation status once again.  Behind the scenes, his insurance was dropped for a week because I didn’t update some paperwork in time.  Thankfully some doctor’s offices were on the ball, telling me about this before it went to collections. I have been dealing with  those calls as well. What a blessing and curse a phone is!  BUT all is well, a few hours in the social services offices have got us back on track…for now. This is the boring stuff, so I won’t go on about it. I only mention it because I have been learning that there are even LESS glamorous sides of being a caregiver.  Paperwork and money matters makes me crazy anyway, but now its a constant part of life.  I can either choose to be more anxious or grow my capabilities. Bring on that Growth Mindset! Its no fun, but I don’t have a choice…but to get smarter and more capable. (Or so I tell myself, it’s working at the moment.)

Back to more interesting matters, since Vernon has been back at Mesa Verde, I do feel like he is brightening up again. I think being able to sit in a wheel chair from time to time helps out with his agitated limbs.  The visitors from the church are showing up more frequently now that there is a schedule and I can see he really loves that. Yesterday he responded better to the speech therapist than he has since he was first placed in the home. The therapists have to assess him again every time he returns from the hospital, and this time he was very clear on what he wanted. “I want to feed myself,” he announced pretty clearly. Though he isn’t ready for that yet, it was good to know he wanted to…and expressed it.  Its a hint of the determination we haven’t seen since last year.  Also for the first time, he lifted his cup of thickened apple juice to his mouth with his RIGHT hand.  This is the first time I’ve seen him take the initiative on this side since the accident happened. I think its worth noting.

His brain is growing.

Today, we took the training wheels off Justine’s bike. Oh how I wish her dad was around for this. Partly because doing this myself is a killer on my back…and partly because he’s always been so passionate about bicycles!  She didn’t get far with it.  But what amazed me is that she wanted to keep trying.  She got up to a few rotations before falling over, but she would have worked on this all day if I had let her. For her there is no way she will return to training wheels now that she knows the ability to master two wheels is right within her grasp. She kept saying: “If I try again, I’ll get better.” I don’t even know if she is physically ready for this. But she wants it. So she will get it…eventually.

We are all learning this in our own ways.

Perseverance in Pink.

“Perseverance is not a long race: it is many short races one after the other. ”  Walter Elliot