I USE A LOT OF HUMOR 2 DEAL W/THINGS, SO HERE’S SOMETHING U MAY ENJOY:

MY KIDS & I WERE PLAYING A GAME (“APPLES 2 APPLES”) A LONG TIME AGO. IT WAS MY TURN 2 SHARE A WORD. THEIR JOB WAS 2 DEFINE THE WORD THE BEST THEY COULD, W/THE CARDS IN HAND (THE CARDS HAD WORDS), BUT THE TRICK WAS 2 DEFINE IT, SO I WOULD PICK THEIR DEFINITION. MY WORD WAS “BODY.” MOST WOULD BE HORRIFIED BY HOW MY SON CHOSE 2 DEFINE IT: “USELESS.” BUT I DOUBLED OVER LAUGHING & PICKED HIS DEFINITION!

MY STROKE IS A BLESSING & A CURSE. I THINK MANY C THE CURSE, BUT FEW C THE BLESSING. I EVEN HAD A CHOICE IN HOW I SAW IT.

IT’S LIKE WHEN U SEND A CHILD 2 COLLEGE & LOOK BACK AT YRS. GONE BY. SURE, U MISS “THE GOOD OL’ DAYS.” BUT U R GRATEFUL 4 THE EXPERIENCES U HAD IN “THE GOOD OL’ DAYS.”

LATER, THAT CHILD BLESSES U W/GRANDKIDS, & U R AGAIN GRATEFUL 4 “THE GOOD OL’ DAYS.” U R ALSO GRATEFUL 4 WHAT KNOWLEDGE U HAVE OF “THE GOOD OL’ DAYS”-IT MAKES U APPRECIATE THE CHILDREN MORE, & U HAVE LEARNED 2 TREASURE SMALL THINGS, LIKE A CHILD ON YOUR LAP 4 STORIES, & U SLOW DOWN & TRULY PLAY–U GET DRESSED UP & HAVE A TEA PARTY.

IT IS LIKE THAT: SURE, I MISS “THE GOOD OL’ DAYS.” BUT, NEVER AGAIN WILL I UNDER-APPRECIATE SIMPLE THINGS LIKE TALKING (I AM LEARNING), OR THE SIMPLE TASK OF TURNING ON A LIGHT SWITCH. MY BODY “LEFT 4 COLLEGE,” IF U WILL, & IN A SEASON, I BELIEVE IT WILL RETURN. IN THE MEANTIME, I HAVE HAD A CHANCE THAT MANY YOUNG MOM’S MAY NEVER HAVE: I CHERISH THE TIMES THEY SIT ON MY LAP & READ 2 ME, WE PLAY ON THE COMP. 2GETHER, I ROCK AT PLAYING THE GAME “RED ROVER”, RIDE BIKES (I COME FULLY EQUIPPED), GIVE WAGON RIDES, PLAY BASEBALL, DRESS UP, , HAVE “TEA” PARTIES, & MORE. NOTHING, OF COURSE, IS HOW “TRADITIONAL” MOMS DO IT, & I MAY NEED HELP (LIKE MY HUSBAND, MK, FIGURED OUT HOW 2 ATTACH A WAGON 2 ME), BUT I’VE HEARD MY KIDS SAY, DESPITE EVERYTHING, “I’M GLAD I HAVE A MOM” & “AT LEAST (U) CAN STILL DO FUN STUFF.”

MY BODY IS A GIFT. SURE, WE LAUGH ABOUT HOW I “DIDN’T NEED THAT (BODY PART) ANYWAY,” BUT MY BODY IS SLOWLY “COMING BACK FROM COLLEGE.” & JUST AS OTHERS CAN MORE FULLY APPRECIATE THEIR GRANDKIDS, I CAN MORE FULLY APPRECIATE HAVING A BODY, BEING A YOUNG MOM, & THE EFFORTS THAT GO INTO SIMPLE TASKS, LIKE TURNING ON A LIGHT SWITCH.

ALMOST 4 YRS. AGO, NOTHING OF WHAT I CURRENTLY DO SEEMED POSSIBLE. I AM THANKFUL 4 WHAT FEW THINGS THE LORD HAS SEEN FIT 2 LET ME RE-GAIN.