I know people compare their lives sometimes to rollercoasters. Lately, my life has not only been like a rollarcoaster, but DisneyWorld has a ride called ” The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” that my life seems to literally & figuratively be like the Winnie the Pooh ride, where guests ride in “spinnable” honey pots through what was conceptualized as the best scenes from the three Winnie the Pooh featurettes, & the tracks take you on a wild ride, turning & twisting, banging into doors & walls, etc.

maya & dima came Thursday night, 12/19. maya is staying at our home, & doing a fabulous job at learning 2 languages (english & “jenny-ese”)! dima i hardly ever see–he’s staying w/some neighbors.

I keep a practice log for music therapy, & thought I’d share these notes from it:

Friday, 12/20–Our 1st full day w/Maya (our Ukranian visitor who barely speaks English)—both of us seem to have improved w/our English skills, & she seems to understand me!

Mon., 12/23— Today was the 1st day I had to use google translate w/Maya

Christmas Eve, I saw a friend who hasn’t seen me in a year. Last time she saw me, I could vocalize & say things like “ah”, but that was it. That particular day was a very good speaking day, so I’d answer her questions w/words & short sentences. She did quite well at understanding me, & was almost in tears that we were TALKING, & loved telling people, “did u know she can talk?!?”

this month, we celebrated the birth of Christ. Why is that birth so important? the answer is in John 3: 16, which says: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Recently (ironically on Christmas Morning), I had an experience that had me marvel at the Christlike behavior I saw, & I thought: did Christ not also sacrifice himself 4 me? It seems a sacrifice worth remembering, & the best way to honor that sacrifice is to do what that sacrifice was for: repent & change.

For me, part of my changing requires me to return to no signing days. No signing days stopped over the summer w/the family when Dima & Maya came (though I still did it Wed. mornings w/Angie, until very recently).

I’ve been to chicken to do this, & I keep brushing aside: “While no signing days have been helpful for me to re-learn speech, there is another benefit, & it will help me in other ways as well.” Even though my speech is like 100 times better, i am scared & terrified of doing no signing days again, & I’ve been justifying it, by thinking, “Well, I often speak the majority of any day now, & only sign when I HAVE to, anyway!” But I’ll be upset if I don’t try it out, too, & it seems like it is precisely what I think I need, in order to grow the way I should!

THE WEATHER HAS BEEN CRAZY HERE…IT WAS FREEZING COLD FRIDAY, BUT WAS 80 DEGREES ON TUESDAY! I THOUGHT I WAS INSANE STARTING HORSE THERAPY IN THE WINTER, CUZ THE COLD IS NOT MY FRIEND, BUT IT HAS BEEN COLD THE DAYS I DON’T GO! SO STRANGE, BUT NICE! I THINK GOD IS ON MY SIDE! LOL

IN HORSE THERAPY, WE USED A REAL SADDLE LAST TUESDAY…I DON’T KNOW WHY IT’S SO DIFFERENT, BUT IT WAS LIKE 10 TIMES HARDER! I WAS HANGING ON FOR DEAR LIFE SO HARD THAT MY RIGHT ARM GOT SORE, & I COULDN’T RELAX MY LEGS–I WAS PROBABLY SQUEEZING THE POOR HORSE! BUT MY THERAPIST HAD A FIRM GRIP ON ME, & MK (MK’S SO PROTECTIVE OF ME–I DON’T THINK HE’S A FAN OF ME HORSEBACK RIDING, BUT HE’S A GOOD GUY & SUPPORTS ME ANYWAY!) & 2 VOLUNTEERS WALKED W/US, SO I KNEW I WAS OK–I JUST COULDN’T SEEM TO GET THAT MESSAGE TO MY LEGS (OR MAYBE IT’S JUST CAUSE I GET STIFF ALL OVER, WHEN I WORK HARD)! LOL

MY THERAPIST COMPLIMENTED HOW I SIT SO TALL, W/MY SHOULDERS BACK. LOL I FEEL LIKE I’M SLOUCHING! BUT IT’S ALL THOSE YEARS OF DANCING! I STILL FEEL MY TEACHER TOUCHING MY SHOULDERS, GENTLY PUSHING THEM BACK, & TELLING ME, “SHOULDERS BACK, JENNY!”