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!”

IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I’VE WRITTEN, BUT I’VE BEEN BUSY TRAVELLING, & I COMPILED & ORGANIZED A LESSON TO TEACH AT CHURCH, & I GOT A NEW COMPUTER, & I’VE TRIED 2 SPEND MORE TIME WITH MY FAMILY. I HAVE BEEN KEEPING NOTES, HOWEVER, THEY ARE VERY RANDOM…

–ON OCT. 17, RIGHT B4 WE LEFT ON OUR 2ND TRIP, I HAD MY 1ST VISIT ALONE IN ALMOST 10 YEARS (SINCE MY STROKE) W/SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T SPEAK ASL! I’M ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT BEING ALONE, BUT I WAS WILLING 2 TRY W/THIS FRIEND, CUZ SHE HAS ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD ME WELL! & SHE WAS OVER FOR LIKE 30 MINUTES! I HAVE ANOTHER FRIEND I’VEMOSTLY TALKED TO, BUT SHE KNOWS MY ASL, SO IT’S DIFFERENT!
HOWEVER, TYPING THINGS OUT OFTEN HELPS ME, FOR SOME REASON. I CAN START TYPING, REALIZE I’M MISSING WORDS & “FILL IN” OR NOTICE THAT THINGS WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE IF I RE-ARRANGE SENTENCES, ETC. SO, SOMETIMES I AM THANKFUL FOR GOD BEING MERCIFUL TAKING AWAY MY VOICE! LOL. AS I GET BETTER AT SPEAKING, I AM REMINDED OF SOME OF THOSE “BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE!” (I.E I’M TERRIBLE AT PRONOUNCING WORDS, BUT WHO CARES NOW?).

–WHEN WE FLEW, I WAS IN MY TRAVEL POWER W/C (WHICH IS LIGHTER & COLLAPSES). IN MY TRAVEL W/C, IF I SNEEZED, THERE WAS NO VELCRO AROUND MY LEFT WRIST TO HOLD ME BACK, SO I FLUNG 4WARD, DOUBLING IN ½, W/MY LEFT ARM JUST DRAPPED IN FRONT, & I HAD 2 SIT MYSELF UP, & PUT MY LEFT ARM BACK UP ON MY ARMREST.
AFTER DOING THIS FOR ABOUT 4 DAYS, I WAS SO SICK OF IT! A FEW TIMES I HAD NO MORE AB STRENGTH TO PUSH MYSELF TO SIT BACK UP, BUT NO1 WAS THERE. BUT I HAD NO BELL, LIKE I DO AT HOME, & WHILE THE CHAIR HAS A HORN ON IT, I COULDN’T TURN ON MY CHAIR 2 SOUND THE HORN. & I COULDN’T YELL. SO I PRAYED. I’VE ALWAYS KNOWN PRAYER WORKS. I CAN SHARE SO MANY WAYS TTHAT MY OWN & OTHER PEOPLE’S PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED. BUT THIS TIME, I WANT TO SHARE THIS 1: LUCKILY GOD WOULD HEAR ME & ANSWERED QUICKLY–I WOULD GET JUST ENOUGH STRENGTH 2 CLUMSILY SIT UP, OR I’D GET AN IDEA 2 HELP ME SIT UP ALONE.

–IN OCTOBER, I WAS CONSTANTLY REMINDED THAT GOD SEES WHERE WE ARE WEAK, & PLACES PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES THAT CAN STRENGTHEN & HELP US, & FOR ME, ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE HAPPENS TO BE MY HUSBAND! HIS PRESENCE IS A DAILY REMINDER FOR ME OF JUST HOW MUCH GOD LOVES ME!