I heard a commercial the other day for some sort of financial planning company…and it really made me stop and think.
‘Challenges don’t build character…they reveal it.’
It made me think about Matt and myself, and this whole situation which has been full of challenges. I continue to be impressed by Matt’s persistence and willingness to meet the challenges head on, even when he’s feeling down or frustrated…he never gives up trying. He is such a trooper!! His character is amazing to me.
We had another good weekend together in Omaha. We spent time on Saturday hanging out, talking, and enjoying each other’s company. We went to a movie and swung through DQ on our way back home. Each time we go out and about like that, I feel more and more comfortable. It is so good that we can enjoy things like movies alone together again…we love going to movies…it is very us.
Sunday we enjoyed the brunch that is put on by staff in the rec department. We had made to order pancakes and omelets…YUM! Then we spent most of the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather. We both took a little nap and it just felt so good to be able to have a low key weekend together…even if it wasn’t in our normal home environment.
Matt’s schedule there has really started to fill up! Yahoo! He’s busy going here, there, and everywhere…for classes, therapies, and outings. Here’s a little run down of some of them:
Matt attends a group class on assertiveness with the Neuro-Psychologist. So far, he’s only had one session and hasn’t quite formed a strong opinion. Matt’s standard answer is Its OK, or Not Bad. Which, in the world according to Matt, is a good thing. If he hated it, he’d definitely let me know!
There are a couple other classes he’s going to right now which deal with current events and newspaper article discussions. He’s still on the fence with this class, but really enjoys the guy who leads it.
Matt is working on walking, walking, and more walking! (Something he is VERY motivated to work on.) He’s going to be walking to and from 2 of his meals each day, as well as during his scheduled therapy times. He walked 150 feet last week without resting, and did very well with that. He is anxious to get to walking better and better and eventually on his own. Please continue to pray for that skill to come back.
Matt is working hard in speech also. He is working on tongue placement to help make the sounds more clear and crisp, as well as different sounds. He is learning to rely on himself in communicating his needs, wants, and just having conversations…which means the most to me. I want everyone to know him and how wonderful he really is…his sense of humor, his intelligence, and other facets of his personality. I know that once they get to know him, they’re going to love him more and more.
Already I see him developing good relationships with different people who work there. I think he can relate to them more right now than some of the other guys in his house. So many of them have such severe injuries, it’s really hard for him to converse with them. He went out for a stroll (in his chair) with a couple people the other night, just to enjoy the evening and get some fresh air. Another night he sat out in the living room area of the house watching the college world series on TV with another guy who works in his house. And then on Thursday night, he went with a group to see one of the college games in person at Rosenblatt stadium. I think he really enjoyed getting out and watching the game.
Matt went to the grocery store last week too. Part of his therapy is planning a trip somewhere…where to go, what to get etc. They are working on organizational skills as well as planning. He went to the store and got some frozen pizzas. His OT task was to work on preparing the pizza, so this week he’s going to do that with his OT.
Matt also took a tumble last week. He fell out of his wheelchair while heading back from a class. He’s not quite sure what happened, since it went so fast…but he was cruising along and reached down for something and tipped right over onto sidewalk. He scraped up his cheek and forehead pretty good and skinned his knee. Of course, he was pretty mad at himself. Lord knows I can relate…I’ve got to be the clumsiest person I know! Running into things and falling down for no good reason! But, he got back up with help and carried on about his business. They treated the scrapes and he was on his way…he didn’t want to miss his next class or make a big fuss about it. He even went out to the ballgame that night. I thought for sure he’d stay home and sulk…so I was pretty proud of him for sucking it up and going anyway.
Overall, things are going pretty well for him there in Omaha. He’s starting to make an impression on people there, and is really working hard at every task set before him. He’s still not very happy about being away from home, but is acclimating himself the best he can. He has his complaints and moments of frustration, but he is hanging in there. I am planning to take next Monday off and stay out there for the holiday weekend. It will be so good to have 2 extra days together! I can’t wait!
‘Challenges don’t build character…they reveal it.’
It made me think about Matt and myself, and this whole situation which has been full of challenges. I continue to be impressed by Matt’s persistence and willingness to meet the challenges head on, even when he’s feeling down or frustrated…he never gives up trying. He is such a trooper!! His character is amazing to me.
We had another good weekend together in Omaha. We spent time on Saturday hanging out, talking, and enjoying each other’s company. We went to a movie and swung through DQ on our way back home. Each time we go out and about like that, I feel more and more comfortable. It is so good that we can enjoy things like movies alone together again…we love going to movies…it is very us.
Sunday we enjoyed the brunch that is put on by staff in the rec department. We had made to order pancakes and omelets…YUM! Then we spent most of the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather. We both took a little nap and it just felt so good to be able to have a low key weekend together…even if it wasn’t in our normal home environment.
Matt’s schedule there has really started to fill up! Yahoo! He’s busy going here, there, and everywhere…for classes, therapies, and outings. Here’s a little run down of some of them:
Matt attends a group class on assertiveness with the Neuro-Psychologist. So far, he’s only had one session and hasn’t quite formed a strong opinion. Matt’s standard answer is Its OK, or Not Bad. Which, in the world according to Matt, is a good thing. If he hated it, he’d definitely let me know!
There are a couple other classes he’s going to right now which deal with current events and newspaper article discussions. He’s still on the fence with this class, but really enjoys the guy who leads it.
Matt is working on walking, walking, and more walking! (Something he is VERY motivated to work on.) He’s going to be walking to and from 2 of his meals each day, as well as during his scheduled therapy times. He walked 150 feet last week without resting, and did very well with that. He is anxious to get to walking better and better and eventually on his own. Please continue to pray for that skill to come back.
Matt is working hard in speech also. He is working on tongue placement to help make the sounds more clear and crisp, as well as different sounds. He is learning to rely on himself in communicating his needs, wants, and just having conversations…which means the most to me. I want everyone to know him and how wonderful he really is…his sense of humor, his intelligence, and other facets of his personality. I know that once they get to know him, they’re going to love him more and more.
Already I see him developing good relationships with different people who work there. I think he can relate to them more right now than some of the other guys in his house. So many of them have such severe injuries, it’s really hard for him to converse with them. He went out for a stroll (in his chair) with a couple people the other night, just to enjoy the evening and get some fresh air. Another night he sat out in the living room area of the house watching the college world series on TV with another guy who works in his house. And then on Thursday night, he went with a group to see one of the college games in person at Rosenblatt stadium. I think he really enjoyed getting out and watching the game.
Matt went to the grocery store last week too. Part of his therapy is planning a trip somewhere…where to go, what to get etc. They are working on organizational skills as well as planning. He went to the store and got some frozen pizzas. His OT task was to work on preparing the pizza, so this week he’s going to do that with his OT.
Matt also took a tumble last week. He fell out of his wheelchair while heading back from a class. He’s not quite sure what happened, since it went so fast…but he was cruising along and reached down for something and tipped right over onto sidewalk. He scraped up his cheek and forehead pretty good and skinned his knee. Of course, he was pretty mad at himself. Lord knows I can relate…I’ve got to be the clumsiest person I know! Running into things and falling down for no good reason! But, he got back up with help and carried on about his business. They treated the scrapes and he was on his way…he didn’t want to miss his next class or make a big fuss about it. He even went out to the ballgame that night. I thought for sure he’d stay home and sulk…so I was pretty proud of him for sucking it up and going anyway.
Overall, things are going pretty well for him there in Omaha. He’s starting to make an impression on people there, and is really working hard at every task set before him. He’s still not very happy about being away from home, but is acclimating himself the best he can. He has his complaints and moments of frustration, but he is hanging in there. I am planning to take next Monday off and stay out there for the holiday weekend. It will be so good to have 2 extra days together! I can’t wait!
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