Silver Linings

Well, Christi, ever compelled, beat me to the punch.  I was going to post last night but, true to my nature, I got lazy.  Anyhoo I hadn't seen Mom since the morning of the 28th.  Folks, I keep hearing about and talking about the baby-steps Mom's been taking but baby steps add up and she's taken thousands of them in the last twelve days and those thousands add up to one giant step.  Her improvement is nothing short of astounding.  I had to leave the room and cry for a few seconds after I walked in and saw her yesterday afternoon.  She was wheeling herself out of the rehab gym.  When she saw me she started yelling "HEY...HEY...HEY...HEY!" and reaching for me.  Had she not been strapped in she would have jumped right out of her wheelchair.  If that scene doesn't move you, you're dead.

I had interrupted her third therapy session of the day and they were in the process of tranferring her from her wheelchair to her shiny new custom walker.  It looks like a standard walker in every respect except it has an armrest on the left side to support her (dwindling...a good thing) weight.  Off to the races.  Her energy level is almost back to pre-stroke levels though she might argue that point.

Where she hasn't made great progress but has made a big change is in her speech.  When I left it was slurred and labored where now it's quick and she is obviously trying to get more ideas out than she was able to those few days back.  She's become harder to understand though and when she realizes she's not saying something right she instantly begins spelling it out.  This would be great if she didn't run it all together and her words are so choppy that its hard to get when she's saying a word and when she's spelling it.

She sounds a bit like the guy in "Office Space" who keeps losing his stapler to Lumbhurg.  Haven't seen the movie?  Do yourself a favor.  It's a classic.

Now for the silver lining that this post was supposed to be about when I satarted writing it.

This whole ordeal has been a blessing if only because it has reconnected our family with so many friends and relatives that we may have lost touch with through the years.  We've had to lean on family here in the area that I personally haven't seen in a long time other than perhaps at one of my shows where I was busy and couldn't sit down and have a decent conversation.  Folks my parents were dear friends with before any of us kids were even an idea who are scattered to far-flung places.  This has brought so many of you back into our lives and that is truely, truely a blessing.

Thank you all who have come and visited, sent flowers and cards or have posted words of encouragement here.  Your thoughts, prayers and efforts are completely felt and appreciated.  If there is anything I or any of us can do for you please don't hesitate to email me at clayton@rydermedia.net.  We feel so fortunate to have such a wide network of friends and family who we can count on in times like these and we hope that we can return all the favors extended to us, just hopefully under more pleasant circumstances.

If you'd like to send something Mom's way:

Gwen Corn

BSA - Room 629

1600 Wallace

Amarillo, TX  79106

<---P.S. This picture is of a much skinnier, much hairyer, eight-years-the-younger me...

Clay