Pictures

Philippians 4:13 “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.”

My new toy!

On the way back down to BARWIS! (Sorry that my pictures are sideways!!)

Discouragement

Amazing how quickly you can go from a “I can do it“  attitude to discouragement. I thought I was making more progress on my walking until my video therapy session tonight. I just can’t walk with the right gait pattern! Jenna, my therapist, was very encouraging but I still felt discouraged. Later, I was praying that God would encourage me through a song, and the next song that played…(I have heard the song many times before…but the words were PERFECT)

The Father’s House 

By: Cory Asbury

Sometimes on this journey, I get lost in my mistakes

What looks to me like weakness is a canvas for Your strength

And my story isn't over, my story's just begun

Failure won't define me 'cause that's what my Father does

Yeah, failure won't define me 'cause that's what my Father does

Ooh, lay your burdens down

Ooh, here in the Father's house

Check your shame at the door (ooh)

'Cause it ain't welcome anymore (ooh)

Ooh, you're in the Father's house

Arrival's not the end game, the journey's where You are

You never wanted perfect, You just wanted my heart

And the story isn't over, if the story isn't good

A failure's never final when the Father is in the room

A failure's never final when the Father is in the room

Ooh, lay your burdens down

Ooh, here in the Father's house

Check your shame at the door (ooh)

'Cause it ain't welcome anymore (ooh)

Ooh, you're in the Father's house, yeah

Prodigals come home

The helpless find hope

Love is on the move

When the Father's in the room

Prison doors fling wide

The dead come to life

Love is on the move

When the Father's in the room

Miracles take place

The cynical find faith

And love is breaking through

When the Father's in the room

The Jericho walls are quakin'

Strongholds now are shakin'

Love is breaking through

When the Father's in the room

I said love is breaking through

When the Father's in the room

Ooh, lay your burdens down

Ooh, here in the Father's house

Check your shame at the door

'Cause it ain't welcome anymore

Ooh, you're in the Father's house

Yeah, lay your burdens down

Ooh, here in the Father's house

Ooh, you're in the Father's house

aMy Father’s House - click here

Appointment

I had an appointment at Barwis yesterday. The appointment went well! She was impressed with the progress I was making (yay God). It’s so easy to become discouraged when I see how much farther I have to come but on the flip side, easy to feel encouraged because of how far I’ve come. My brain is very confused 🙂

Prayer Requests:

1. She showed me some techniques to loosen my forearm and, hopefully, straighten gimpy. That hand has been worked on so much, we even drove to North Carolina and received Botox in my forearm to help relax gimpy. Nothing has worked thus far, but I believe it can! So pray that the tendons in my forearm and hand will relax!

2. There is actually a lot to walking. Your feet have to be in the right place , your knee, shin and toes have to point in the right direction , your legs have to be straight and bent at the right time, your weight has to be shifted at the right time, etc. In my mind I have it figured out, the walking looks good...and then when I do it, my body doesn’t get the memo. Pray that my body would get the patterns of walking 

Joshua 1:9 NIV

[9] Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Walking

It’s not pretty, but...

Not in my power

I want to make sure God gets the glory here, not me. I never want anyone to think that one day I will walk because of all my hard work and therapists. It does and will take a lot of hard work from me, and God does use therapists, but God gets all of the credit. In my own power, even with all the hard work in the world, I cannot do this without God’s power. God gets the glory.  (Picture has nothing to do with anything. It just cracks me up.)

Current update

(Reposted from Facebook but current)

Update time: I have my first visit via video call with BARWIS Thursday. My faith is not in BARWIS though, let’s make this clear. 🙂 I am working on getting stronger in certain muscles and making the mind body connections. (About 4-5 hours most days!!)

I don’t have feeling on the right side of my body right now, so I use something called a PEMF (Pulsed Electro Magnetic Frequency) mat. I lay on it 2-3 times a day to recover and regain feeling (look them up, it’s cool). My feeling in certain muscles has started coming back but for some reason fades between treatments.

I am also working on standing, standing up and walking. I used to walk with a cane (and someone holding on), but the BARWIS lady thinks I’m strong enough without it. I’m a little freaked out walking this way, but keep working!

Prayer Requests:

1. PEMF therapy would have lasting results! That I would regain feeling in the right side of my body!

2. That my brain and body (especially hips) would calm down and work like they should when walking. 🙂

(You get a picture of gimpy because I have no other therapy pictures. This is my right hand, as far as it will open. We call my hand gimpy.)

Appointment

(Reposted from Facebook)

Praise God! It was an extremely good appointment. The therapist really explained how the muscles work together, etc. We’ll officially be part of the program. This will entail working a lot on exercises based on the evaluation and what I need to strengthen. We will have video calls as often as we want, probably 1-2x week. And I’ll probably be back to Boca Raton several more times. She gave a lot of helpful pointers and was very impressed with all my muscles firing (shout out to all my past therapists!!). I am so excited for the first time about walking. It’s going to take blood, sweat and tears. (Maybe not, hopefully not, blood) I’m ready to do this. Thank you for the prayers and thank you God!

Woah!

(Reposted from Facebook)

I’ve listened to this song 5 million times and I even have it as my ring tone. In the car, on the way down to my appointment tomorrow, I see this for the first time.... 😊

Welcome back

(Reposted from Facebook over a week ago)

I haven’t posted on here in forever, however, I need prayers, accountability, and I know people care. Soo...

Prayer request - we watched the, true story, movie "7 yards", which is about a football player that experiences a spinal cord injury resulting in being wheelchair bound. He used the program called BARWIS, which is in south Florida. One of the things they specialize in is neurological re-engineering - and I have an appointment for an evaluation Friday. 😬😳 

Prayers that someone can finally help instead of just telling me "you\"re a miracle!" Every doctor I\"ve ever seen just tells me that I\"m doing so good for the hemorrhage I had, and have no suggestions on where to go from here. I know that God performed an amazing miracle but I want to do more. I\"m not content at status quo until God tells me to stop. 🙂 All that to say, hopefully BARWIS is able to do something!!

New Purpose

So.... I had a God moment last night. I sell Color Street nail polish strips now. (Never heard of Color Street? Click there) I sell Color Street and all my commissions go to charity. This month I’m donating it all to Samaritan’s Purse Hurricane Dorian relief. I have been doing this for a month. My epiphany, God moment, was that I had been selling Color Street and because I could, donating it to charity. I need to focus on being able/desiring to donate to charity so I sell Color Street. That might not make sense. But I need to be more focused on the people that the charity will help and less focused on selling. I need to focus on why I’m doing this, not on my sales. I still might not be making sense. But I was really convicted - I need to be earnestly lifting these lives up to The Father. More important than selling nail strips, is praying for the people! So, I am going to PRAY and sell all the harder with new purpose!!

If you want to help, first of all pray for the people of the Bahamas! Pray for them as they rebuild their lives. Pray that they will find God in all this. Second, consider donating directly to Samaritan’s Purse Hurricane Dorian relief or buy some Color Street! (Click on the words for direct links)