A Week of Thanks - Day 7

 Today, as we dig out the Christmas decorations,

I am thankful for this season of the year.

I am thankful that Christ would come as a baby to die for my sins.

I am thankful for the hymns that focus our hearts on His life and ministry.

I am thankful for a season focused on giving.

I am thankful for the beauty of the decorations with many symbols pointing to Christ.

A Week of Thanks - Day 6

 There is not a day that goes by that I do not want to express thanks for my hubby.

He has been God's perfect match for me for the past 20 years.

he has exhibited care in leading our home.

in providing for me,

in caring so deeply for me,

in rejoicing and weeping when I rejoiced and wept.

In the past 8 weeks,

he has particularly shown a selflessness in meeting my every need as I recover 

and in helping with my therapy daily.

I may have had to wait for my mate longer than many,

but he is certainly worth the wait.

A Week of Thanks - Day Five

 I am thankful for God's Salvation.

I am a sinner.

I deserve nothing but punishment and eternity in Hell.

But ...

God in His mercy sent His Son to pay for the penalty of my sin by dying on the cross for me.

As a little girl,

I believed that Jesus is God

and trusted that He took my punishment on the cross.

There is no greater gift than the Gift of Eternal Life!

A Week of Thanks - Day Four

 I am thankful for Friends.

It is great to have friends around the nation and now around the world.

We are thankful for friends in NY, WA, NC, SC, OR, KY, and TN.

We are also thankful for friends in or headed to Colombia, Ivory Coast, the Philippines, and Australia.

With a common bond in Christ, friends become family.

I am thankful for all those that we have met and with whom we still communicate.

I am thankful for the prayers, care and concern of those near and far.

A Week of Thanks - Day Three

 I am thankful for my family.

After nearly 3 years in Oregon,

I have been thankful to catch up with family again.

Covid and family responsibilities kept us from traveling,

but by December 1, we will have seen all of the immediate family except for 3.

I am thankful for nieces and nephews who still want to see their aunt and uncle.

I am thankful for each one who spent valuable resources to make a trip in the last 8 months to stay in touch.

I am thankful to be within a reasonable driving distance again.

A Week of Thanks - Day Two

 I am thankful for a body that is fearfully and wonderfully made.

I have never had a health issue like I have this year.

My fracture did require plates and screws,

but God created my body to use those tools to heal.

The collagen piled up in just the right space to strengthen a broken bone.

The incision closed up and generated new skin.

The muscles continue to relearn what they are supposed to do.

I am thankful for His care in every aspect of our life.

By Degrees:

Extension is still 55 degrees

Flexion increased to 45 degrees this week

A Week of Thanks - Day One

I am so thankful for a new home.

God has blessed us with a beautiful home.

God gave us a home near a sizeable city.

He gave us a home with walkable sidewalks.

He gave us a home within 1 mile of hubby's work.

He gave us a home that was brand new as well as new to us.

He gave us the right size home at the perfect time.

He provided a closing date before rates went too high.

He provided discount after discount on moving trucks.

Simple Pictures are Best

 For the past 7 weeks,

I have had much time to think.

Some of my work has been postponed,

while other work just takes so long that I can do a lot of thinking.

My thinking this week has had me thinking about a childhood book,

"Simple Pictures are Best."

It is a fun story of a couple who are celebrating their anniversary with a commemorative picture.

As they "sit" for the picture, they think of all of the things that they want in the picture.

Nothing can be left out.

The photographer keeps reiterating, "simple pictures are best."

In the end, as the apprentice tries to get the couple to smile,

the bull gets out and actually ends up the only thing in the picture.

My prideful self wants to stress about the upcoming holidays.

My prideful self wants to create the "perfect" day.

My prideful self wants to fill the day with things I may not be able to do right now.

My prideful self wants to worry.

But don't you think "simple holidays are best?"

Maybe there is some boxed food.

Maybe you don't make every side dish you planned.

Maybe there are some paper plates.

Maybe the pizza delivery man is called on.

Maybe you are packed in like sardines.

Perhaps you are stressing about the holidays.

It's not about the food.

It's not about the venue.

It's not about the decorations.

It's about the heart of the day.

It's about friends/family and thankfulness to God for all that He has provided.

By Degrees

For those who have been praying for my rehab progress ... thank you!

The prayers are working.

 I am one-week post cast removal.

I mentioned that day one was a big discouragement.

There was a daunting task before me.

Could I progress without professional therapy?

Would YouTube really be enough?

Hubby and I set a mark.

If I wasn't improving by Thanksgiving,

we would make an appointment at PT.

One lady on YouTube encouraged me over the weekend.

She documented her progress for the first two weeks post-cast.

And ... she showed her progress in one year.

She documented all of the exercises that I was doing

and suggested an app.

The app was a CLINOMETER!

Now I can monitor my progress ... by degrees.

My goal is to get to 90 degrees of flexion and extension.

So far the greatest flexion (palm down) I have seen is 60 degrees.

And the greatest extension (palm up) is 25 degrees.

The swelling continues to go down.

AND ... I did a weight workout with 2 lb weights today!

I also practiced on the organ on Sunday afternoon and plan to accompany the service Sunday am!

Two Sides of the Same Coin

 There is much excitement today.

The cast is off.

I have washed away most of the dead, dry skin on my arm.

The scar is looking better now that 4 more weeks have passed.

I can progress with phase 2 - REHAB!

Working on grip with therapy putty

And there is a little discouragement.

 I tried to prepare for what "stiffness" meant, but I fell far short.

It is as if my arm and hand are just fused together without a joint.

My range of motion is tiny, very tiny.

I have gained a little mobility as I worked on some exercises throughout today,

but it feels like a long road.

But, I have a great cheerleader who worked from home today 

and made the meals while I rested and exercised.

It is definitely ready for a rest tonight.

The Cat (er ... sock puppet) is Out of the Bag

 It didn't last long.

It has been discovered that my hubby has a crazy side.

He introduced the crazy  to a friend ...

... and then we received this ...

... a crazy sock puppet.

And now, the entertainment just flows.

Preparation

 Only 3 days left ...

and I am preparing to REHAB.

I am accumulating my supplies,

planning my exercises,

and preparing mentally for how weak I may be

and how much time it may take to rehab.

"They" say 2 weeks for every 1 week in a cast.

And so I am preparing for that.

"They" also say pushups my not be comfortable for up to a year ...

well, maybe I am not mourning that one to much 😀

The Early Bird ...

 ...finishes a blog post.

The blog has been neglected ...

... not for lack of thinking about it,

but because I run out of steam by the end of the day,

I have usually overused my arm and it refuses to hang over a keyboard.

But, I just finished my grocery shopping

and saved so much time

that a morning blog post will be written.

The day that I wish to forget,

I had gone grocery shopping.

And then I was banned from driving!

Hubby took me shopping the next week,

but I could tell he was worn out and it was just one more thing to wear him out in addition to cooking and dishwashing.

Surely I could help him.

I discovered that I could get a Walmart+ subscription with free delivery for free for 4 weeks.

That would cover my time in the cast.

I also signed up for Kroger's delivery program for what we deemed a moderate fee.

It has worked surprisingly well.

This morning, my shopper was great and very communicative.

She even found me some marked-down products (big win)!

While it is not for everyone,

it has been a blessing in this season.

We even saved money this month because I wasn't seeing extra things that I "needed" while shopping.

It is a help in a one car family.

It allows me to restock bananas and spinach in the middle of the week as necessary.

And since everything I read says that I may have the best control of a car for about 8 weeks ...

I guess I will continue to see groceries on my doorstep.