Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Cruzin' In Style!


Today I got my new wheelchair.... it is pretty SWEEEET!  Although, my mom is kinda boring and got me an all black one instead of the crazy colors she could have chosen.  Oh well, I like it anyways.  Maggie is already jealous.  I give her less than 2 days before she starts to try and get into it herself.  Anywho, my new wheels come with a new back pack - yes I AM ready for school to start now.  My chair can tilt in space, so if I need to lean back I can.  It has a tray with a cup holder and a pretty neat iPad (or book) holder.  I have a clip on the handle so my mom can put stuff like the diaper bag on it.  It can fold up and fit into the back of our SUV..... but my mom thinks they are lying about the weight of it.  They say it only weighs 27 pounds, but she said it was very heavy to lift in.  Guess we have to start thinking about a ramp into the car and the house??? 





















Other than the new ride - I wanted to share some pics from the weekend.  We had a family reunion with my Grandma's side of the family - the Sherpe Family.  We all got these awesome shirts that say "Be Good To People".  If anyone wants to know about this just check out my cousin's.... well maybe she is my second cousin, I'm not sure.... facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/begoodtopeople  it's a simple message and something we all should do more of.





 



Thursday, August 15, 2013

I AM THE CHILD

I AM THE CHILD

I am the child who cannot talk.
You often pity me, I see it in your eyes.
You wonder how much I am aware of — I see that as well.
... I am aware of much, whether you are happy or sad or fearful,
patient or impatient, full of love and desire,
or if you are just doing your duty by me.
I marvel at your frustration, knowing mine to be far greater,
... for I cannot express myself or my needs as you do.

You cannot conceive my isolation, so complete it is at times.
I do not gift you with clever conversation, cute remarks to be laughed over and repeated.
I do not give you answers to your everyday questions,
responses over my well-being, sharing my needs,
or comments about the world about me.

I do not give you rewards as defined by the world’s standards — great strides in
development that you can credit yourself;
I do not give you understanding as you know it.
What I give you is so much more valuable — I give you instead opportunities.
Opportunities to discover the depth of your character, not mine;
the depth of your love, your commitment, your patience, your abilities;
the opportunity to explore your spirit more deeply than you imagined possible.
I drive you further than you would ever go on your own, working harder,
seeking answers to your many questions with no answers.
I am the child who cannot talk.

I am the child who cannot walk.
The world seems to pass me by.
You see the longing in my eyes to get out of this chair, to run and play like other children.
There is much you take for granted.
I want the toys on the shelf, I need to go to the bathroom, oh I’ve dropped my fork again.
I am dependent on you in these ways.
My gift to you is to make you more aware of your great fortune,
your healthy back and legs, your ability to do for yourself.
Sometimes people appear not to notice me; I always notice them.
I feel not so much envy as desire, desire to stand upright,
to put one foot in front of the other, to be independent.
I give you awareness.
I am the child who cannot walk.

I am the child who is mentally impaired.
I don’t learn easily, if you judge me by the world’s measuring stick,
what I do know is infinite joy in simple things.
I am not burdened as you are with the strife’s and conflicts of a more complicated life.
My gift to you is to grant you the freedom to enjoy things as a child,
to teach you how much your arms around me mean, to give you love.
I give you the gift of simplicity.
I am the child who is mentally impaired.

I am the disabled child.
I am your teacher. If you allow me,
I will teach you what is really important in life.
I will give you and teach you unconditional love.
I gift you with my innocent trust, my dependency upon you.
I teach you about how precious this life is and about not taking things for granted.
I teach you about forgetting your own needs and desires and dreams.
I teach you giving.
Most of all I teach you hope and faith.
I was the disabled child.........
 I was the disabled child who could not see,I was the disabled child who could not talk, I was the disabled child that could not walk.....


                                            -Author: Garth-


 
My mom read this poem on facebook, it was shared by one of her friends.  She got a lil teary reading it so I thought I would share it with everyone.... plus I had this great pic of me and my ol' man that I wanted to get out there.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

What a Weekend...

Holy Smokes Batman... it was a busy weekend.  Not only was it the Little Miracles 5K and Family Fun Fest in Rochester, but it was also the world famous Servais Open - yes they both ended up being the same weekend.  My mom went into super drive to get the house ready for people to stay with us - she had to make the new place actually look like a house vs a random pile of boxes and bags.  She did a pretty good job for the most part.  Still a lot of unpack and rearranging to be done though...


Anywho, Saturday morning (early morning) we drove up to Rochester.  My dad had to stay behind to represent the family for the golf outing.  Conner & Kaylee's Crew did a great job again this year.  We got 2nd place for fundraising - 2 years in a row, that's right!  Our team consisted of me and Maggie, my mom and Grandma Servais, 2 of my mom's friends - Ali and Andrea, and one of my mom's co-workers even brought 4 of her kids.  It was a beautiful day for walking and hanging out with old/new friends.  This year we did a balloon launch in honor of all the lil angels - so we let a balloon go for Kaylee.  It was a pretty awesome moment.  Then we ran into a family that my mom knows from working in Iowa.  I met a cool dude - even if he is a Vikings and Twins fan.  He gave me a neat hat and even signed it for me!  My mom was really impressed by him - I think I may have seen a tear or two, but with my mom there are always tears.  All in all it was a great event and everyone had fun

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On the way home we had to stop and get me some medication - yep, I have another ear infection and my mom had to fight with the pharmacist to get it.  Mom: 1  Walgreen's pharmacist: 0.  That's right!

Saturday evening we spent over at the Servais Open after party.  It was sure nice to see everyone.  Maggie was pretty excited to see our cuz Zoey, but at the party she was being a little clingy to mom, so I hung out with dad the whole time.  I even won an award.   The "Non-golfer Award" which was new this year.  So I guess I pretty much rock since I didn't even need to golf to win something.