A belated Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! I know it's a Catholic holiday, but anymore it's morphed into just a fun day to wear green in the hopes of not getting pinched. And to get FREE FRIES with green ketchup at Burger King!!! Did they do that everywhere or just around here? I'm telling you......eating anything green that should be red usually means it has spoiled, but actually the ketchup was pretty good. And the fries were, of course, delicious. Wait a minute---why would they serve something French on an Irish holiday? I'm so confused........
We've had a regular, school-centered, after-school hours filled, go to church whenever the doors are open, normal kind of week. Dale had PT again on Wednesday and did great. We had a "day off" on Thursday.......meaning no therapy scheduled. Then, on Friday morning, we had SP for an hour as usual. Poor Dale! He means so well, but he can't help his brain getting tired after about 40 minutes. The therapist is gently helping Dale work through this weariness, teaching him tricks like forming pictures in his head to remember certain pieces of information in order for him to be able to learn and retain material. Dale realizes this weakness and apologizes for it nearly non-stop when it happens. We, of course, assure him it's okay and encourage him to keep trying. He does his best, but he's very glad when the hour is up and he can rest his brain. It's interesting to note that changing thinking activities often helps Dale stay focused. We are getting an unusual look into how the brain works by working with our son and his memory and thinking deficits. This gives me better compassion for other children (students) who have learning difficulties and the struggle they go through to try for good grades.
The kids pushed all week to do well in school in preparation for the upcoming Spring Break. As a result, Saturday was spent rather lazily for me and the younger three kids. Unfortunately, Saturday ended on a sour note. Dale threw up. About 9:15 he said, "Mom, just to let you know, I don't feel well." I had him remove the blanket he was snuggled under and drink a bit of cold water. When he reported that he felt better, I gave him his evening meds and watched as he swallowed them with more water. Then, I followed him up the stairs to get ready for bed. He went through his usual bedtime routine of using the bathroom and brushing his teeth. I was in my bedroom down the hall when I heard him gag. I guess we pushed things too far when he already didn't feel well. He proceeded to lose the contents of his stomach in the bathroom sink, clogging it. I'm pretty sure he threw up his meds too, but there was nothing I could do about that. When he was done, I gave him a drink to rinse his mouth and put him to bed, making sure there was an empty trash can nearby, just in case. He slept the night through just fine and woke up feeling better.
Sunday morning started off with a bang. Chad and I got Dale up to get ready for church. I told Dale to sit on the edge of his bed for a minute and get his bearings while I tended to Emily. I guess he got tired of just sitting and tried to lean over and pick up a joke book from under the bed. You guessed it.....he lost his balance. Dale fell off the bed and smacked his forehead into his dresser, leaving a bright red spot above his right eyebrow. No lump, though, so we can be thankful for that. As a result, we decided to take things slower this morning. Chad took the girls on to Sunday school, and Dale and I got ready and made it to the 11:00 service. Our pastor preached about wanting a double portion of the Lord in our daily life, like Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. I was thankful for this good, solid, Bible preaching because so often I am content with my level of Christianity---which means my flesh is winning. I need this thrice-weekly reminder to submit to the Holy Spirit's leading and allow God to rule my thoughts, desires, and actions.
Well, once again, our weather is being weird. Today alone there has been snow, rain, snow/rain mix, hail/snow mix, and bright sunshine. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Maybe it will rain Skittles!
Jeremiah 33: 3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."
Sounds like a good week, no seizures at least - and Dale was wounded reaching for the joke book. He was injured for a good cause :). Speaking of injuries, if I may, how is the basketball player doing? Also, how are Katie's headaches? I (and I'm sure others) continue to pray for Dale, your family and each of them.
ReplyDeleteHere is a joke for Dale:
The 3rd grade teacher had to leave her classroom for a few minutes. On returning, she found the children in perfect order. Everybody was sitting absolutely quiet.
She was shocked and absolutely stunned. She said "I've never seen anything like it before. This is wonderful. But, please tell me, what came over all of you? Why are you so well behaved and quiet?"
Finally, after much urging, little Julie spoke up and said, "Well, one time you said that if you ever came back and found us quiet, you would drop dead."
I just want to wrap my arms around Dale when he is sick or unsteady, but all in all, things sound good. I pray that Dale will soon be over all the need for therapy and his brain back to working as it did before the incident. If only Dale knew how much he is inspiring people, guiding people to pray, to know God better and rely on God in all things...quite a wonderful achievement for such a young man. Thank you Dale!!
ReplyDelete