The Christmas spirit came alive for me this year as friends and strangers stepped up to make this a merrier Christmas for me and the other residents at the Pampa Nursing Center. When the center missed the deadline to apply for grant money to buy gifts for its residents, the community stepped up in a big way to save Christmas!
It all started when the nursing home staff decided to "adopt" a resident and buy gifts for that resident. When word about the "Adopt-A-Resident" program got out, other people wanted to help, and it spread from there. The newspaper and TV station ran stories about the program, and that's when it really took off. The center was flooded with phone calls from people wanting to help. Church and civic groups as well as other people donated money or bought gifts. Many did so anonymously.
The community came through in a big way to make this a brighter Christmas for all the residents at the nursing home. At our Christmas party Dec. 17, we all had packages to open.
I got pants and a shirt, bottles of soap and body wash. . . . and enough snacks to feed the entire nursing home for a year! I got so much candy that I could open a candy store in my room. After the Christmas party, other groups came and dropped off gifts and MORE candy.
I appreciate the staff and all those who gave to make this a very merry Christmas. Thank you and God bless.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
A Year Later. . .
I call this blog "Life's Journey" because our brief time on this earth is like traveling down a long road, full of unexpected twists and turns. Life can definitely throw you a curve and, if you're not careful, you can easily get lost before you reach your final destination.
This past year has been a series of potholes for me. It was about this time last year that I started having health problems. I was becoming so weak that I had to move out of my apartment and into a nursing facility. After visits to various doctors, I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spine). I started the year 2014 with surgery followed by three months in rehab before I came back to the nursing center in Pampa.
Needless to say, my life was turned upside-down. Even after surgery, I was unable to do many everyday tasks, including using the computer to type my blog. I am just now beginning to use the computer again. The surgery didn't "fix" all my problems, but without the operation my condition might've gotten worse, possibly even causing paralysis.
Now, after months of therapy, I am starting to regain more use of my hands. In the meantime, I've had to find new ways to do simple tasks, such as feeding myself and using the computer keyboard. I am slowly getting better at both.
If you look, you'll see that my last blog entry was exactly one year ago today! So this entry today is a milestone and sort of marks my return to blogging. I hope to be able to write more as I continue to regain my strength. Be patient, though. This is a very slow process, but I'll get there by faith.
I like the words of a song that says, "I may not be over the mountain, but I can see the other side!" For now, I'm just taking it one day at a time and trusting God to see me through.
This past year has been a series of potholes for me. It was about this time last year that I started having health problems. I was becoming so weak that I had to move out of my apartment and into a nursing facility. After visits to various doctors, I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spine). I started the year 2014 with surgery followed by three months in rehab before I came back to the nursing center in Pampa.
Needless to say, my life was turned upside-down. Even after surgery, I was unable to do many everyday tasks, including using the computer to type my blog. I am just now beginning to use the computer again. The surgery didn't "fix" all my problems, but without the operation my condition might've gotten worse, possibly even causing paralysis.
Now, after months of therapy, I am starting to regain more use of my hands. In the meantime, I've had to find new ways to do simple tasks, such as feeding myself and using the computer keyboard. I am slowly getting better at both.
If you look, you'll see that my last blog entry was exactly one year ago today! So this entry today is a milestone and sort of marks my return to blogging. I hope to be able to write more as I continue to regain my strength. Be patient, though. This is a very slow process, but I'll get there by faith.
I like the words of a song that says, "I may not be over the mountain, but I can see the other side!" For now, I'm just taking it one day at a time and trusting God to see me through.
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