Wednesday, March 25, 2009

What's Important?

As I sit here and reflect on the events of this week I am reminded that life isn’t easy.
However I believe that going through hard times makes us stronger people, No matter the severity of the issue.
When I am able to look past my particularly difficult issues I soon realize that I have got it a lot better than a lot of people. I have a loving family that will always be there for me through the good times and the bad. I know that my friends will always be there for me too and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of friends. Three of which I was lucky enough to see this week.
I am also very fortunate to be able to afford food and water and never have to worry about an empty fridge or not having a warm place to sleep at night like many people all around the world do. I am also grateful that I can have fun whenever I want to. In addition I am thankful that I have a wheelchair that helps me to get around and experience the world, for without an electric wheelchair I would be like a prisoner with in my own body. Lastly I am blessed to have Junior, my dog. Even though I don’t really live with him anymore I still really enjoy the time we do spend together and I think the bond we have will never go away, no matter how far I move. No one is perfect! However I think the fact that I dance and now go to yoga classes weekly, has helped me to re-center myself and figure out what is really important.

So what is really important to YOU?

Belated February Love Blog

For those of you that haven’t seen my debut on ABC 7 news here is the link if you are interested. http://www.youtube.com/user/gettoknowtheblue
Please spread the word! The power of hope. For those of you that do not know I also have a learning disability that is sometimes harder for me to deal with than my physical one because I have felt like no one really understands or could relate to this part of me. I have been lucky enough to have friends with CP but no one with a learning disability. Now that you know, my hope is that you won’t judge me or think of me differently because of it. I am extremely self-conscious because of it. That was until today. When I met Samantha Abeel, she has difficulty in math with her basic skills such as money management, addition, subtraction, multiplying and dividing. She also struggles with spelling and the passage of time while on the other hand her vocabulary and creative writing got her to go extremely far as to write two of her own books. One is entitled Reach for the Moon and the other, My Thirteenth Winter. Like her, I struggle with my math skills, the passage of time and spelling but do well with writing, get good grades and have a good vocabulary. She even has a degree in Social Work. As I listened to her speak at the Board of Jewish Education, I was amazed at how similar we are. After her presentation, we talked and she signed a book for me. She even took a picture with me and gave me her e-mail and said if you have any questions e-mail me. Samantha gave me newfound hope and reminded me that I can do it too! A few days after I met with Samantha it just so happened that I had an appointment with my counselor to talk about places I could transfer to. I was thinking about National Louis University (NLU) and had a whole plan in mind. We talked and talked but he couldn’t find what I was looking for. I knew it existed because I had seen it just days before. My counsler said to me why don’t you call this person at NLU and see if they can help you. So I did and it turned out she was on leave and wouldn’t be back until April. I called back and they put me in touch with someone else but she didn’t answer either. So I decided to look for it again myself and sure enough within a very short time I found it.

Also I am very grateful to the copy shop at Oakton because they were willing to scan my books and bind them back together. When the special services office was not responsive to my accommodations. Both of these stories have shown me the power of persistence and as Dance Detour integrated dance troop says, We take an alternative route. That is what I had to do and very often find myself having to do.

Norine’s birthday and other fun times.
I feel so blessed that me and Norine have reconnected to become roommates. I believe we complement each other in many ways and it is great to have someone there for the lonely times when I miss my family. Now that I have been living with her, I couldn’t have asked for a better roommate. We make each other laugh, stay up and watch my Tivo together, and just plain joke around. It was her birthday this past Saturday, and me and Jacki took her out to Comedy Sportz. We had a good time and lots of laughs. The week before her birthday we also went to Medieval Times.. Before I talk about Mom and Dad I would like to congratulate my friend Chava and her family because she is getting married this month! My blessing for you is everything in this song, so I would like to share it with you!
Rascal Flatts My Wish Lyrics
Songwriters: Steele, Jeffrey; Robson, Steve

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin’? til you find the window
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you and the place you left
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take
But more than anything, yeah more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish, yeah yeah

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish
(My wish for you)

This is my wish
(My wish for you)
I hope you know somebody loves you
(My wish for you)
May all your dreams stay big
(My wish for you)

I definitely believe this is the month for love!

Big news from Israel!
I am going on my Birthright trip. I am so excited and will tell you more about it in future posts! Yahoo!

Authors note as a tribute to my parents twenty-fifth wedding anniversary I would like to share with you the speech I wrote for them back in October at their surprise party. I would also like to thank them for giving me the opportunity to live on my own in this wonderful apartment because it wasn’t in my speech before. Thank you for leveling the playing field for me in this way. For those of you who were at the party you don’t need to read it and thank you for coming. It mean’t a lot to my parents and I know it is something our family will never forget.

Mom and Dad,
You have been faced with many challenges but whatever they are you have both looked at the cup half full and taught me and Brian to do the same even though it is sometimes hard for us. You take what you have and run with it. I think of our family as a tree with you both being the trunk and the rest of our family and friends the beautiful flowers because without you I would be nowhere. You both are my number one advocates. You both want to see me run a self-determined life and help me with this every single day. You both were my first teachers. You both over see that I have fun. You both love me and want me and my community to live as normal of a life as possible. That is why Mom is on the committees she is on. Dad you always want me to have the same opportunities as other people my age. For example, when I was little you always would carry me up on the roller coasters no matter how heavy or big I was becoming because you always wanted me to ride the roller coasters like any other kid. And when we were on vacation without mom, even though you made me look like a clown, you were willing to try to put make up on me because you wanted me to be happy. You both wanted me to have an opportunity to go to camp and though it was a different kind of camp, you wanted to try to level the playing field for me. The most recent experience I can think of is this summer when my dream came true when I went to access dance company’s summer dance workshop. It was like camp in the same respect that I felt like I could be myself there. Despite my disability, I was like a normal person going to an intensive for something I really cared about. It is very apparent in everything that you both do that you both want the best for me and I couldn’t ask for a better trunk or better parents. So this day is for you to say thank you for all you have done for me and the people that care about you. Here’s to another 25 years of love and Commitment now that I can drink. Thanks for all that you do in supporting my life and our family. You are a terrific start to my tree and I couldn’t ask for better. Happy 25th anniversary, love, Jess.