Count Your Blessings….

Happy Friday, for those reading this at the end of the week. As spring approaches, I become so excited to see the early flowers coming up, turning everything from brown and gray into vibrant colors, hinting that spring is just around the corner. Over the years, I’ve planted thousands of daffodils around our property and they’ve just started to come up. I planted just as many tulips but the deer have taken a liking to them so there aren’t many left. As I watch them grow and look forward to them blooming, it’s easy for me to count my blessings.

So many have reached out to me with sympathy for what I am going through, and I really appreciate the sentiment, but I can very honestly say that it’s one thing I just don’t need. Prayers, good thoughts, great vibes…I’ll take as many as I can get, but sympathy just doesn’t make the list. Every day, from the day I was diagnosed, I have been so blessed to look back at the great life I have lived thus far. I wake up each morning grateful to have another day and am excited to look forward to the future.

A big reason I have this attitude can be attributed to a story I heard shortly after moving to Chicago about a young man, Kenneth Jennings, who was paralyzed while playing high school football. I sat on the couch with my mouth open as I watched an interview with him about his injury and how he was moving on with his life. During the entire interview, he had this beaming smile on his face as they talked about his limitations and things he wasn’t able to do anymore. Finally, the interviewer brought up the fact that they were talking about things that would be devastating to most of us and yet he seemed so joyful and optimistic about his life. His reply changed my outlook on life. He answered her, “I’m happy because even though I’m a quadriplegic, so many people have it so much worse than I do.” I formed a whole new perspective on my selfish life that day. I searched and searched but couldn’t find the video, but here is a great article written about him and some of his accomplishments.

It’s Thursday as I write this entry. Thursdays are sauna therapy days. One hour at 140 degrees. I hate sauna therapy days (sorry, Matt!). Putting me in a hot box for 60 minutes is just not my cup of hot tea. Counting my blessings is one of the ways I pass my time sitting in the human toaster oven. The first time I tried it, I wondered – where do I start? Well, how about the beginning? (Don’t worry, I’m just going to skim through that first day. Writing them all would take volumes.)

Thinking about my early years in Oklahoma, I was surrounded by friends and family, even though we lived outside of town. I don’t recall much time indoors in those years because there was so much to do outside and video games hadn’t been invented yet. I lacked for nothing and was always loved and supported.

The move to Kansas brought new experiences, new friends, and new opportunities. Everything I dreamed of doing was supported and encouraged. One more move in Kansas to put me in a better school introduced KP into my life. Those exploits are expanded on in the Best Friend post. This latest move also helped me explore more opportunities in sports. It took a while, but by the time I graduated, I think I was pretty good. School was easy, my social life flourished, and I had a cool car. Summers were filled with crazy times with friends, hauling hay, and sports camps. I had everything you could ever ask for.

I finally opened my eyes, peeked at the countdown timer, and realized I’d spent 45 minutes counting blessings…and I wasn’t even through high school. I couldn’t believe how many blessings had been showered over me all those years.

As the weeks and months have gone by, I’ve continued this practice while passing the sauna time drenched in my own sweat. I’ve progressed to my time through college, the years spent in the early jobs, and the eventual move to Chicago. Now, Chicago took more than one whole session, and that didn’t even include Amy. I have lived here more than half my life so I have a whole lot to be thankful for. I’d like to tell you how many sessions it took to count the blessings Amy has brought into my life, but I’ve only been going to sauna therapy once a week for 14 months and I’m not done yet.

So, again, how does all this tie in to how I’m dealing with Lou Gehrig’s disease? As I’ve mentioned before, when we walked out of the hospital on the day I was diagnosed, everything became more beautiful. Now, I feel like I don’t overlook anything that’s put around or before me. Colors are more vibrant, smells more alluring (most of the time, not counting the sauna), songs more meaningful, dining out more enjoyable, sunsets more spectacular, time with friends more meaningful, and time spent with Amy all the more special. So many of these things would have been overlooked or taken for granted before that day. Now they’re catalogued for use during that one hour a week of torment and filed away to be celebrated with all the other blessings I’ve been surrounded by.

One special person I’d like to recognize is a 16-year-old boy who reached out to me shortly after I launched this blog. He revealed that he had been diagnosed with ALS but he had such a great attitude. He said he was blessed because he could walk with a walker and he was able to drive. Remember when we turned 16 and were excited to get our license because of the freedom that was afforded us? Instead of focusing on his limitations, this young man gets to celebrate that freedom too. And I’m sure he appreciates it more than we ever did.

Chris Rosati was another special individual who continues to inspire me and reminds me just how lucky I am. Chris was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease at a fairly young age and refused to let it slow him down. Instead, he focused on bringing joy to others in many ways as he fought his battle with ALS. Below I’ve posted one of many interviews with him, telling a small portion of his journey and showing his great attitude that I only hope to build on…

Thinking I should bring this week’s blog to an end is a bit difficult. I feel that I’ve touched and hinted at so many things, but if I actually started to write down all the things I’m thankful for, I would probably run out of memory on my computer (not to mention risk losing you as a reader). Instead, I’d like to challenge you to find time to count your blessings. It can happen when you come to a stoplight, sit in a waiting room, soak in the hot tub (my favorite place), or even while sitting in the sauna. Just take some time to be thankful for all you have.

Thank you for sharing your time with me today. I will leave you with a line from a song we learned in Sunday school at church when we were kids.

Have a great weekend.

Take care and God bless.

Coach