Walking on Sunshine

I have had a smile stuck on my face for the majority of the day for three awesome reasons.

It all started with a handshake - that's how all my PT sessions start. Alex shook my hand and asked me how I was feeling today. She didn't wait long before telling me that she had received notice from my insurance that they have approved my very own custom fit, ridiculously expensive Bluerocker shoe inserts. Next she told me, "I think we'll walk with this today," as she pulled the wheelless walking frame in front of me. I stood up with her bracing the frame and stabilized my weight over my feet now secured in the test model inserts I've been wearing.

With the door open and the whole hall ahead of me, I made it my silent goal to make it to the dining table to the right of the bank of windows. Alex stood beside me as I slowly moved both feet, found my balance, and then shuffled the standing frame forward. Every few steps Alex reminded me to engage my front muscles as much as possible to have stronger balance. She pulled the wheelchair along behind me and encouraged me as I made my way slowly down the hall.

At some point after I left my room, the food server who also does station mail delivery came walking towards me and Alex waving a card in her hand. She gave me an encouragement in German in her French accent and left the card in my room for me to open later. Next, the head nurse walked by to tell me I had an appointment with the Bluerocker rep who would measure my feet for my custom inserts later this afternoon.

"Don't forget, you are a woman," Alex told me, "You are made for multitasking. Talking and walking is no problem. Maybe I should go get your phone so you can phone and walk at the same time." She patiently kept pace with me as I continued towards my not so distant destination at a snail's pace. I finally made it past the wall to the open space where the table sits, and Alex suggested I choose a line on the floor as my mark. I picked the second one from where I was that was basking in the sunlight, about a yard away. It took almost five minutes to make it, but I was determined, and Alex never gives up on me either. Once fully over the line, Alex positioned my wheelchair behind me and helped me to sit down.

I wheeled back into the room where she shook my hand again and told me how excited she was about my progress. Left alone, I found my card on the table, and was delighted to see the return address of my favorite people to receive mail from. I had a card to brighten my day signed by the whole Stephens family, each signature with a note or doodle to make me smile.

And that was all before 10:30.

It was a pretty great follow up to an awesome day yesterday when I got to meet Sandra's parents and they blessed my socks off with Trader Joe's treats and delivered a new computer that my incredible friends pitched in to purchase for me. I can't stress enough how grateful I am for the wonderful gifts I've been given, but I have to say again the greatest and most humbling gift is meeting people who tell me they've been praying for me for months and send greetings from their family and friends back in the middle of America where I've never been who are also praying for me. How incredible to know so many people who I've never met are faithfully lifting me up in prayer.

As you continue to pray for me, please specifically lift up my digestive system as it's not functioning at an ideal level. My x-rays from yesterday showed my spine is doing okay, but my colon is not very strong. If it doesn't get a move on, there might be a need for another surgery.