JENNY’S NEWS

A WHILE AGO, JESS WAS PRACTICING A SPEECH ABOUT WHALES 4 SCHOOL. SHE RAN ACROSS THE WORD “BALEEN”,, & WASN’T SURE IF SHE PRONOUNCED IT CORRECTLY. USUALLY, THE KIDS JUST SAY A WORD, & ASK IF THEY SAID IT RIGHT…IF I NOD “NO,” THEY TRY SAYING IT ANOTHER WAY, BUT THIS TIME, I SAID IT WELL ENOUGH 4 JESSIE 2 HEAR THE CORRECT VOWEL PRONUNCIATION! I WAS SO EXCITED!

OF COURSE, SHE HAD 2 CHECK W/MK L8R, EITHER BECUZ SHE 4GOT, OR WANTED 2 BE SURE SHE HEARD ME CORRECTLY!

THEN, 2DAY, ZACH ASKED A YES/NO QUESTION THROUGH R BEDROOM DOOR. I ANSWERED “NO.” ALTHOUGH IT WASN’T A GREAT “NO” (I DIDN’T SUSPECT HE’D UNDERSTAND), HE UNDERSTOOD! THAT FEELING OF BEING UNDERSTOOD NEVER GETS OLD!

SUN., THE KIDS WERE MAKING WISHLISTS…JESS ASKED 4 A GAMING CHAIR. ZACH REASONED 2 NOT GET HER 1, BECUZ SHE HAD A HAMOCK CHAIR IN HER ROOM. HE WENT ON, SAYING THAT EVERY1 IN THE FAMILY HAD A (“SPECIAL”) CHAIR, EXCEPT HIM–HE ADDED THAT “MOM HAS THE BEST CHAIR”! YA’ KNOW, IT’S HARD SOMETIMES 2 C SOMETHING THAT’S NESSECARY, IN THAT LIGHT, SO I’M GRATEFUL 4 MY CHILDREN’S REMINDERS! (MORE 2 ADD 2 MY “GRATITUDE LIST!”)

ALSO SUN., AS THE KIDS WERE MAKING WISHLISTS, FIA CAME UP 2 ME, & FLAT OUT SAID SHE WANTED A WHEELCHAIR. SHE’D BE THE HAPPIEST KID IF SHE COULD PLAY COMPUTER ALL DAY, BE FED, ORDER OTHERS 2 DO HER TASKS, CHOOSE WHEN 2 WALK, & SHE EVEN THINKS IT’D BE GREAT 2 JUST NOD YES/NO & SAY THINGS ONLY WHEN SHE WANTS 2! I’M GLAD MY LIFE IS SO APPEALING

THIS IS A BIG DEAL ON 1 OF MY 2 STROKE GROUPS (1 GROUP IS DEDICATED 2 THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN LOCKED IN). Dr. De Georgia WAS MY 1ST DOCTOR . Dr. De Georgia IS ON THIS LINK:

http://news.aol.com/article/ron-houben-says-he-heard-everything-for/780187

IN THE LINK, THEY MENTION LETTING OTHERS KNOW IF U CAN LIVE THAT WAY…I WOULD CAUTION HERE, BECUZ IF IT HAD BEEN EXPLAINED 2 ME PRIOR 2 MY STROKE, I HESITATE 2 THINK WHAT I WOULD’VE WANTED. THE LADY WHO DIED IN 2005–I WAS ALL 4 LETTING HER DIE, IF SHE WANTED 2…IT’S NO DIFFERENT THAN BEING ABLE 2 SLIT YOUR WRISTS. THOSE WHO R DIFFERENT SHOULD STILL HAVE THEIR OPTIONS…

BUT NOW THAT I’VE “ADAPTED” & FOUND JOY IN MY LIFE, I’VE DONE A 180. I’M GRATEFUL MY LIFE WAS SPARED, & SOOO VERY GRATEFUL 4 ANYTHING I RE-GAIN. I GUESS THOSE OF US WHO EXPERIENCE SUCH A DRAMATIC CHANGE NEED TIME 2 “ACCLIMATE” B4 MAKING A LIFE-CHANGING DECISION. PLUS, EACH DECISION IS UNIQUE, INVOLVING SO MANY FACTORS. IN ADDITION, IT IS EASIER 2 LOOK BACK, RATHER THAN 4WARD, & MAKE CLEARER JUDGEMENTS.

AT CHURCH, I WAS RECENTLY ASKED 2 BE A YOUNG WOMAN (YW) INSTRUCTOR, 4 THE 1ST SUN., 4 ALL THE YW. . THIS IS MY 1ST “REAL” CALLING IN OVER 5 1/2 YRS. I CAN’T EXPLAIN ALL I FEEL, BUT I THOUGHT THESE CALLINGS WERE GONE W/MY VOICE!

THOUGH WE OWN IT, I RECENTLY TIVOED THE MOVIE “HITCH,” SO I COULD WATCH IT AT MY LEISURE. “HITCH” BEGINS W/A STATEMENT: “60% OF COMMUNICATION IS BODY LANGUAGE, 30% IS TONE, & ONLY 10% IS WORDS.” IF TRUE, WORDS PLAY LESS A PART IN TEACHING…BUT THOUGH I CAN’T BE VOCAL, I CAN STILL SIGN & TYPE—I JUST NEED 2 BE MORE SELECTIVE W/THE WORDS I CHOOSE 2 USE.

HOWEVER, W/MY FEW WORDS, I KNOW I CAN FEEL MISUNDERSTOOD, BECAUSE I WILL WRITE W/A CERTAIN TONE, WHICH IS L8R READ IN A DIFFERENT TONE, MAKING IT APPEAR FUNNIER OR MADDER THAN IT WAS INTENDED…I HEARD THIS EXACT POINT ILLUSTRATED IN AN AUDIO BOOK, AS THE AUTHOR REPEATED THE EXACT SAME PHRASE (LIKE “SHUT THE DOOR”) IN BOTH A MAD & ALSO IN AN ICKY SWEET TONE. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING HOW MUCH TONE AFFECTED THE EXACT SAME WORDS!

THOUGH I CAN’T USE TONE WELL, WE’VE TRIED CREATIVE WAYS 2 SHARE TONE (ASTERICKS IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF AN EMAIL, WARNING THAT I’M MAD, BOLDING WORDS IN ORDER 2 STRESS THEM, & SOMETIMES I COLOR CODE WORDS). THOUGH I HAVEN’T MASTERED TONE, I STILL HAVE 70% OF MY COMMUNICATION, & IF I’VE LEARNED ANYTHING, I TAKE WHAT I DO HAVE, & RUN W/IT!

TRUNK OR TREAT IS OVER. I USED 2 PUT ALL MY ENERGY INTO MY KIDS COSTUMES, SO WHILE I LIKED DRESSING UP, I ONLY DID ONCE PRE-STROKE, WHILE MARRIED…BUT NOW THERE’S A WHOLE NEW FUN AREANA 2 EXPLORE–THERE’S SUCH A WEALTH OF COOL W/C COSTUMES, & ONLY 1 TIME A YEAR 2 ENJOY BEING IN A W/C, & BE MORE THAN “THE “GIRL IN THE WHEELCHAIR.”

THE GIRLS WERE TWIN ALIENS, ZACH WAS LUIGI (I THINK HIS BF SHOULD’VE BEEN MARIO), MK WAS A GHOSTBUSTER, &I WAS A FRONT-END LOADER. WHEN MY FEET RAISED, THE BUCKET WAS BOLTED 2 IT, & ALSO RAISED. MK WENT ALL OUT 4 ME, & THOUGH MK DIDN’T HAVE TIME 2 DO ALL HIS IDEAS, HE SAID AN IDEA THAT WILL TITLE MY SCRAP. PG. STAY TUNED! VIDEO IS COOLER, BUT PICS WILL HAVE 2 DO…