Hi Everyone,
Corey had a busy but tiring day. She had two PT sessions. Both Jen and Gillian used the walker with Corey. She did fairly well in the morning session, much better in the afternoon session. We’ve started to turn on her music as she exercises. Sounds fun, right? Corey loves her music and she loves to sign the lyrics. The only problem with this plan is she keeps taking her right hand off the walker! We encourage her to sing the lyrics and hold on. Great idea for speech therapy but she then wants to sign and sing!! It’s actually adorable to watch. I’m hoping to film/post this exercise in the near future.
Brittany, her school OT, worked with Corey today as well. It’s been two weeks since she’s seen Corey. She was amazed and almost brought to tears to not only see Corey’s left hand opening but her ability to control her personal care in the bathroom; turning on/off the water from her sink, brushing her teeth independently, using a wash cloth to cleanse her face and brushing her hair. These were the functional skills the insurance company was looking for six months ago that Corey was unable to perform. With continued daily therapy in PT/OT she is making tremendous strides.
We have no nurse tonight. Regardless the sounds of the house at night are very different than during the day. When Corey was in the hospital and with the kids living in Philadelphia, the house was empty, cold and the silence was deafening. It didn’t feel like home, it was just a house. Seven months later there is warmth and energy that is slowly settling back in the walls, floors and air.
The night hours are still quite noisy with thoughts that stream from every direction. I love the quote “I shouldn’t be allowed unsupervised visits with my thoughts”. Unfortunately, being alone with your thoughts is a necessary practice for growth. For me, the remedy for healing and growth is to express those thoughts with a pen and paper. Thoughts are transposed to words; we all have words. The words give a voice and direction to expand those thoughts into feelings. The best writing comes from the core of silence and reflection.
I once heard that Authors lose themselves in their writing, thereby finding themselves again. Corey and I have begun to write together. She writes a single word, streaming them randomly, repetitively. Each word she chooses has meaning to her. I believe she will begin to find her inner voice. What excites me about her writing is watching her rediscover herself and frankly, I’m looking forward to learning more about the woman she is. Prior to the accident, Corey had written several stories and poems. She would ask me to proof read them and I was shocked at the intellectual and spiritual depth of some of her compositions. Although she is only 19 and hasn’t begun to live a life filled with varied experiences to draw upon, she was and I’m sure “is” much more insightful than she allows most people to know, including myself.
Corey a writer writes from where the writer is. We all learn from our own writing. You have been silent for 15 months but your mind has not stopped. You’ve been absorbing everything around you. What does the world look like? Feel like? Where will you take me today with your words? Thank you for allowing me to listen, xoxo