Hi Everyone,

Today was a tough day. Corey’s evil twin checked into Bryn Mawr and she wasn’t happy! There were moments that Corey pushed through her frustration and I’m happy to say that she participated in each of her therapies but it took some fancy dancin’ and creative thinking.

There are motivational sayings that suggest a person’s troubles and challenges build their strength. The hard days seem to contradict that statement. The hard days actually feel as if they drain us of all our energy. Days like today I often think of athletes that work to the point of straining their muscles in order to grow. Corey pushes her self in the same way. Physically she had one of her most difficult days. Her pain medication could not cut the level and consistency of her discomfort. Her frustration was magnified by not accepting that her casts can not be removed yet.

I watch her in pain. I listen to her repetitive pleas. I respond with the same answer multiple times. There is no comfort in my words because they do not relieve her frustrations. I have guilt for feeling impatient. I try to put myself in her “shoes”; she deserves each outburst. They are long overdue. All my energy must be focused on trying to keep us both calm.

Corey I don’t have strong enough words to describe today. When we have a day like today it’s difficult to redirect your thoughts towards all the progress you’ve made up to this point. It’s exhausting to push day in and day out. It’s the tough days that we have to reach back and remind ourselves that today is really not as bad as some of your earlier days. Believe it or not, there were weeks that linked multiple bad days!

Now let’s think of the good days. Every day you move yourself forward. Today you’re closer to reaching your goal because you consistently pick yourself up, look at what you’ve achieved to take another step forward ~ literally.

Perhaps strength is built not on the trying days but on recalling the celebration of the successful days. Your accomplishments motivate you to want to achieve more. The tough days are just as ‘The Weaver’ wrote; ‘the black threads are as needful as the gold and silver’.

Rest and sleep well honey. When you wake we will see what colors the day will bring. I’m sure they will renew our strength! Happy dreams, xoxo