Giving Thanks Today and Always

It has been eighty-three days of waiting for my ankle to get better. It is a slow process but even though
there is a lot of swelling and pain, I am doing more than I used to do a few weeks ago. Slowly, I have moved from sitting in a wheelchair to hobbling with a walker, using a cane and the latest mode of transportation was an electric cart at Walmart. A very handy machine that only has a forward and backward switch and moves slowly but it saved me from having to shuffle down the aisles with my walker.

A heavy boot was my constant companion until November 25 when my therapist told me I could use my own shoes. I exercise twice a day to strengthen my ankle, yet I still cannot walk normally. Things I would not have dreamed of doing I can now do, with some help.  I went to a movie, I drove from the airport, I went shopping, I can use a regular toilet, I can limp with my walker to the mailbox at the end of the driveway, I can go in and out of the house, I can shower by myself, I can do a few stairs, I can get in and out of the car, I can drive, and I can do light house cleaning. It may not seem like a lot, but when you cannot do anything but lie with your leg elevated, each thing becomes a big accomplishment.

My California family came to visit for Thanksgiving and everyone pitched in to help me by doing odd jobs around the house, shopping for me, taking me out, doing laundry, and cleaning. One day we went to a movie to see Lost Vegas and my daughter rolled me up the ramp. I enjoyed going out to eat and the most fun was having my granddaughter push my wheelchair at a store. When we stopped to look at something, she would massage my shoulders! In the mornings, the older granddaughter would prepare breakfast for me and serve me. Because the California family is either vegan or vegetarian, my granddaughter prepared yams and a Quinoa salad with corn to take to their other grandparent's house for Thanksgiving dinner. I prepared a veggie dish in the shape of a turkey.

 Every day I improve a little bit more and I give thanks for each new thing I can do!

A special treat for me was seeing my son's daughter join us so that the cousins could spend time together. As I looked at my three granddaughters, my heart filled with happiness and joy!  I would have loved to have my grandson join the girls, but at seventeen, he does his own thing with his friends! 2013 was a truly Happy Thanksgiving.

Cousins from the beginning, friends till the end. Anonymous