Second Lesson Learned

My ALS is progressing a lot faster than we'd like.  My legs are extremely weak.  To stand me up, Alan bends at his knees, goes down quite a ways, and then pulls me up as he stands back up. It's hard enough that Emily can't do it any more.  (I fell once while she was trying, then I fell again four days later  when Alan was trying to transfer me. Now we use transfer boards śome of the time.)  Once he pulls me up, I can only stand for a little while if I'm holding onto something.  It's harder and harder to get in and out of the car, but somehow Alan does it.  Every morning I pray that Alan and I will both be safe through the day.  God has been very kind to us, we have been. My hands and arms are starting to feel it, too. I  can print, but I write slow now.  I can't lift my hands up very well at all.  In fact, Alan now curls my hair!  (That's given us lots to laugh about.)  His latest worry is when I get to where I can't put on my own makeup:). My voice is starting to change.  I have to be careful not to talk too much at once.  (My brothers would have loved for me to have had that problem when we were growing up:))

A lesson I learned in October has been really helpful.  We had a fire drill at school, and I face planted! (If you ever want to feel like a real klutz, try falling in front of 600 people:) ) I hurt my shoulder, so I started going to physical therapy.  I had the most incredible therapist named Becky. She is shorter than I am, and she is nice and thin, but she's really strong. I would try to help her move me by using my arms. She would tell me, "You need to trust me.  Put your arms around my neck, hold on to me, and let me do the work.  Trust me!"  She had to tell me that several times before I finally realized she was right!  I'm not sure when it happened, but one day I realized that I need to put that kind of trust in Heavenly Father.  Now when times get scary or hard for me, I think of Heavenly Father saying, "You need to trust Me.  Put your arms around My neck, hold on to Me, and let Me do the work.  Trust Me!"  Somehow I am convinced that this disease is an important part of my life here on this earth.  I don't know why I have to go through it, but I am sure God will keep the promise He made in Romans 1:38: "All things will work for good for them that love the Lord."