Topic: Power
Christmas came early at our house! A power wheelchair for my husband! Yet I'm as glad to see it as he is. It makes life easier and gives us the freedom to go more places. The chair is just one of the positives in what has been a most challenging two years, since I last posted an entry on this blog.
Those two years have brought adjustment after adjustment, involving: several hospitalizations for Ron, the death of Ron's mother, the loss of one of his best friends to cancer, and the near-loss of the other best friend, who is waiting in hope of a new, life-saving liver and kidney, as I tried to stand by and offer support and carry on the routine that I had for years. This blog was just one of those routines that I so enjoyed.
During the two years, we have made two major moves, the last one a very positive one for which we have been working and planning for years.
Only weeks after hanging the last picture, we learned why Ron was again going downhill, just when we thought he was ready to roll. The news that he was already far into the process of becoming paraplegic, due to a rare condition of the spinal cord, really took the wind out of our sails!! We reached far into ourselves and found what we knew was already there--the power to take charge of our lives as we searched for new resources.
Despite the shocking diagnosis and prognosis, we have had so many empowering gifts, including some of you dear readers.
New friends have helped sustain us, added to family and friends we've had for years--each providing a unique blend of encouragement, support, and a willingness to help us adapt to a new lifestyle that has forced us to slow down, reset priorities, and find ways to move forward.
The tangible gifts came in the form of equipment. Most were gifts to ourselves. We dug deep and found ways to make it happen. In the process, we have gained a deep, new understanding of the very limited power that so many other-abled people, already living in poverty, face each day. Ron has pledged to regain his independence as quickly as possible so that he can devote his life to empowering this group through advocacy. This will be his new ministry here in this welcoming city of Lawrence, KS. He's already started networking a lot to see where he can plug in.
This new addition to our household is remarkable. Weighing in at 400 pounds, it has a way of gaining respect wherever it goes. No wonder they call it a power chair!! What a smile it has brought to both of us! Hills that would have been foreboding only weeks ago are no longer threatening. Ron actually had to stop one day and wait for me to catch up!
Oh, that we could so quickly reverse the institutional power imbalances that so many of us have encountered!
