I expected she might be a little frantic the morning of the Happy Day, but she slept well each night prior to the wedding and rose early that morning to drive herself to the church and monitor last minute details. Yesterday she mentioned to me that a friend told her that she noticed something really nice about the wedding and reception--all the guests were smiling and seemed very happy. The Lord was very merciful in giving all of us such a wonderful day.
Organization is valuable for the good times and the tough times. I just read this testimonial from the http://www.flylady.net/ site tonight. As an occupational therapist I'm amazed how well this lady has written her story; it really shows how greatly she has recovered from a very difficult health crisis. I hope it is encouraging to you.
Dear FlyLady,
I have been a Flybaby for three years. My husband is a teacher and I have two beautiful daughters, ages 4 and 7. I have been a stay at home mom since my oldest was born and along the way I also went to school and got a bachelor's in Economics. I am a recovering alcoholic and addict and have been clean and sober for 19 years. I sponsor several women and go to meetings regularly. I have two cats and a dog. What flying has helped me do is keep BALANCE in my life. I find that I have time for all the activities and people that are important to me. I graduated with honors in May, and as my youngest was heading off to all day school this fall, I was planning on going to work.
This August I was on campus meeting with my adviser regarding my plans this fall when I suddenly fell over with a violent headache. She called 911 and the rest was a blur. I had had a brain aneurysm bleed. I had my control journal in my briefcase and I don't know if that is how they got a hold of my husband but I remember being in the ambulance being asked my phone number and not being able to remember, but pointing to my briefcase. DH, my parents and friends came to the hospital. I had a total of three aneurysms, three brain surgeries and was in three different hospitals, and post operative had a stroke on my left side. I was in the ICU for 21 days and unable to sit up because of an art line in my groin.
Through Facebook my DH was able to get the word out to my recovery community and they in turn helped him and my family provides stability to my DD's. My friends all knew about my routines and my lists and they helped DH and my parents figure out what needed to be done around the house, with the kids and for the pets. We all agreed that routine was the best thing that the children could have. I was so comforted the with the tools that I had in place, the household could run without me if need be.
When it was time for me to come home I still had cognitive problems. I had physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. I began getting better by getting dressed to my shoes every day. Doing personal hygiene was my first step toward feeling "normal" again. It has now been almost three months since the onset and I am released from all of my therapies. I have a prognosis of full recovery.
My speech therapist was duly impressed by my control journal and wanted me to explain how it works. She said it is perfect for people with brain trauma because we need reminders about how to stay on task without forgetting important things. My calendar was critical in coordinating my appointments. I now am back to doing a load a day, zone work, exercise, picking up and shopping. I am getting ready for the holidays and expect to be looking for work come January. For now I get to bring stability back to my children and still have the time I need to rest and heal. Again FlyLady is helping me have balance.
I'm grateful to be alive, grateful to be well and thankful that I found you years ago, so my routines were already in place when all this happened. It helped so much!
Debbie in Milwaukee
