Angela's Blog

Hey there.

I've got lots to share so buckle your safety belt and maybe go grab a snack. There have been LOTS of successes lately for me to tell you about. Yessssssssssssss.

First off, on Sunday morning I did my Saebo (terminator splint) hand exercises where I move foam balls around and it went AWESOME! The last month the tone has been really kicking up in my left hand making these therapy exercises nearly impossible. When the tone kicks up it makes my fingers clench so tight that I have to use my right hand to stretch them out. No matter how hard I try I am simply unable to straighten out my fingers or thumb without the use of my other hand. This has made hand therapy with balls really tough because I've been able to pick the balls up but can't release them. So anyways, Sunday morning I did my hand exercises for a full 30 minutes and I could undo my grasp on the balls the whole time. It was incredible! And it didn't even seem like it was super hard. My hand just worked! For the first time in weeks! Before too long every time I dropped a ball successfully I said, "thank you, Jesus". Over and over again.

In the afternoon I went to my mom's house to prep for my cognitive group tomorrow. Our homework was to make a 5 minute talk that we're going to present tomorrow. So I went to Mom's and was able to come up with 5 minutes worth of stuff to say about my job. I think it'll be interesting and the other people in my group will get to play with some lab stuff that people brought me to practice with when I was first hurt. I'll let you know how it goes.

Then Sunday night Josh and I got to go to a friend's house for dinner. It was wonderful! We had great dinner, dessert, and company. It was like a much needed date night for us. And the coolest part was that our friends are expecting in the next few months and we got to see some ultrasound video. It was really cool to get to watch the baby opening and closing his hands while in the womb. Neato!

And one more tad of goodness from Sunday - I had a really cool healing experience at church. They did an open mic to ask for prayer during communion and I wanted to go up so I turned to let Josh know and I just broke down. I was sobbing all of a sudden. And not just tears but heaving and full body shaking sobbing. The really hard kind. So I asked Josh to go with me to the front and tell the pastors what I wanted prayer for. As the awesome husband he is, he went. And when we got up there they stopped the band so Josh ended up telling the entire congregation what we wanted prayer for and the whole church prayed for us. The pastors who vocalized it prayed for healing for me specifically but also really prayed for Josh. That was unbelievably healing for me to have Josh prayed for. It felt really healing for my heart. So that too was grand.

And on Saturday morning I randomly tried and was able to get extra small latex gloves on both hands. For the first time. Up to that point I had tried probably 20-30 times and never was able to make it work. And what timing! I'm hoping to go back to work next week and this takes a huge burden off my plate! Again, thank you, Jesus!

And all afternoon I made jam with Sharon and Mom. Raspberry and strawberry. Excellent! So don't be shy. If you want some, just ask. It was fun. We got to be girly all day in aprons nonetheless. I did stirring, smashing fruit, putting jars out, and digging lids out of boiling water with tongs. Lots of work but it paid off. Lots of jam.

And then today was a huge success as a whole. I rode the bus and shuttle into work this morning on my own and met with my ATP (assistive technology professional) guy to help me figure out what kinds of things will help me when I go back to work. And I got to say hi to a bunch of people at Amgen so that was really nice too. Plus I met with the new occupational health nurse and got to know her a little bit too. All in all, it went very well. Please don't take offense to this anyone, but I think saying hi to Neil was probably the favorite moment of the day. He was just super glad to see me, very genuine, and really excited that I was visiting. So, thanks, Neil!

And I had a whole new experience this morning. I've slept like a rock my whole life but this morning I woke up at 4am and was kept up by my thoughts racing. I think I was just nervous about taking the bus solo, walking up to the bus stop and then around downtown, the Harbor Steps in general, and going to work by myself even if it was just for a visit. I've never been kept up by my thoughts before. So in my just lying in bed time I figured I could say my prayers. And I just kind of had some good hanging with Jesus time. I've never felt so not alone in my whole life even when no one was around. My heart just felt super secure and I just knew I was okay. Can't really explain it but I've never felt so safe and known I was okay like I did this morning. Pretty cool, I thought.

I think that's about all I've got. Thanks for keeping up.

And, Kathleen, I don't even know what to do with arugula. If you can tell me, of course I'll take some. I'm not much of one to turn down food. Ever.

Talk at ya soon.

Ang