Stroke at 57. Our story of recovery.

The last time we saw the ocean was the end of February, 2018, one month before Michael's stroke. Living in Southern California, we usually go several times a year. We've missed that vast Pacific Ocean and have recently been longing to dip our toes in the water. Feel the sand between our toes. Smell the salt-tinged air. This past weekend we took my Mom with us and stayed in Irvine for 2 nights. While there, Ben and Jake went with us to spend some time by the water. Walking on the sand was something I was worried about Michael doing. Uneven surfaces, no shoes. I was uncertain. But wow! He was amazing! It was quite a long way from the parking lot, over the soft sand to reach the wet sand, but M did well on both. As a matter of fact, he had more spring in his step and was so excited to be there. He reminded me of a newly hatched turtle who goes quite a distance with only the water in sight. Haha! Once he got there I think he had forgotten that first moment when your fo...

Our area has received a lot of rain this year, which is pretty unusual for us. It's been awesome and everything is so green and beautiful. Even the desert is experiencing more growth than in many years. It's called a Super Bloom. Today, just one day shy of Michael's first year anniversary of his 1st stroke (the bad one was the 24th) we went hiking with our friend, Jeff. We took a not so easy 1.5 mile trail just above Palm Desert called Randall Henderson Loop Trail. Up a staircase and a through craggy ravine, across a sandy wash, across a narrow mesa, and down again. M did GREAT! He was very tired, but stayed strong the entire time. Quite a celebration near his one year anniversary.  We saw so many beautiful sites. Flowers, birds, blooming cactus, it was amazing! Hiking in the desert The cacti were beautiful M and Jeff The windmills among the blooming desert

This past weekend Ben and Jake came over for a visit. Michael had been wanting to cut back frost bitten verbena in our yard and get them ready for Spring. Before I knew it, M and J donned their jackets (it was around 50 outside...chilly for us Californians) and headed out. Jake saw to it that M had full participation by using the garden sheers to cut the plants that Jake lifted up, just so M could reach and cut them. A task like this seems so simple, but it's not. To empower Michael like that meant so much. Often times we want to just do the task for the stroke survivor. We see them struggling, and want to make it easier and quicker. Allowing him to try and most likely fail at first, and probably fail many times after that can be tough to watch. But then finally when he succeeds, that is when you see true growth. Not only that, the sense of accomplishment of doing something "normal" is invaluable. I took a picture from the bathroom window.  :) Thanks, Jake! Litt...