October 26

Haven't been feeling well the past couple of days, not well at all. Can't sleep or eat much. I'm told this is all part of the progression, and I expect that, but it still sucks. Took a day off work to rest, and KVUE has been absolutely great about all this, which is a real blessing. One less thing to worry about!

So, I guess my topic for today would be about the blessings we have, and sometimes take for granted. Saturday I attended the wedding of some dear friends... two wonderful people who met through my big extended group of friends at a party several years ago. They hit it off immediately and have been inseparable since. The remarkable part of this story is about the bride... several years ago, in her late 20's, she suffered a massive stroke. It was unclear whether she'd ever walk or talk again. Ten years later, she stood up at the altar and clearly spoke her wedding vows to her groom as her proud parents and family looked on, undoubtedly quite emotional at the fact that she had beaten the odds to come so far.

My attention shifted later in the day to one of her friends that I had not met before, a girl about our age who had suffered the exact malady that my friend had. She was wheelchair-bound, and could barely talk or do much else independently. She was accompanied by her parents throughout the course of the day.

Later that evening at the reception, held at a swank restaurant downtown, I settled into a comfortable perch at the bar, enjoyed some "Mocktails" (Non-alcoholic cocktails) to get with the spirit of things, and was soon surrounded by my usual group of friends, about twelve or so, all of whom had been a part of the wedding earlier.

Then I noticed the wheelchair-bound girl enter with her parents, and became keenly self-conscious of our little clique of friends. I thought as she looked over at us that she may have felt very sad to see a happy group of friends her age, doing things that "normal" people our age do. My wife noticed that she was also very emotional at the wedding, and I wondered about the reasons... was the girl happy for the bride, who had come so far with the same illness, and had finally found a happy and fulfilling life? Or was it that she could not foresee the same future for herself?

Usually a very outgoing and gregarious person, it's been tough for me lately to rebuild my energy and get back to that point.
She left before I could gather the strength to go say hi and try to connect on some level. Fortunately, my amazing wife Amanda beat me to the punch, and visited with her for quite awhile.

What the hell is my point here? Blessings. Yes, it's good to realize how fortunate we are, even when we may not think so. But it can't just stop at that. We've got to all remember to try to take some time to try to connect with those less fortunate than ourselves, as often as possible. I certainly learned a lesson this weekend, and as I grow stronger, I'll try my best to reach out to people more. Call yourself a Christian? Muslim, Buddhist, or even just a good person? Then I challenge you to do the same.

There is no room for mopey people, wusses, or selfish types in this world. There's too much pain and suffering to sit idly by and just complain. By battling the negative with the positive, we can find a balance somewhere in the madness, and in doing so, we can heal ourselves.

-Pat