Staying on Track

Welcome back to my musings, my friends.  I warned that 2021 would be full of change, and that statement is right on target!  I started a nonprofit, the Forgotten Wishes Foundation, to serve people with disabilities, and it has brought joy to so many people, including myself.  

Luke just finished a year in his new school.  This program was a four-day school week; it let him have extended breaks between sessions, and we could select material based on preferred topics within the curriculum.  This routine decreased his anxiety and helped him rebuild his curiosity around learning.  

Lindsey, our oldest special needs child, finally received Home and Community-Based Services (HCS) after over 15 years on the Texas waiting list for people with disabilities to acquire residential and community living services.  Having this service means she can live in a group home in our community, and they will take her to her place of employment and her volunteer jobs.  It means we have full-time caregiver support for her now as long as we stay in Texas.

I helped my mom resolve her most challenging medical issue, which ended with surgery.  She is so much stronger and able to enjoy her life and family again.  She has another great-granddaughter now named Charlotte to shop for and spoil.

I sold my little T@B Trailer, Mrs. Which Way.  I bought a much bigger trailer (Lance 1475s), and I Christened her Rosemary Von Wunder.  Rosemary is the symbol of remembrance, Von denotes nobility, and Wunder has a few meanings that I like: miracle, curiosity, and wonder of nature.  I went on my first Girl Camper Camporee Event, and I became a Sister on the Fly (#17971).  I already have more adventures planned for this year on my calendar.

SIDEBAR NOTE:  The nod to German goes to my recent ancestry searches.  My Great-Great Grandparents immigrated from Switzerland in the 1850s and they spoke German.  My Grandmother is named after her Grandmother Louisa Walker.  I am only four generations removed from my family’s immigration story on my Mom’s side of the family.

 

My husband is happily retired, and his golf game is improving each month.  I love having him home!  

This is such a sunny post.  Life as a caregiver can change in an instant, and I am very aware of this fact.  There could be a train wreck waiting to happen around the corner.  I have had more than my share of hurdles to leap and loads to bear over the years.  Each of the positive outcomes I listed came with significant demands, and a few of them teetered on the brink of tragedy.   But it is nice to reflect on the good that has grown out of our efforts.  I work hard to care for my family and the people I care about around me.  It brings me joy to see them happy, and I’m glad I can spread a little bit of that around this year.

Lisa’s Blogging Journey

I started this blog in the summer of 2016.  I had turned 50, my father died unexpectedly, and after years of struggling, the doctors diagnosed my youngest son with Autism.  Soon after that, I had to leave my career as a successful sales manager and become a full-time caregiver to Luke, who needed daily interventions and support.  I thought I could use my blog to continue coaching women to reach their goals, and I wanted to use my creativity positively.  I fought the idea of writing a mom blog.  Being a mom was so demanding emotionally, and the kinds of things I was dealing with were painful and scary.  Autism, anxiety, depression, aggression, property destruction, and fighting battles with a school system unfit and unwilling to provide the support we needed.  Over time though, the writing became more focused on my trials than helping other women achieve business success.  I do hope that by sharing my stories I am encouraging moms, dads, and siblings, to hang in there during the hard times of caring for a loved one with a disability. 

Five years seems like a good time to refresh things on my blog.  This Fall, I will add more frequent content and give the site a more updated look.