HostAsha

wow Fancy : looks amazing glad you all had great time Asha

hi Steve : welcome to best online stroke support group & hidden jewel of our blog world. you found us quickly. I agree with all the commentators above. give both of your self some time to adjust to this new reality. Stroke recovery is not a cold or sprint. It is marathon. It affects every one involved in the family. Survivor goes through the 5 stages of grief for things they have lost, and caregiver also have to adjust to new roles which has been thrust upon them. as a caregiver you will have to wear lot of hats & you will be her medical advocate to get her maximum therapy possible, her cheerleader, her strength till she finds her own strength. I stroked at age 34 which left me paralyzed on my left side & retired me from the job I loved. I found blogging & chatting with other survivors very therapeutic for my soul. I depended heavily on my husband's strength till I found my own strength & will to survive & thrive. Today on this post stroke journey for 10 years I find stroke just as speed bump in our journey it slowed me down to enjoy scenery along the way Asha( now 43 year old survivor)

yvonne : your Thomas is smart kid. you both have raised him well. Asha

Nancy : that's so awesome. I always feel you need two parents to raise kids well & father plays important role in kid's life. I am so thankful to my husband that he stayed by my side & great influence in raising our son well. Asha

Sandy : I am glad you got new power chair, its so truth its better to start enjoying now with what you have. if we wait till everything works well enough to do things our present will be gone without enjoying it. So I am glad you made purchase & will get to enjoy outdoor with Bob. Asha

I always wonder about how kids turn out to be, is it nature versus nurture. Some days while raising our only child I feel its nature nothing we can do will make him change his ways like procrastination or not being organized lol and arguing that ofcourse I blame hubby's genes.& on some good days when he comes out & does right things which are making right choices like studying for his tests & acing in them when he studies for it. that also I feel is his nature nothing we have done to that.I never feel you can take credit or blame for any of your kids actions. As a parent you do your best then its their choices & consequences. I just pray that its not major mistakes which can change their life path significantly. I was so shocked to find out that in his sleepaway camps there were lot of kids who were doing alcohol & drugs, and offering to other kids. I am glad kido is smart enough to know how to stay away from bad elements. it is funny how his disorganized room & clothes everywhere but in laundry hamper used to get me so mad & when he was in the camp those were the things I missed lol. Now he is back & I feel my life complete. Asha

I always wonder about how kids turn out to be, is it nature versus nurture. Some days while raising our only child I feel its nature nothing we can do will make him change his ways like procrastination or not being organized lol and arguing that ofcourse I blame hubby's genes.& on some good days when he comes out & does right things which are making right choices like studying for his tests & acing in them when he studies for it. that also I feel is his nature nothing we have done to that.I never feel you can take credit or blame for any of your kids actions. As a parent you do your best then its their choices & consequences. I just pray that its not major mistakes which can change their life path significantly. I was so shocked to find out that in his sleepaway camps there were lot of kids who were doing alcohol & drugs, and offering to other kids. I am glad kido is smart enough to know how to stay away from bad elements. it is funny how his disorganized room & clothes everywhere but in laundry hamper used to get me so mad & when he was in the camp those were the things I missed lol. Now he is back & I feel my life complete. Asha

Sue : glad you are feeling better. please know that you are loved by many even though they & we are not close by Asha

Katrina : I am so happy for you that you are realizing all the secrets of being happy.Its all within us once we start focusing on whats good in our life, that's why that gratitude list works so briliantly Asha

Katrina : you & your mom in my prayers, hope she is doing well. Asha

Nancy : thanks for updating glad every thing went well for you & Dan also understood that you also can fall sick. Asha

Debbie : wow your balancing act is amazing. I got tired & confused seeing so many balls up in air. post stroke I need concrete things can't function well with too many balls up in the air, its one thing at a time for me Asha

Jamie : thats sweet news Asha

Fred : Happy Birthday to your wife. you both are so great together. I am so happy for you that you never quit & found true gem & your soulmate. Enjoy your vacation & fill us with your fun adventures when you return. Asha

Sue : I love your blogs, you write your feelings so eloquently & truthfully. I am so happy you got to spend lovely time with your family. I feel once you start focusing on positive things in your life, it becomes easy to flow with life Asha

Jamie : you nailed it you are such a wise lady. you put my worries about my grandchildren not knowing me prestroke put to rest thanks. Asha

Debbie : I am so sorry for your loss, sending you hugs, love & strength to get through this huge loss Asha

Katrina : I agree with yvonne, thats what has worked for me when I used to feel depressed about my life post stroke.I think having routine in life is very important in life, it forces you to get out of bed, get ready & face a new day Asha

Nancy : you will be in my prayers. I am glad I am survivor & not a caregiver. all the caregivers blogs on this site opens up my eyes & make me realize what I can do to make my spouse's life easier if I want him around for long time. thanks for writing sweat, blood & all that goes in taking care of someone. & how difficult it is to take care of when some one is so non thankful. Asha

Cat : hope you feel better soon, please think about joining us for chats in the afternoon & evening and start your own blog. what I have found staying active on this board helps me more than my antidepressant pills. thanks to that I have been able to wean myself off them. I feel when you are supporting others inadvertently you are supporting yourself. So its win win situation. I feel even reading other people's blogs & supporting them is also very therapeutic. Asha

David : I am so glad every thing is alright with you and you can see mind has so much power over our body so positive thoughts is way to go Asha

have fun in your trip Fred & good luck to both of you in gambling Asha

yvonne, fred & Lenny : my son is in summer camp at college & no I am not bored I am building myself new fun routine & realizing I will be fine once he actually leave for college next year. sorry for confusion. Asha

We dropped our son to his pre collage summer course at Brown University. I am still trying to build new routine with just two of us. thank god for my exercises & my other household duties I don't have time to feel depressed about empty home. I guess he trained us well. we both felt this will give all of us good flavor of how college will be next year. hubby was eager to drop him & leave, they both were eager to push & ready to fly except me who wanted to make sure he flies off from the cliff & not plummet to ground. S o life goes on. Every day is different. while going to drop him off to college I was so thankful for what I can still do & being able to walk & not depend on any one for anything is the biggest blessing of all it makes life easier for all involved in my life's journey. I can not help in carrying luggage but atleast pack it for him & be there to drop it off. I was reading Sue's blog & I can so identify with how people think when they think now that you have retired you have all the time to do what they want versus whether you WANT to do. it took my mom longest time to understand that & I don't think she will ever forgive me but oh well I will survive but I am going to follow our spiritual teaching that do the right thing without worrying about what others think, as long as you are doing right thing thats what matters. hope you all are having great summer. Asha

George : thanks for update, I always love your attitude towards life. glad you are having fun. I so agree with you & Sue about how people want you to do things cause they think since you are retired & have all the time in your hand. I feel same way about that yes I have time, but that is available to what I want to do not what they want. Asha