Final School

It has been a busy week of finishing and preparation. Tuesday was my last class for the year. It was a group of nine Occupational Therapy Assistant students who seemed to listen well. One in particular was very quiet and attentive (see picture).

OT students are very interested in all the different items I use to function. I discuss my wheelchair and different options as well as how I use mouth sticks and what type works for different needs. In class, they don't get a lot of real-life experience, especially with all the equipment I use. My schedule one-hour presentation frequently turns into 90 minutes or more. I wonder how much they actually remember after I leave, but hopefully my presentation helps.

Thursday morning, I visited with my ENT about my trach button and nose. It looks like I may have infection again, so I'll see what results come from testing. For my nose, I hoped to get help for breathing at night. Unfortunately, nose cartilage keeps growing throughout your life and mine is growing crooked. Therefore, when it gets annoying enough, I'll need to have it surgically corrected. It wasn't the answer I wanted, but it was an answer.

Today, Father's Day, is the last day to relax. After six years of staying home, I'm finally planning to take an over night trip. I've been thankful for all dad's help in packing, checking the van, and making sure everything is ready for a road trip.

Dad continues to do so much for me in many ways and rarely gets to take a day off. He should be at least somewhat retired, but continues to work at least full-time to keep insurance. I look forward to when he can slow down and not have work responsibilities.

I will continue to see what the quad life brings and be thankful for who God has put around me.

Knowing Your Area

In every hobby or field of work, you gain experience as time passes. Different scenarios help to gain knowledge so that when it happens again, you can quickly solve the issue. The same is true when studying Scripture and using it as your basis for thinking.

If I am talking to someone on the street, I have verses I can reference for different objections. In Matthew 5:22, Jesus expounded on the sixth commandment that hatred is the same as murder. A few verses later, in 5:27, He said that looking with lust is the same as adultery. Further references are Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23, and a handful of other verses. When preaching, I tend to study one text and use other passages to support the message. However, I have been noticing lately I may be getting narrow sighted and need to pay further attention.

For the last few weeks, I have been reading a book on general advice for Biblical counseling. I took an online course early in the year and this has been a very loose follow-up. As the authors look at different counseling scenarios, they point to various passages that help relate to a situation and may assist the counselee to a better frame of mind. While some of the advised texts are familiar, the majority are ones that I would need to look up and further learn their context.

I have written on this blog several times about my routine of reading the Bible. For several years, I read through from Genesis-Revelation twice a year. Now, I'm down to about once a year of cover to cover, but replaced one of my reading times with more in-depth study. This is slower, but I still progress through Scripture and invest in God's Word.

At this point in the quad life, I do not see starting a new career as a Biblical counselor. However, as a part-time preacher and occasional mentor, I do see it as useful knowledge to be familiar with. If nothing else, this latest book has taught me not to get blinded to one train of thought while studying. Continuing to broaden my knowledge and quick reference tools will always be helpful, no matter how often or little they get used.

Sitting Satisfactorily Soon

Just two weeks ago, I had my evaluation for a new wheelchair. This week, I made further progress toward getting a new system. This is much faster progression than I expected and it's a welcome change.

Early Friday morning, dad, my caregiver Sara, and I loaded into the van. First off, the rubber pad on my chin control popped off, making it so I couldn't move to get positioned. In the process of retrieving it, my control/display box was leaned on and broke the mount. Therefore, going to look at my chair's replacement caused my current chair to fall apart.

After getting my parts back together, we got to the Des Moines suburb thanks to Google's directions. The first order of business was to fix the seat I was sitting in. Searching through their parts inventory, the chair tech I met at my first evaluation found a duplicate part to support my box. Thirty minutes after arrival, using tools he had available in the van and provided pieces, dad had it fixed. Next up was what I actually came for, getting fit for a new back rest.

I was situated in a chair that had a foam pad on the back. The technician pushed and pulled until I was sitting straighter than I have in years. After he was satisfied, air was sucked out from the foam-like substance to keep it in place. He then took pictures of it and less than an hour later, a new back support was produced. The last time I had my back adjusted, it took several months and no longer fit when I got it. I didn't get the back rest fitted to my current chair, but look forward to using it.

Finally, I was shown demonstration models of the chair that was suggested. I have hardly heard about Quantum chairs, but liked what I saw. The frame is slightly narrower than my current system and the sit has more functions. I can go up to 10% of a standing position and raise the entire seat a full foot. Therefore, when speaking to someone tall or preaching from the floor (no stage access), I can elevate myself. In these situations, I can be seen more easily and hopefully preach more effectively.

If insurance approves everything, I may have a new chair in three months. Considering it took me eight years to get my current chair, this is a great start. Living the quad life has perks in seeing new technology. I am thankful for what God has provided and look forward to what may come.