Lucky #7

November 17 is a very special day for me because it is the anniversary of my car accident. I can't believe it's already been seven years! In some ways it seems like just yesterday that I was a normal person, but then again so much has happened since my accident, so it seems like a long time too. Isn't it weird how something in your life can seem so recent and so far away at the same time? When I think back to what life was like when I first came home to live a few months after my accident I remember how difficult things were for my mom and me. It was quite a mental and emotional adjustment as we both learned what life was going to entail for the rest of our days. However, even though things were difficult and still occasionally are, we've both adjusted well and we can honestly say that we really enjoy our lives.

November 17 is also the anniversary of when I got my diaphragm pacer. I'm still unable to breathe on my own, but now that I have my diaphragm pacer I don't have to be tied to a ventilator anymore. I've had my pacer for four years now, which is longer than I was on a ventilator (three years). This has been such a blessing in my life! It's definitely not a cure for paralysis or anything like that, but not being dependent on a big ventilator to breathe for me is so wonderful!

Although my life is very physically challenging, I still maintain that I would never take back my accident if given the choice because I've gained so much more than I've lost. I know who I am, I know where I'm going and I'm full of joy in the meantime. Life really is good! There are so many able-bodied people that can't honestly admit this, so I feel blessed to be so happy.

Some people think it's weird that I celebrate the day that my life changed so tragically, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's just another excuse to eat good food and have fun! I celebrated my day by having a special dinner. I requested chicken Caesar salad with garlic cheddar biscuits and triple chocolate mousse cakes for dessert. My sister Kristin kindly obliged my desires and made my dream dinner become a reality. (Thank you, Kristin!) I didn't do anything special other than my dinner, but that was enough since I was surrounded by my loved ones. I'm having a special get-together with my friends this weekend, so I look forward to celebrating with them.

It's so good to be alive!

An exciting phrase!

My family has started listening to Christmas music this past week and it's especially been fun to listen to my little nephews sing along to their favorite songs. We've had Christmas music playing all morning, so that's why this has been on my mind. It's hard for me to single out one song as my favorite, but if I had to choose it would probably be O Holy Night. And I would probably choose Josh Groban's rendition of this song as my favorite. Here's a link to listen to Josh Groban's O Holy Night if you want to listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNUL4Vv8k1s

My favorite words in the song are "a thrill of hope." It's only part of a line, actually, but I just love that phrase because it sounds so exciting and like something really great is just around the corner.

Anyway, I just wanted to put this thought on my blog. I'm so glad Christmas is right around the corner!

I love Tyler Perry!

I love Tyler Perry! I think he is such an awesome person. I recently saw an interview with him on Oprah, and it made me love him even more. Tyler seems like such a genuinely nice guy. One thing that I learned from this interview was that he was horribly abused by his father when he was a child. But even though he was abused for years, he financially supports his father, even though his father has no remorse for what he did. I was so impressed when I learned this, and I think it shows a lot about Tyler's character.

I love watching Tyler Perry's movies because I think they are so funny! My favorite is probably Diary of a Mad Black Woman. It was the first Tyler Perry movie I ever saw, and I thought it was so funny. I watched it with my younger sister Chandra and we just laughed and laughed! She especially likes his movies because she can relate to and appreciate the black humor since she is black.

I know I'll most likely never have the opportunity to meet Tyler Perry, but if I did, I would tell him how much I like him! I know it sounds cliché, but I really do love his work, and I admire how he seems to remain down to earth even though he's extremely successful.

Long walk home

I have a funny story that I wanted to write about. This incident happened on Tuesday, June 18, 2002; the day before my 18th birthday. I'd just been promoted the previous Friday to an associate manager at the movie theater where I'd worked since my 16th birthday. I was the manager in charge of closing that night, so I was the last one to leave the theater. My mom was out of town visiting one of my sisters, and since I didn't have my own car yet I was depending on friends to take me to and from work while she was gone. (I usually drove her car to work, but since she was gone I wasn't able to.)

Anyway, my boyfriend was supposed to pick me up from work and take me home that night, but when I called him he didn't answer his phone. I called him over and over, but he never answered, so I knew that he must've fallen asleep and was "dead to the world." (This was something that had happened before, so that's how I knew that he must've fallen asleep when he wasn't answering his cell phone.)

It must've been about one in the morning and I didn't know what to do and I didn't know anyone to call. I decided that I would just have to walk to my boyfriend's house, which was about five miles away. Like I said, it was the middle of the night and I was dressed in my nice work clothes -- a turtleneck sweater and a wool skirt. It was a muggy June night, so I definitely wasn't dressed for my five mile trek, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, right?!

So I set off for my boyfriend's house in the middle of the night dressed in my nice work clothes. The road I was walking on was quite dark at that time of night, so I tried to stay as far off the road as I could to be safe. The edge of the road was very uneven, so I tried to walk slowly and carefully so as to not trip and sprain an ankle, while at the same time walking quickly enough to get to my destination. I think it took me about two hours to walk the approximately five miles, and once I got to my boyfriend's house I had to knock on the door for at least 20 minutes before his sister heard my persistent knocking/doorbell ringing. (My boyfriend's parents weren't home, so it was just my boyfriend and his sister at home.)

My boyfriend naturally felt really badly about falling asleep. I wasn't mad, but I couldn't help but feel annoyed that he irresponsibly fell asleep when he knew that he was my ride home. (I started calling him Rip Van Winkle after this incident.) In my head I vowed that I would never tell my mom what I had done! However, I did tell her several months later.

As I look back on the situation, I realize how stupid I was! So many bad things could've happened, but fortunately nothing did.

Movie #22

My younger sister Chandra and I went to the movies on Saturday afternoon and we saw the new Clint Eastwood movie Hereafter.

Here is a brief synopsis of the movie: Clint Eastwood directs this supernatural thriller about three very different people and their responses to death including a hesitant psychic named George (Matt Damon) who may be able to help the others find answers and peace. Marie is a French journalist who 's caught up in the aftereffects of the devastating 2004 tsunami, while in London, young Marcus seeks to contact his deceased twin brother. (Synopsis from Netflix)

This movie hasn't gotten the best reviews, but I really liked it for a couple of reasons. First of all, I really like Matt Damon because I think he's a really good actor. He's got great range. He's always believable at his portrayal of characters in serious dramas, while at the same time he's able to be so funny in a comedic role.

Next, this movie was really thought-provoking, which is something I always appreciate in a book or movie. Basically, the question that was being asked was, "what happens to you when you die?" I have no doubt happens when you die, and I'm so glad that I do. What would life be like if the life we live on earth was it?! I know that it's possible to survive and conquer any hardship, trial, tragedy or sadness if you have the knowledge and understand the truth that when we die our spirit (who we truly are) lives on forever! There won't be any sicknesses, disabilities or infirmities; we will live in perfect bodies that work and function properly.

We will live with our loved ones. Sometimes when people lose their loved ones too early in life they are overcome with sadness because they don't believe that they will ever see their loved ones again. This is such a depressing thought! I can't imagine having a friend or family member die and think that I will never see them again. Or in my case, I can't imagine how horrible it would be to become paralyzed at 19 like I did and feel like my one shot at living a normal life had been taken away. Trials and tragedies are difficult, don't get me wrong, but if you know that there's so much more to life and living than the life we live on earth, it makes anything bearable!

Another theme that was briefly touched on in the movie is that "death is only the beginning." This concept can seem trite to someone who is in the midst of their heartache, but it really is true. Although earthly life seems hard and unending at times, it's so short if you think eternally!

So what I would say to someone who is unsure of what happens when we die is that it's not just "lights out" and the end of everything; it really is the start of something amazing! If you're unsure, then take my word for it and take solace in knowing that there are wonderful things in store for us!