Sunday, August 24, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Twice In One Day
(You're gonna love these, Jane!)
Morning. At the dentist's office.
Dental Hygenist: So, do you have any kids?
Chrystie: Yup, I have one daughter.
Dental Hygenist: Oh, how old is she?
Chrystie: Wee (for some reason, she thought I could respond to this question while she was polishing my teeth).
Dental Hygenist: Oh, she must be running around and getting into EVERYTHING, huh?
Chrystie: (Because I was at the DENTIST'S OFFICE, which will make anyone snarky) No, actually my daughter has cerebral palsy, so she can't walk.
Dental Hygenist: Oh. (Pause.) So, are you thinking of having another baby sometime soon?
Afternoon. At the Disney Store.
Store Clerk: (Looking at Ellie in her stroller) Is she your daughter?
Chrystie: Yup
Store Clerk: Guess she didn't get your curly hair, huh?
Chrystie: Nope. The ONE physical attribute I actualy wanted her to get from me!
Store Clerk: Well, maybe when you have another one, he or she will get the curls!
(Because Ellie is within earshot and she doesn't want to deal with a confrontation at the blasted DISNEY STORE, Chrystie gives store clerk a puzzled look and then walks away.)
Morning. At the dentist's office.
Dental Hygenist: So, do you have any kids?
Chrystie: Yup, I have one daughter.
Dental Hygenist: Oh, how old is she?
Chrystie: Wee (for some reason, she thought I could respond to this question while she was polishing my teeth).
Dental Hygenist: Oh, she must be running around and getting into EVERYTHING, huh?
Chrystie: (Because I was at the DENTIST'S OFFICE, which will make anyone snarky) No, actually my daughter has cerebral palsy, so she can't walk.
Dental Hygenist: Oh. (Pause.) So, are you thinking of having another baby sometime soon?
Afternoon. At the Disney Store.
Store Clerk: (Looking at Ellie in her stroller) Is she your daughter?
Chrystie: Yup
Store Clerk: Guess she didn't get your curly hair, huh?
Chrystie: Nope. The ONE physical attribute I actualy wanted her to get from me!
Store Clerk: Well, maybe when you have another one, he or she will get the curls!
(Because Ellie is within earshot and she doesn't want to deal with a confrontation at the blasted DISNEY STORE, Chrystie gives store clerk a puzzled look and then walks away.)
Thursday, August 14, 2008
It's Personal
As you all know, I am a political junkie. Big time. There’s nothing sweeter than a stimulating political conversation, especially when the room is filled with fellow Democrats :-). I don’t even mind some political fist fights, er, DEBATES with friends whose ideologies differ from mine.
To me, it’s all about knowledge and giving a rat’s petunia.
I don’t *really* care who you vote for, just vote! Care! Read up! Learn about the issues!
Yet, this presidential election year, I find myself taking a lot of the issues personally. SO MUCH has changed in my life over the past four years. So, so much. I can’t separate my life experiences from my political beliefs. That’s when it becomes personal and real and heart-wrenching. It also means that I have to really restrain myself from shaking the shoulders of those who don’t see (what I deem to be) the important issues in the same light.
Instead of shaking, however, I attempt to sway.
I realize, now, why people can become so passionate about political issues. They become PERSONAL. The issues become a part of your heart because they belong to faces and names of loved ones. No longer are gun laws solely about weaponry; to the mother whose child was killed in a drive-by shooting, gun laws are PERSONAL. No longer are social security issues a passing thought; to the senior citizen who can’t afford his rent because he only receives $400/month from Uncle Sam, social security issues are PERSONAL. No longer are marriage laws simply about courthouse paperwork; to the gay couple who can’t obtain life insurance because they’re not legally tied, marriage laws are PERSONAL. No longer is the military budget an afterthought; to the wife of a soldier stationed in Iraq for 12 months at a time, the ability to pay their mortgage, and the type of equipment her husband dons for protection are very PERSONAL issues. No longer are environmental issues only for the “green peace freaks”; to the Los Angeles father whose little girl has severe asthma and can’t go outside to play because the air quality is so poor, environmental protection is PERSONAL.
No longer is “Healthcare Reform” a catchy election-year slogan; to the mother who, on the way to the hospital to visit her sick preemie in the NICU, decides to open up her mail, only to find a stack of medical bills equaling $20,000 out of pocket, affordable healthcare becomes PERSONAL.
It’s become personal to me.
One of the reasons we moved to Canada was because we knew that we would not be able to afford Ellie’s medical bills in the United States. Once Ellie was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, an incurable, life-long disability, we realized that she would require special medical care for a long, long time.
We HAD good jobs. Richard HAD “good” insurance. We weren’t part of the 50 million Americans who were insurance-less. In fact, not only did we make more money than the average American family, but we also had better than average insurance coverage. And we STILL knew that we’d be paying at least $15,000 per year for deductibles and out of pocket therapy expenses.
Now it’s personal.
I know that affordable healthcare HASN’T, by the grace of God, become personal to many of you. You are blessed. I know that most (if not all) of you reading this blog are covered by good insurance, either private or public, and that you don’t worry how you will afford your next medical bill. You are blessed.
WE are blessed too. Blessed to have the ability to pack up camp and move north, where everyone has access to affordable healthcare. We are blessed to have had the resources and credit card limits to pay the $20,000 of out of pocket expenses we incurred in 2005. I am blessed to have this venue to encourage YOU to make healthcare reform PERSONAL.
Of course the Canadian medical system is far from perfect. We’ve waited a few months to get in to see specialists. We’re STILL waiting on a new speech therapist to be hired in our rural area of No-Man’s Land. But, we have NEVER had to wait for any sort of emergency care. I am convinced that had Ellie been born at Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg, she would have received the same care in the NICU as she did at the swanky private hospital in Las Colinas, Texas. And I wouldn’t have had a nervous breakdown at the thought of walking out to the mail pod, dreading the multitude of bills that seemed never-ending.
Am I trying to sway you, my American voter-friends? Yup. (Hey, at least I’m honest!) Am I trying to remind you to feel blessed because of your healthcare system, my Canadian friends and family? Yup.
Personalize it. Think of the two or three people in life that have stolen your heart. The ones you’d die for. The ones who force a smile onto your face in the middle of the work day. Then imagine them sick. Really sick. On a ventilator sick. Requiring a $300,000 surgery sick. Then imagine your insurance company saying that they’ll only cover half of that. Imagine receiving a letter in the mail from the hospital requiring that you bring the $150,000 CASH to the registration desk as soon as possible.
Then think about your vote in November. Think about how the extra $100/month that universal affordable healthcare may (emphasis on the MAY) cost you in extra taxes will prevent another Richard and Chrystie from having to decide between a mortgage payment and an MRI for their daughter. Think about how another Ellie will be able to receive therapy so she may walk. Is that worth $100/month? Is that worth sacrificing a nice restaurant meal every four weeks?
Only you can answer that question. I challenge you to look at the pictures on this blog and tell me that my sweet Ellie, just like thousands of other sweet Ellie’s, is undeserving of quality medical care, simply because her parents aren’t independently wealthy.
Make it personal.
To me, it’s all about knowledge and giving a rat’s petunia.
I don’t *really* care who you vote for, just vote! Care! Read up! Learn about the issues!
Yet, this presidential election year, I find myself taking a lot of the issues personally. SO MUCH has changed in my life over the past four years. So, so much. I can’t separate my life experiences from my political beliefs. That’s when it becomes personal and real and heart-wrenching. It also means that I have to really restrain myself from shaking the shoulders of those who don’t see (what I deem to be) the important issues in the same light.
Instead of shaking, however, I attempt to sway.
I realize, now, why people can become so passionate about political issues. They become PERSONAL. The issues become a part of your heart because they belong to faces and names of loved ones. No longer are gun laws solely about weaponry; to the mother whose child was killed in a drive-by shooting, gun laws are PERSONAL. No longer are social security issues a passing thought; to the senior citizen who can’t afford his rent because he only receives $400/month from Uncle Sam, social security issues are PERSONAL. No longer are marriage laws simply about courthouse paperwork; to the gay couple who can’t obtain life insurance because they’re not legally tied, marriage laws are PERSONAL. No longer is the military budget an afterthought; to the wife of a soldier stationed in Iraq for 12 months at a time, the ability to pay their mortgage, and the type of equipment her husband dons for protection are very PERSONAL issues. No longer are environmental issues only for the “green peace freaks”; to the Los Angeles father whose little girl has severe asthma and can’t go outside to play because the air quality is so poor, environmental protection is PERSONAL.
No longer is “Healthcare Reform” a catchy election-year slogan; to the mother who, on the way to the hospital to visit her sick preemie in the NICU, decides to open up her mail, only to find a stack of medical bills equaling $20,000 out of pocket, affordable healthcare becomes PERSONAL.
It’s become personal to me.
One of the reasons we moved to Canada was because we knew that we would not be able to afford Ellie’s medical bills in the United States. Once Ellie was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, an incurable, life-long disability, we realized that she would require special medical care for a long, long time.
We HAD good jobs. Richard HAD “good” insurance. We weren’t part of the 50 million Americans who were insurance-less. In fact, not only did we make more money than the average American family, but we also had better than average insurance coverage. And we STILL knew that we’d be paying at least $15,000 per year for deductibles and out of pocket therapy expenses.
Now it’s personal.
I know that affordable healthcare HASN’T, by the grace of God, become personal to many of you. You are blessed. I know that most (if not all) of you reading this blog are covered by good insurance, either private or public, and that you don’t worry how you will afford your next medical bill. You are blessed.
WE are blessed too. Blessed to have the ability to pack up camp and move north, where everyone has access to affordable healthcare. We are blessed to have had the resources and credit card limits to pay the $20,000 of out of pocket expenses we incurred in 2005. I am blessed to have this venue to encourage YOU to make healthcare reform PERSONAL.
Of course the Canadian medical system is far from perfect. We’ve waited a few months to get in to see specialists. We’re STILL waiting on a new speech therapist to be hired in our rural area of No-Man’s Land. But, we have NEVER had to wait for any sort of emergency care. I am convinced that had Ellie been born at Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg, she would have received the same care in the NICU as she did at the swanky private hospital in Las Colinas, Texas. And I wouldn’t have had a nervous breakdown at the thought of walking out to the mail pod, dreading the multitude of bills that seemed never-ending.
Am I trying to sway you, my American voter-friends? Yup. (Hey, at least I’m honest!) Am I trying to remind you to feel blessed because of your healthcare system, my Canadian friends and family? Yup.
Personalize it. Think of the two or three people in life that have stolen your heart. The ones you’d die for. The ones who force a smile onto your face in the middle of the work day. Then imagine them sick. Really sick. On a ventilator sick. Requiring a $300,000 surgery sick. Then imagine your insurance company saying that they’ll only cover half of that. Imagine receiving a letter in the mail from the hospital requiring that you bring the $150,000 CASH to the registration desk as soon as possible.
Then think about your vote in November. Think about how the extra $100/month that universal affordable healthcare may (emphasis on the MAY) cost you in extra taxes will prevent another Richard and Chrystie from having to decide between a mortgage payment and an MRI for their daughter. Think about how another Ellie will be able to receive therapy so she may walk. Is that worth $100/month? Is that worth sacrificing a nice restaurant meal every four weeks?
Only you can answer that question. I challenge you to look at the pictures on this blog and tell me that my sweet Ellie, just like thousands of other sweet Ellie’s, is undeserving of quality medical care, simply because her parents aren’t independently wealthy.
Make it personal.
Blast From The Past
Is this not the cutest picture EVER?! Richie came to my office to save the day with a computer problem, and brought sweet Ellie along. Let's just say that parts of my office are a bit OLD SCHOOL. This section of my office is still livin' in the 80s, and while Richard was fixing my 21st century computer, Ellie was havin' a grand ole time pretending to be workin' 9 to 5 (what a way to make a livin'). Seriously. All we need is a video of her answering the phone with, "Good morning, WKRP in Cincinnati!"
Monday, August 11, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Choices
As I gracefully age, I am learning that life is about choices.
Every day, I choose which glasses to don. On one nightstand lay the HE-brand spectacles. Otherwise known as the Half Empty designer brand; the “why me?” and “this sucks” label. On the other nightstand lay the HF pair. The Half Full designer glasses; the “I will conquer” and “I am so blessed” brand.
The oddity is that both pairs of glasses are spankin' hot. Both pair include prescription lenses that enable me to see better. Both pair are couture and match well with all the outfits in my (wishfully-thinking) walk-in closet.
When the morning alarm rings, and I sit up in the middle of the bed, I am forced to choose which glasses I will wear. To the right lie the HE pair, and to the left rest the HF’s. My selection could affect the entire day. Because both pair are equally striking, it’s a really difficult choice.
The HE glasses feel much more comfortable when I’m tired. They sit perfectly on my nose when I’m watching other kids run, jump and talk in complete sentences. They seem to show a clearer version of Ellie’s hip x-rays. They most certainly are a better fit for when I’m looking at our bank statements.
BUT, there’s something enchanting about these two pairs of glasses.
Even though they both look pretty to ME, I realize that only one pair is radiant to OTHERS. While I see the Half-Empty pair as matching my outfit, everyone else wants to scream, “You CLASH, girl!” While I tell myself that I can see just as well sporting either pair, others notice me bumping into things when I wear the HE brand.
Every day I choose which glasses to wear.
Yesterday evening, Richard and I decided to try putting Ellie’s leg braces on overnight. Twelve hours of hamstring stretching in her sleep. The doctors and therapists have suggested we try it, but I’ve been too chicken. I was afraid that Ellie would wake up every hour, all night, begging for me to take the braces off. I LOVE my sleep. Richard LOVES it when I get my sleep. Ellie LOVES her well-rested mommy. Finally, though, I built up the courage and we decided to try it out.
As I was zipping Ellie’s sleeper footies over the bulky braces, I wanted to run to my bedroom and quickly switch out glasses. The Half-Empty’s were right there, beckoning me from the night stand.
Pick me! Pick me! If you wear ME, you can let yourself wallow in the vision of your baby girl having to sleep in those bulky, uncomfortable braces all night long. You can envelope yourself in sadness as you replay Ellie asking for, “Ballerina Shoes OFF!”
Oh, it was tempting.
I realized that I was standing at the crossroads of choice. Half-Empty or Half-Full.
Which brand?
I resisted the coaxing coming from the nightstand and stuck with my Half-Full spectacles. I looked at Ellie, being tucked underneath her hot pink princess blanket and thanked God for her Ballerina braces. I chose to look at the braces as a blessing, because without them, and the therapists and doctors who recommended and made them, she would develop severe ankle contractures.
I chose to see the blessing.
I sing a lot with Ellie (okay, I sing a lot. Period. No matter who I’m with). In the moments of decision-making, when I’m contemplating which glasses to wear that day, I try to sing one of our favorite songs:
I’m trading my sickness
I’m trading my pain
I’m layin’ it down for the JOY of the Lord
It’s sadistically comforting to know that EVERYONE experiences the glasses conundrum. We all have to decide which glasses to wear. Every day (several times each day, in fact!). You may not be choosing which glasses to wear while securing each Velcro strap on your daughter’s Ankle-Foot-Orthoses before bedtime, but you have your own version of leg braces.
Every day you and I choose how to look at life.
Today I’m wearing my pretty glasses. The ones that make me look 10 years younger and 50 pounds lighter, in both the “Chrystie mirror” and the “What Others See mirror”. I’m choosing to ignore the summons coming from my bedroom, begging me to switch pairs.
Sweet Ellie sleeping for 12 hours straight, without any complaint about her Ballerina Shoes definitely helped with my decision-making this morning.
I choose the JOY of the Lord.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
My Love Lists
Ten Reasons Why I’m In Love With Richard:
1. He always obliges when I ask him to makeover my blog.
2. He is master-griller-boy extraordinaire.
3. He asks me, “Is there anything I can do for you?” every night before bed.
4. He does the grocery shopping.
5. At the end of each work day, he walks with Ellie to the pod to pick up the mail. By the time we’re turning onto our street, Ellie’s already asking for daddy so they can get the mail.
6. He leaves the front porch light on for me when I’m gone in the evening.
7. He makes me mix tapes (well, okay, CDs).
8. He makes Ellie special chairs, and puts foot pods that fit with her AFOs onto her bike, and adds straps to her booster seat…
9. He loves (or at least pretends to love) my family.
10. He is so, so, so, so, so, so, so cute.
Ten Reasons Why I’m In Love With Ellie:
1. She laughs when she farts
2. She laughs when I fart
3. She snores.
4. She bear-hugs better than anyone: complete with grunting noises
5. She reminds me of her dad.
6. I can hear the twinkle in her VOICE when I open her bedroom door in the morning, as she exclaims, “Hi Mommy!”
7. She squeals when she’s tickled.
8. She smells really good (well, excluding the five minutes after #1)
9. She has the cutest bum EVER.
10. She is so, so, so, so, so, so pretty.
1. He always obliges when I ask him to makeover my blog.
2. He is master-griller-boy extraordinaire.
3. He asks me, “Is there anything I can do for you?” every night before bed.
4. He does the grocery shopping.
5. At the end of each work day, he walks with Ellie to the pod to pick up the mail. By the time we’re turning onto our street, Ellie’s already asking for daddy so they can get the mail.
6. He leaves the front porch light on for me when I’m gone in the evening.
7. He makes me mix tapes (well, okay, CDs).
8. He makes Ellie special chairs, and puts foot pods that fit with her AFOs onto her bike, and adds straps to her booster seat…
9. He loves (or at least pretends to love) my family.
10. He is so, so, so, so, so, so, so cute.
Ten Reasons Why I’m In Love With Ellie:
1. She laughs when she farts
2. She laughs when I fart
3. She snores.
4. She bear-hugs better than anyone: complete with grunting noises
5. She reminds me of her dad.
6. I can hear the twinkle in her VOICE when I open her bedroom door in the morning, as she exclaims, “Hi Mommy!”
7. She squeals when she’s tickled.
8. She smells really good (well, excluding the five minutes after #1)
9. She has the cutest bum EVER.
10. She is so, so, so, so, so, so pretty.
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