It is Sunday evening and so cold. I'm with blanket and hot chocolate and thinking about my family and what a great time we had for Thanksgiving. I discovered a great game called Catch Phrase. Anyone know it? We had so many people playing and so many laughs it felt like a game show. It was loads of fun. Little Matthew was great; it's scary when a 9-year-old stumps you. :)
How about watching old family videos and sharing the cool 80s hair and very scary clothes with your husband for the first time! I think he is still traumatized. :) The family started watching and I felt like I could watch them for hours.
For the answer to the big question: yes, I beeped all the way through airport security. However, it was all handled so graciously that it was pretty much uneventful. The hockey game was more exciting! Also, we did get an early snow and I realize how much I do miss it!
This was my first holiday with my "new look". I had many, many thoughts running through my head. Before I share, you probably need to know a bit about my family during the holidays. Laughter, groups, jokes, traditions, food, love, friendships, food, and did I say food? :)
My family is not exactly quiet or shy and we have been told that we are like the mob.
That being said, I use to be much more involved than what I felt I was this year. I want to thank Christy so very much for taking care of things when I can't and for being so good to my family and mom. Your the extra special addition to everything. As everything happens for a reason, I truly feel that God placed Nick in my life and you in Matt's so that there was support in place for what he had planned.
I took in so much from this visit and really noticed the smiles, love and real friendship that is within my circle. I have to say that it is a bit tough not being able to help with certain festivities and be that person that people used to ask for help. I felt as if I was just an observer, which is fine but just a change/adjustment. I tested a lot of drinks and had good conversation.
The thing that is to be said is this: everything that has got me to this place in my mind, heart and soul was started way over 50 years ago with Bob and Eleanor meeting, falling in love, starting a wonderful family and being the best grandparents anyone could ask for. They raised three wonderful kids, one, my wonderful mom and the other two, my close friends. I looked at the photos from this week and think how awesome how two people started a great, great thing.
I also noticed this week that patience with emotions is a very powerful tool. Allowing yourself to feel the changes and to absorb the differences brings you closer to yourself. The first step to moving past a new feeling/emotion/experience is to allow yourself the patience of the emotion.
I have so many things I want to do by next years holiday but I have to experience this first. I'm not used to being in the background. Even though everyone understands, I know that it's extra work for others now and I truly want everyone to know how much of a team this is. I love you all so much.
I read your comments all the time and can't tell you how many days this gives me strength. Christy from Dallas: please let me know what is going on with your mom. My thoughts are still with you.
I hope everyone had a great holiday. Before I sign off, I thought I would also share a laugh with you all. Click on this link for a holiday boost. It's Nick and my brothers, and oh, me too. :) (http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9605131896)
I will write again soon!
Love,
Jen
Sunday
The One Thing Grander Than the Sea Is the Sky ... The One Thing Grander Than the Sky Is the Spirit of the Human Being.
I was thinking of what to write today while I was at the park. I was watching everyone walking by, running with their dogs, or getting family photos. I even saw many ducks being fed as well as birds flying all around. It is somewhat intriguing to know that so much goes on during the day, even while we are at a park.
While sitting there I realized that my life has really slowed down in the sense that I have time to appreciate and pay attention more. I have always felt that I have struggled to slow down and take time for what matters. I know this is relative as we all may have a different view on what matters in life, however, I'm not missing out anymore on things that are important to me.
There are days that I literally have to strategize every move I make and then I have the days that I fly through every move. The difference is that I don't have a choice on whether or not I want to skip the strategy; it's there and it's not going away. Because of this, I have learned patience and how to recognize the little things. At the end of the day I am only pushing myself to new heights. If it's hard, just look at how much stronger you will be after the rainbow starts to show itself again.
I was with a friend of mine yesterday seeing her little 4 year old niece. She is so precious. She could not take her eyes off my hands and she couldn't understand why I couldn't close my hand and make a fist. We had the cutest talk about me being a little different from her and I ended up telling her that I was just like her, she just didn't know it yet. She just responded with "I'm a princess", haha. Well I'm sure that was coincidence but I chose not to think so. :)
Nick, Matthew and I are flying to KS on Tuesday for turkey day and the whole gang will be there. We are really excited to be going. This is my first visit back since being in the hospital so its extra special.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Remember the human spirit in all that we do. Our spirit affects the next person, good or bad, as well as keeps our internal soul in tact.
There is so much to be thankful for, just take time to appreciate them.
Love to all and have a great time with your families,
Jen
While sitting there I realized that my life has really slowed down in the sense that I have time to appreciate and pay attention more. I have always felt that I have struggled to slow down and take time for what matters. I know this is relative as we all may have a different view on what matters in life, however, I'm not missing out anymore on things that are important to me.
There are days that I literally have to strategize every move I make and then I have the days that I fly through every move. The difference is that I don't have a choice on whether or not I want to skip the strategy; it's there and it's not going away. Because of this, I have learned patience and how to recognize the little things. At the end of the day I am only pushing myself to new heights. If it's hard, just look at how much stronger you will be after the rainbow starts to show itself again.
I was with a friend of mine yesterday seeing her little 4 year old niece. She is so precious. She could not take her eyes off my hands and she couldn't understand why I couldn't close my hand and make a fist. We had the cutest talk about me being a little different from her and I ended up telling her that I was just like her, she just didn't know it yet. She just responded with "I'm a princess", haha. Well I'm sure that was coincidence but I chose not to think so. :)
Nick, Matthew and I are flying to KS on Tuesday for turkey day and the whole gang will be there. We are really excited to be going. This is my first visit back since being in the hospital so its extra special.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Remember the human spirit in all that we do. Our spirit affects the next person, good or bad, as well as keeps our internal soul in tact.
There is so much to be thankful for, just take time to appreciate them.
Love to all and have a great time with your families,
Jen
Monday
News From the Griffin World
Hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine was full of family, laughter and food. :) I feel like all we do is eat.
Anyway, I wanted to let you know that for anyone who is trying to swim: YOU CAN DO IT. If I can, you can. Swimming is going well and is a real sense of 'wow'. I can do the backstroke without any support. Even though I have a ways to go I was very surprised at what can be accomplished without hands and feet. It is a very strange feeling in the water but when you hold your breath, use your shoulders and forearms, anything can happen! I hope to have some pictures soon.
Pilates is still going well. Ellen: thank you so very much for your wonderful comments. I am happy that I am able to share my story with so many and feel so blessed that people like you are praying for me.
What awesome comments on the last post! Betty from Louisiana: good to hear from you again. So happy that you may have a house soon.
I wanted to comment on a post from Christy in Dallas. First of all, I want to commend you on you having a relationship with your biological mom. Adoption can be tough from many sides and it's neat that (regardless of how it happened) she is in your life. The fact that she is going through something so tough is a reason to understand her.
I hope I can answer your question. Start right now, as you read this, to understand that God has stepped into your mother's life also and the reason will show itself at some point. I never really knew what was being said but could feel loved ones around me. I don't know if it was just intuition or what, but I could feel their presence. I know how hard it must be to want her to acknowledge you but she will. My advice to you is to read and understand as much as you can. She will need your strength. Thank you for sharing, she is in my prayers. It is strange that you got in touch with my blog before she got sick. Please let me know if I can be a help to you or her in any way!
I really hope to help as many as I can and I thank everyone for the love and support, it's amazing.
News on my hands: I am going to have a minor out patient surgery on my right hand to shorten the length a bit. This is for prosthetic and cosmetic reasons. My recovery time is pretty minor so I may have prosthetics after the first of the year. This will hopefully be the last time I see the surgery room. Talk to you soon.
Love,
Jen
Anyway, I wanted to let you know that for anyone who is trying to swim: YOU CAN DO IT. If I can, you can. Swimming is going well and is a real sense of 'wow'. I can do the backstroke without any support. Even though I have a ways to go I was very surprised at what can be accomplished without hands and feet. It is a very strange feeling in the water but when you hold your breath, use your shoulders and forearms, anything can happen! I hope to have some pictures soon.
Pilates is still going well. Ellen: thank you so very much for your wonderful comments. I am happy that I am able to share my story with so many and feel so blessed that people like you are praying for me.
The golf tournament on Friday was fun. Mom and I rode in the golf cart following Nick, Matt, Dad and Richard. Again, this was for Limbs for Life. Because of product liability reasons in the US, the medical community cannot reuse or recycle prosthetics. This company provides these prosthetics to people who can't afford them outside of the US.
Also, I have several things going on in the background but are surprises for later. :) I am not just working out these days. I have discovered ways of living life that I never knew I could do before! It's great.
What awesome comments on the last post! Betty from Louisiana: good to hear from you again. So happy that you may have a house soon.
I wanted to comment on a post from Christy in Dallas. First of all, I want to commend you on you having a relationship with your biological mom. Adoption can be tough from many sides and it's neat that (regardless of how it happened) she is in your life. The fact that she is going through something so tough is a reason to understand her.
I hope I can answer your question. Start right now, as you read this, to understand that God has stepped into your mother's life also and the reason will show itself at some point. I never really knew what was being said but could feel loved ones around me. I don't know if it was just intuition or what, but I could feel their presence. I know how hard it must be to want her to acknowledge you but she will. My advice to you is to read and understand as much as you can. She will need your strength. Thank you for sharing, she is in my prayers. It is strange that you got in touch with my blog before she got sick. Please let me know if I can be a help to you or her in any way!
I really hope to help as many as I can and I thank everyone for the love and support, it's amazing.
News on my hands: I am going to have a minor out patient surgery on my right hand to shorten the length a bit. This is for prosthetic and cosmetic reasons. My recovery time is pretty minor so I may have prosthetics after the first of the year. This will hopefully be the last time I see the surgery room. Talk to you soon.
Love,
Jen
How Not to Draw Attention
First, I want to say that my uncle Randy really raised the bar with his one night stand joke on the last post. :) For those who don't know him, he can make you laugh at just about anything. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Okay, so Friday night Nick and I got great tickets to the hockey game. We get to the gate and start to go through the metal detector. Nick walks through just fine. I, on the other hand, wasn't so conspicuous. It was as if I had a few machine guns. As I was beeping like crazy I kept saying "I got nothing" and could not figure it out. Turns out, Fred & Ginger wanted to make a real debut at the hockey game. Nick graciously told security that I had prosthetics and we figured out that it was the metal under the skin. We definitely had a good laugh and good beer after that one!
Along with pilates, I am taking up the art of swimming this week. I am really encouraged to be doing this. It has taken a bit to find the right place/person. I think the two of these together will help me in so many ways. By the way, if you haven't heard, read up on the girl who is trying out for the Olympics and doesn't have legs. How inspiring is that! I really hope she gets in.
I have also been cooking lately. This has been an issue, as you can imagine. However, I have had a friend of mine spend time with me and discovered several ways of doing things.
For those of you that have seen You, Me and Dupree, this is a sense of getting my "ness" back. You have a lot of those moments going through this kind of thing. I used to wear heels, now I wear flats. I used to spend time with my hair, now I shop for hats. It's things like this that create a new you and the "ness" comes back. Once you get in your mind that your creating a new you, it becomes kind of fun. The only thing that will hold you back is your determination and love for yourself.
I am really excited for tonight. Nick & I are going to see BEN HARPER at The Majestic. We used to do a lot of this before I went into the hospital. It's starting to feel like everything is getting back to where it was before the big day. :)
Nick, my dad, little bro and uncle are playing in a golf tournament this week to benefit Limbs for Life. It's a great organization that benefits people/third world countries who can't afford prosthetics. This is a sore subject for me so I won't ramble other than to say it's a really great organization.
I had a great visit this weekend from my mom, grandmother and aunt. We played Trivial Pursuit and little Matthew had so much fun. It was a great weekend. My mom is spending the week with us which will be great.
Have an awesome day!
Love,
Jen
Okay, so Friday night Nick and I got great tickets to the hockey game. We get to the gate and start to go through the metal detector. Nick walks through just fine. I, on the other hand, wasn't so conspicuous. It was as if I had a few machine guns. As I was beeping like crazy I kept saying "I got nothing" and could not figure it out. Turns out, Fred & Ginger wanted to make a real debut at the hockey game. Nick graciously told security that I had prosthetics and we figured out that it was the metal under the skin. We definitely had a good laugh and good beer after that one!
Along with pilates, I am taking up the art of swimming this week. I am really encouraged to be doing this. It has taken a bit to find the right place/person. I think the two of these together will help me in so many ways. By the way, if you haven't heard, read up on the girl who is trying out for the Olympics and doesn't have legs. How inspiring is that! I really hope she gets in.
I have also been cooking lately. This has been an issue, as you can imagine. However, I have had a friend of mine spend time with me and discovered several ways of doing things.
For those of you that have seen You, Me and Dupree, this is a sense of getting my "ness" back. You have a lot of those moments going through this kind of thing. I used to wear heels, now I wear flats. I used to spend time with my hair, now I shop for hats. It's things like this that create a new you and the "ness" comes back. Once you get in your mind that your creating a new you, it becomes kind of fun. The only thing that will hold you back is your determination and love for yourself.
I am really excited for tonight. Nick & I are going to see BEN HARPER at The Majestic. We used to do a lot of this before I went into the hospital. It's starting to feel like everything is getting back to where it was before the big day. :)
Nick, my dad, little bro and uncle are playing in a golf tournament this week to benefit Limbs for Life. It's a great organization that benefits people/third world countries who can't afford prosthetics. This is a sore subject for me so I won't ramble other than to say it's a really great organization.
I had a great visit this weekend from my mom, grandmother and aunt. We played Trivial Pursuit and little Matthew had so much fun. It was a great weekend. My mom is spending the week with us which will be great.
Have an awesome day!
Love,
Jen
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