My daily supports consist of my faith in God and my husband.
• Without my faith in God, I would’ve given up on life a long time ago. It gives me hope and purpose in my life.
• Every morning I wake up to a loving husband who never leaves the house or goes to bed without an “I love you” and a kiss. I rely on him for so many things I wouldn’t begin to have enough room to write them all. Not having my husband in my life would be devastating. It would turn my life upside down and I would have to begin anew. It would be scary.
My weekly supports consist of my family, my church family, and my colleagues. I benefit from all of them in different ways.
• My parents are the most loving and helpful people I know. My parents try to make sure they are available to help in whatever way they can.
• My church family is unique. At my parent’s church, I’ve grown up before the eyes of many of the members. To them, I am one of their little girls. To me, they are like an extended family. I’ve moved on to a different church and have built new relationships where I’m still greeted and treated like family.
• My colleagues…I could not and would not survive without my colleagues. My teammate and I collaborate together on curriculum, student behavior, and so much more, while simultaneously building a personal relationship.
Supports that I use in my daily life to make it easier are electricity, running water, household appliances, tools, TV, computer, and my car. Without many of these daily factors, my life would be dramatically different. Things would take much longer and I would accomplish fewer things during my day.
Challenge
If I were hearing impaired, I would want to be able to communicate with my supports. I would want them to speak or sign to me. I would want a hearing aid or other devices to amplify sound.
My faith in God would not change. However, I might like to have a written version of the sermon on Sundays so I could follow along, or better yet an interpreter. My relationship with my husband would not be challenged as long as the communication was working. My communication with my parents may transpire to written communications versus using the phone. If I still had some hearing, I would want a phone that amplified the sound. Depending of the severity of my hearing impairment, I may consider finding an alternative setting for teaching such as a school for the deaf.
It would definitely be a challenge to transition from no disabilities to having a disability. Maybe I’m wrong in stating this, but if you’re born with challenges I believe you begin adapting to the world around you and they likewise begin to adapt to you. I think of my relationship and supports that I’ve built with my parents. They would’ve done whatever it took to make sure I was happy, safe, and successful.
Maggie,
ReplyDeleteIt is refreshing to see such a strong religious faith. I thank God as much as I can for seeing me through the trials and tribulations I have been through the past few years. I thank him for everything he has brought me through. I also enjoyed reading about the relationship you have with your husband you two sound like you have a strong relationship and great communication.
Maggie,
ReplyDeleteI agree that it would be very difficult to go from not having a disability to having one. My friend's father went from having perfect vision to having a torn retina in one eye and a cataract in the other. He found it very frustrating to cope with not being able to see and had to make many changes to his life. He has since had surgery on the eye with the cataract, but the torn retina was unrepairable. It took him a long time to make the necessary adaptations to live with only have sight in one eye.
Maggie I think you are very fortunate to be living as an adult in the community where you grew up. I think that is such a terrific sense of belonging, and as you described, an enduring sense of support. There are not many people today, because of jobs, education, etc. who are able to remain so connected. You are truly blessed.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I never thought of electricity, running water, or in door plumming and all my electrical devices as a support but that just goes to show how much I take for granite everyday. Thank you for opening my eyes to how great I have it. I agree it would be difficult to adjust to having a dissability after not having one. I have just had foot surgery and have had to adjust to using electric carts when shopping and the way I have been treated by others has been eye opening as well. It has not been a pleasurable experience.
ReplyDeleteMaggie, I can see you are blessed. When reading about your different supports, I can feel very connected. Throughout my life I was grateful to have support as you were.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that without my faith in God I know that I will not be where I am today. God is really my source. I am so inspired and admire the different people that make up your support system.
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