Long and Winding Road

  As I started on the road to recovery there was not a map. The only thing I had were 4 destinations, speech, left arm and hand, left leg, and brain. The destination for speech was to be understood and not sound like Forrest Gump! To my ears that is what I sounded like when I heard myself speak. I guess I should have been glad that I could speak at all! My grandfather had a stroke. I know Papa had to be extremely frustrated? His stroke took his speech from him. Mama explained to me that back when Papa had his stroke they didn't have the therapy they have now. Papa was just sent home to deal with it the best he could? He did a great job with what he had to work with at the time. If only I knew then what I know now? The destination for the arm and hand was to get use of it again.  The destination for the leg was to walk again without a cane and not use a wheelchair. The destination for the brain was just to be able to think "reasonably" again. OK, start your engines! Here we go on the journey. While staying at Mama's we worked alot on trying to get the brain organized again? I would try to read and figure out something and my brain would give out and shut down on me? I would get sooooo tired and sleepy that I just had to stop and rest! Even today I still have some of the same problems. Worse than the brain getting tired was my problem with organizing thoughts. Like if I was trying to tell you a recipe I would think in my head how to do the recipe, but by the time I was trying to speak what I was thinking it would not come out like I had put it together in my brain?  Things that used to be so easy.