Monday – 4/4/2011

“Where there is life, there is hope.”

I have heard the above quote many times, especially since my injury. While I was recovering in Metro, two of the attending doctors made me a personalized card with this quote on the cover. I also received a gift from my former colleagues at Calphalon which had this quote on it. Christopher Reeve grabbed a hold of this quote and used it as a rallying point during his SCI recovery and subsequent fight for stem cell funding. However, the origin of the quote is from a Chinese proverb. The story is as follows:

In ancient times, there was an old man who used wood to make charcoal.  He had two sons, one named Qing Shan and the other named Hong Shan. Before his death, he gave the east side of their mountain to Qing Shan and the west to Hong Shan as a will.

The west was wooded and was able to produce very good charcoal. Hong Shan worked to produce charcoal using the woods, so he became quite rich. After several years, Hong Shan planted crops on the mountain since there were no trees left. Unexpectedly, a storm washed away all his crops, and he had nothing to eat. Then he went to the east side of the mountain to ask for help from his elder brother.

East Mountain was sparsely wooded; however, Qing Shan had his side of the mountain well organized. He used bad trees on the mountain to produce charcoal, and then planted new trees. At the same time, he raised animals and reclaimed wasteland on the foot of the mountain. He was rather poor in the beginning, but several years later, small trees started growing up, and his crops weren’t damaged by the heavy storm because of the protection from the forest. His brother explained to Hong Shan: “If one lives in the mountain but doesn’t protect it, he/ she will be doomed to. By protecting the mountain first, you can enjoy a good life later on.”

Later, people commended Qing Shan and said: “Where there is life, there is hope.”

I cite the above proverb for two reasons. First, to break up my rambling, but second, more importantly, to make the point that there are many metaphors and analogies we can use to illustrate the power of hope.

This past weekend, I had a visit from Margie and Melissa, two of the great people at Hart Associates, who helped develop my website. I have come to know Margie fairly well since my injury, but this was the first time I met Melissa. They both wanted to come spend an afternoon with me and deliver a housewarming gift Margie had made for me. Margie is quite an accomplished photographer of horses and equestrian-themed subjects. One of her favorite images she has photographed is a halter of a horse named, Hope. She informed me, there is a big difference between a bridle and a halter. The latter is what someone on the ground walking along the horse uses to lead and tie up an animal. As Margie so eloquently put it, “Halters, like hope, are things we hold onto that guide and lead our direction, like we do with the horse.”

Below is an image of the beautiful portrait she left me with to adorn my new place, but more importantly remind me of the power of hope.

Notice in the picture that the nameplate is worn and used. As Margie says, “This is to remind us that hope is in all of us — beaten up, scratched, etc. but if you look, truly look, you’ll find a hope to hang onto and it is in keeping your eyes and your life focused on Christ and He will show us hope.” Very powerful words that fit the photograph perfectly. Luckily, I am now the proud owner of the only print. If interested, you can check out some of her work at www.margieshoop.com. I also attached a picture of Rusty who surprised me with a visit this weekend.

This Thursday, I will be a Metro Hospital to meet with the Knowledge Director of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The purpose of the meeting is to demonstrate my cough assist system and get the word out to others about the life-saving technology. I am always glad to do anything I can to spread the word about this device as well as any other information I come across that can help enrich the lives of fellow SCI individuals.

This past Sunday Will helped me complete the final step in the application process for a service monkey. It’s actually been a lengthy process that has involved an extensive application and several letters of recommendation. Thank you Dave, Pat and Helen for your letters!   The video was the final piece. My mother and Lindsey assisted me in creating a video that highlighted my living environment and clearly illustrated the needs I believe a monkey could assist with. Lindsey did a great job playing the role of the monkey, with the use of a hand puppet!  If I get denied for a monkey, I might have to ask Lindsey for more help!  A special thanks to Will for fitting me into his busy schedule. He had a production session later that day to help finish mastering some tracks for Kate Voegele’s new CD which comes out May 17. I’m excited to hear this new CD since it contains a song of hers I first heard as a demo, and have been lobbying her ever since to record… it finally made the album!

I also completed an application this past week for the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan’s spinal cord therapy center. They offer a free one-month aggressive therapy program as part of the Mike Utley Scholarship, in honor of the Detroit Lions football player who was paralyzed. I want to thank Will and Katie for your letters of recommendation. Also, Katie was able to bring my mother and I communion on Sunday and we got to meet her lovely daughter, Maura. I do have to share a funny story — after our visit, Katie sent me an e-mail saying that her daughter thought I was as nice as I looked… which I thought was cute, and of course true! As I mentioned in my last post, Katie will be running a half marathon in May to benefit me. Look for details to be posted very soon.

Tomorrow is haircut day!  My hair is probably the longest it’s been in several years and I’m looking forward to the relief a haircut will bring. I also have a visit with my OT therapist tomorrow which I’m excited about. However, once again, insurance has denied me ongoing therapy because in their words “not much hope for significant improvement.” I don’t think they share the same meaning of “hope” as I do. Nonetheless, the battle for therapy rages on.

This Wednesday I’m looking forward to visit with the O’Laughlin family, affectionately known as The Crazy O’s!  I always look forward to visiting with Angie and Sean and their four children. It usually makes for very funny times!

It’s Masters Week! Every year I am more and more excited to watch the tournament, which to me is the official ushering in of Spring… and hopefully some warm weather! This year, my friend, Eric and I have set up a little Masters competition to see who can more accurately pick the golfers we believe will post a low score. I’m pretty sure I’ll win…

Finally, as you continue to pray for me, please pray for my family as well. They have made so many sacrifices for me but I can never begin to repay them. An injury like mine has a dramatic effect on loved ones as well. Some people reading this are in the exact same situation as my family and I ask that you pray for all those who care for SCI individuals.

Thanks to all for your continued prayers and support!

Scott