Day 836 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends,

Tonight at dinner I asked Grayson If my tea cup was hot or cold. He wrapped his hand around it and said it was hot. I then asked him what his smoothie cup was expecting him to say it was cold. He said it was "frosty".

This made me smile. Grayson always had an interesting vocabulary and used expressions, even when he was quite young, that you would expect of someone much older. His use of the word "frosty" made me wonder if he was being expressive (a peek at his old self) or if he reached into his mind for the word "cold" and grabbed a similar word he hadn't intended.

We may never know. We just keep plugging away trying to get him to express himself verbally rather than pointing. I can only guess how difficult it must be for him.

Peace,

Regina

Day 835 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends,

Tonight I had the distinct pleasure of assisting our church's new Cub Scout pack host their first Blue and Gold banquet – a celebration of Scouting's birthday. Watching the group of 1^st through 4^th grade boys stand before their beaming families (or should I say squirm rather than stand) to make presentations and receive awards is like no other experience. Boys in uniform posing for photos with their proud parents, each boy holding a new certificate, belt loop or advancement rank patch. Little sisters and brothers scampering around the perimeter of the room barely able to sit long enough to see older brother share his collection, his handmade map or bookends. Grandparents clapping the loudest for their own little Scouts.

Who wouldn't be moved by the sight of a school gym filled with laughter, decorations and good food accompanied by prayers of thanksgiving and promises of personal responsibility and citizenship?

Inevitably I was transported back to my own family's passage through the Cub Scout years. How grateful I am that Brant and I saw how precious those fleeting years were and that we made such a commitment to fully engage our whole family in them. Each of us learned much during that time. Yes, the boys learned many skills (and Lauren right along with them) which contribute to who they are becoming as adults. So, also, did Brant and I learn from those years of working together as a leadership team. We learned a lot about commitment and over commitment. I like to think it made us better parents – not perfect but better.

Who knew that coaching young minds, one young mind in particular, would be a lifelong calling for us? I know it was not God's plan to have Grayson be injured so severely. I do know that it is God's plan for us to respond to the challenge with faith and hope and love.

Thank you all for being part of our support team. You help us "Do Our Best".

Regina

Day 834 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends,

Let me share a scene from late tonight. While I was doing laundry and ironing, Grayson watched TV in our bedroom and laughed himself silly during "America's Funniest Videos". He was bright-eyed and fun all evening.

When I suggested it was time to brush his teeth, Grayson got up from his chair and walked down the hall toward his bedroom. He hesitated at the end of the hall as if he couldn't decide whether to go straight ahead into his room or turn right into his bathroom. I asked him what he was going to do. He pointed to his teeth and walked into the bathroom.

There are so many pieces to this simple scene that are encouraging to me. First, that he got up from his chair and walked down the hall merely as a result of the suggestion that it was time to brush his teeth. Grayson is always cooperative and it is easy to get compliance with one step commands. Usually, however, I have to ask him to stand up and then lead or invite him to walk down the hall. This time I said nothing else to remind him of the next steps. Then, he remembered where he was going – to brush his teeth. In most cases by the time he gets to the next room, he forgets why he is there and immediately picks up a book in that room. Tonight when he faced the confusion of two darkened rooms at the end of the hall, all I had to do was ask him what he was going to do and he was able remember, respond "teeth", and pick the correct room.

Granted he didn't turn on the lights nor did he pick up his toothbrush but we take every tiny step of improvement we can get.

Day by day, step by step, repetition by repetition – tiny, invisible improvements are made.

A grateful mom says good night to you all.

Regina

Day 833 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

We are back home in Glendale and Grayson is snuggled in his own bed tonight. I managed to get 2½ hours of ski time in this morning thanks to Regina. She took care of getting Grayson ready and getting things packed up to go. When I returned all I had to do was get my stuff and the gear packed up and change out of ski clothes for the drive home. We hit the road at 1:00 PM and were home by 6:30 PM.

We were surprised and thrilled to walk into the house to find dinner almost ready and a beautiful table set for us by Austin and Xixi. Talk about an unexpected pleasure!

Grayson was a love all day. It was one of those difficult days for him – everyone running around moving the things that have quickly become familiar, then cramming them into the car, followed by the people, then leaving – followed by 5 hours of driving. He always does well and we talk to him about where we are going so as to relieve any anxiety, but it still has to be hard to deal with that level of change in routine.

Grayson and I are planning to return to Mammoth in April for Springtacular an annual ski event sponsored by Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra (DSES). We will have at least one more visit to Mammoth provided they have snow!

Pax!

Brant

Day 832 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was another beautiful day in Mammoth. The sun was out but so was the wind this morning. I was kicking myself for not putting on more clothing for our early morning ski runs – especially early as passholders had the opportunity to hit the lifts at 7:30 this morning. It was just starting to warm up when Richard and I headed back to the condo at 10:45.

Grayson had another great day at Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra (DSES) today. We had the awesome good fortune to get Zachery again as an instructor – and as always he was amazing with Grayson. We did runs today that I wound never in my wildest dreams believe that Grayson would ever again tackle – but today he did, albeit with a lot of coaching and encouragement. It was exciting and amazing to watch on one hand. On the other, I know that he will have to relearn many of the lessons he learned today because his short term memory is so damaged. I chose to live in the place of amazement and wonder because Grayson did some amazing things and that he enjoyed himself.

Today at one point we had to pair up to ride a 2 person lift. Zachery asked me if I wanted to ride with Grayson and I said to let Grayson decide. Grayson chose Zachery then gave him a big hug. That touched me and says a lot about the bond between student and instructor at DSES.

Pax!

Brant

Day 831 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

It was a beautiful day here in Mammoth! The sun was out and while it got a bit warm late morning, the wind kicked up and kept the temperature comfortable in the afternoon. Richard and I tore up the mountain for 2 hours this morning then we went back to the condo to get Grayson ready for his lesson. Regina did the hard work – he was up, had breakfast, his teeth were brushed and he was shaved. I just got him dressed and gave him some lunch before we took off to Main Lodge for his afternoon of fun.

This afternoon Grayson had Zachery as his primary instructor. Zachery is one of the very few professional ski instructors on staff and is certified to work with an amazing array of disabilities. He is awesome with Grayson and totally gets his condition. When he came over to Grayson to greet him after greeting and welcoming him back, he asked what he was going to do this afternoon. Grayson replied, "Ski." Next question was what he needed to do, and Grayson pointed to his boots. Zachery said, "Great, how do we put those on?" Zachery gets cognitive impairment and every moment was therapeutic. He let Grayson do what he was capable of, and he helped with the rest.

Skiing? Wow! Zachery took Grayson on a few fast runs on Sesame Street, the beginner runs. After that we went all over the place! For those that don't know Mammoth, he spent most of his time on low intermediate runs. For those that do, he took 2 runs down Mambo, 2 down Stump Alley and one down St Anton. Quite a day indeed!

To bed early and an easy 10 hours for Grayson tonight!

Pax!

Brant

Day 830 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was our first full day in Mammoth for our mini-vacation. Richard and I were up and out early to hit the slopes while they were still in pristine groomed condition – and that they were! We spent two hours and we managed to ride 8 different lifts (some more than once) before returning to the condo to get Grayson for his lesson at Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra (DSES).

This afternoon Grayson worked with 2 instructors at DSES. He skied 8 or 9 runs this afternoon and was as tired as I was when he was done! Early to bed tonight for all of us.

Pax!

Brant