April 23, 2015

April Showers


Do April showers bring May flowers? I am hoping so, because I sure could use some.

April has been accompanied by lots of showers - more from inside than from out.

First, Bridger's shower.  

Lifting a 80 pounder in and out of his tub chair, especially when he is slippery and/or non-compliant, is a back kill.  I dread bath time.  I know that the one sure thing to come out of it is that I will be hurting more when it is over than I did when it started.  So many nooks and crannies to clean - which is difficult when a child can't move to facilitate the scrubbing of such.  Needless to say, I get a shower equal to his by the time I am done.

I am giddy to announce that Operation Accessible Bathroom is well underway.  It is dusty, messy, loud, dusty and dirty. . . and did I mention dusty?  But in the end we will have a roll in shower.  Translated that means NO MORE LIFTING Bridger in and out of the tub!! Can I hear a great big HUZZAH?!  I will be able to lower Bridger's bed and have him (with my assistance) transfer directly to his shower chair and roll in to the big wet room and scrub a dub dub.

While I am beyond excited for the shower, the process is nearly breaking me.  It has caused some other showers. . .

My entire family room ceiling was crying in excitement.

Not the kind of April showers I needed.

The contractor accidentally severed a water line in the bathroom directly above the family room and before they could control the problem my entire family room ceiling was leaking from all four corners and from every seam line and light fixture in between.  Furniture was scrambled to be saved, the hardwoods were buried in blankets and towels to protect them and the entire family room ceiling had to be cut out to drain the excess water sitting above it.

Lots of water, even more dust.  After two weeks, the family room ceiling is put back together again.

Those April showers caused many more from Bridger, who couldn't stand the sound of the saws and banging that came from the bathroom renovation and subsequent ceiling repair or his routine being disrupted or our whole house being made non-accessible in a blink of an eye by all of the furniture and rolled up area rugs blocking wheelchair pathways. Lots of screaming and crying from him during the process.

April showers came from inside of me.  I don't let those showers come to the surface very often because those are dangerous floodgates to open that no one wants to see.  Too many encounters with negative, fault-finding or otherwise belittling people in April. I learn an important lesson in those encounters - that some people have so much negative energy in their life that, consequently, it is all they can reflect. I will not allow that to bleed into my life and am fiercely protective of the love and positive energy in my home.  That is an absolute and essential key that each of my children, my husband and myself need to thrive in this special journey.  I quickly and protectively distance myself from any negative energy.

A quote is tucked into a cubby on my wall peeking out at me as I sit and type.

It is a wonderful and needed daily reminder to me.




If I am a fountain and not a drain, maybe the April showers someone else feels may be the most welcome of all.

Counting down until April is over.  May is coming with a great big bouquet, I just know it!