Quite the Spectacle

 I was in the van with my caregiver. The sound of the constant raindrops was deafening. It was pouring outside, and the entrance of the church was twenty feet away. It seemed like a mile away between the car and the entrance.

My assistant pulled out two large umbrellas and we both did our best to stay close to each other. My wheelchair and communication device were at stake. I pushed the automatic door opener, and the door did not open. Are you kidding? I pushed it with some anger again and again. Within moments, a fellow churchgoer opened the door, and I flew in the safety of the dry building.

Once inside, I motioned to my caregiver to come inside. Typically, my caregivers drop me off at the door and get an hour to themselves. I coaxed her into the church trying to make this spectacle a little less dramatic (0% of that). It was going to be quite the spectacle regardless of anything I did. My joystick and communication device were soaked despite every effort we had made. My caregiver followed me into the building, and we quickly entered the restroom, and my caregiver understood my plan. She dutifully wiped all my equipment dry and assured me everything was dry.

We walked out of the restroom and the rain has completely stopped and the sun was streaming in. I typed out, "God, you could have helped us out" and we both laughed out loud. She went to the car to get some much-needed rest. I rolled into Mass with a chuckle thinking about how I have so missed these small adventures over the past year. Just then, I realized God had given me a great post for my blog.

Love,

Hannah!

 

Back Road Tripping

For those who don't know, I make an annual trip to Mall of America every summer. I went to a camp in Minnesota and made lifelong friendships. I outgrew camp years ago; however I didn't outgrow the people. Some of my best friends live up there. I had not seen them since Covid began so that was exciting. 

 

I spent my birthday in Minnesota. Genevieve, my little sister and I went out for my birthday. It was wonderful to get time with my sister one on one. I'll throw in some pictures below. 

 

Genevieve and I

Blowing out a huge candle

 This is a short post. Life has been good and I will take it after this year! Here's to my 31st year!

Hannah!

Back Behind the Microphone

This past month, I spoke at two schools in Elmhurst. It was so incredible to be around kids again! I talked to two 5th grade classes about the book Out of my Mind. The novel is about a girl who uses a wheelchair. She also uses a communication device to speak. Sound familiar? It is nice for teachers because I embody the main character, Melody. Here is the link to the book: https://amzn.to/2T2yA1P

I love all my speeches, but this speech has an air of innocence to it. The kids are curious and not afraid to ask anything. Here are some questions: 

 

- How fast does your wheelchair go?

- What frustrates you the most? Seriously, these kids can be very insightful. 

- Do you believe in unicorns? Of course, I do! 😉

 

These events bring me energy, they are life giving, days like these reassure me that I have a purpose in this world. During the height of Covid, Zoom was the best option to do these presentations. Zoom presentations were like a cupcake without the frosting. When I am there in person, the kids can come up afterwards and ask questions. One little girl who was adorable came up to my caregiver and said, “I think Hannah is gorgeous”. My caregiver told the little girl to tell me herself. When she did, my heart melted!

These two speeches gave me a much-needed breath of fresh air along with a reminder that being a speaker is what I am called to do.

Enjoy getting back to life! 

 Yours,

Hannah!