It's Fun, Isn't It?

I kept thinking that perseverance was going to be the word that defined 36.

As you know, life has been stressful lately. Managing caregivers has felt especially heavy, and I walked into my birthday week thinking, I hope I can get a little respite.

I need a break!

One of my favorite things about birthdays is that they have an interesting way of slowing everyone down. We spend so much of our lives rushing from one responsibility to the next that we often forget to simply enjoy the people God has given us. This week reminded me to stop.

I laughed over watermelon mocktails with Natalie. If you've followed my blog for a while, you know Natalie is Julie's twin sister. Julie is a constant presence in my life even though she passed in 2016. Naturally, she's still part of every conversation Natalie and I have.

Julie was the root, and so many branches of friendship have grown from what she left me: a beautiful community.

I left dinner smiling, not just because of the fun mocktails, but because spending time with Natalie always gives me energy. She's one of those people who leaves you feeling happier than you were before.

A couple of days later, my family and I wandered through TJ Maxx before heading to dinner. They let me pick out a few gifts. Dad shared his opinions, which I love. He gets more and more opinionated as the shopping trip goes on. Mom is always sharing her thoughts too. It's fun because it's silly. We don't talk about the latest fight with the insurance company or the stress of managing caregivers. All that matters is having fun.

We had a wonderful dinner at Maggiano's. I remember looking around the table and feeling incredibly grateful that these are the people God chose to give me.

The next day, my friends Tom and Vic completely caught me off guard. Somehow, they managed to bake a birthday cake at home and have it brought out at the restaurant. It was such a simple gesture, but sometimes the simplest gestures say the most. Someone spent time thinking about me. Someone planned ahead. Someone wanted me to feel celebrated. I'll never outgrow being touched by that.

As I looked back over the week, I realized something.

The circumstances that made me think "I still need perseverance." The problems still exist. Caregiver schedules still need to be figured out. Challenges are still waiting for me. Thirty-six won't magically be easy.

But God, in His kindness, reminded me that He has never asked me to persevere alone. Instead, He has spent my life surrounding me with people who make perseverance possible through watermelon mocktails, family shopping trips, homemade birthday cakes, and countless ordinary moments that remind me I'm never walking alone.

People who laugh with me.

People who pray for me.

People who celebrate with me.

People who quietly carry pieces of the load without even realizing they're doing it.

So, to my family, my friends, and every person who has walked beside me over the years...

Thank you.

You give me the strength to live what should be impossible.

And when I stop long enough to notice...

It's fun, isn't it?

Singles Awareness Day

Valentine’s Day. Let’s talk about it. Some call it Singles Awareness Day. It makes me feel a little lonely every year, even though I couldn’t love my community more. You all make up the pieces of my heart, and I live a joy-filled life. I truly am happy, but happiness and loneliness can coexist. I genuinely have a lot to give to another person, and I don’t think the average man sees that in me. People who see me but don’t really know me probably assume many things about my life that aren’t true. All of you know that I bring a lot to a friendship. I love doing simple acts of kindness. The fact that small things can change our perspective is amazing. I love sending greeting cards for this reason—they’re a little way to show love to the people I care about.

I wholeheartedly believe my life is vibrant and full of connection. I don’t understand why romantic love hasn’t found its way into my life yet, and honestly, I’m a bit frustrated. If you know anyone who might be a good match, I’d love to hear from you. And full disclosure—if I go on a bad date, it will probably end up as a humorous blog post.

This month has been…well, a little blah. One morning, my communication device wouldn’t turn on, and I had to send it in for repairs. No cute story here—just my caregiver grabbing my backup device and packing up my current one to send to Ohio. Has the month been awful? Absolutely not. Has it been fantastic? Not exactly. But my dad got me roses on Valentine’s Day, and it meant a lot. Some of you made the day special too, so thank you.

Now, let’s move on to the month of luck—I already have my St. Patrick’s Day decorations up!

Breaking Bread

 Just before heading back to Chicago, I had one last visit to squeeze in—breakfast with my dear friend Kelly. We met at the hotel restaurant, where the clinking of silverware and weekend chatter filled the air. Kelly showed up with a smile and a story.
“Hi. I broke my hand. I’ve had the longest week of my life, but I’m here,” she said.

With my luggage packed and ready to head home, I was grateful for one last visit.

If you don’t already know, I take a trip to Minnesota every year to visit friends I made at camp, some of whom I met in different seasons of life. Kelly and I met in my hometown at a certain therapy center. She was a speech pathologist, and I helped with her clients. When Kelly moved to Minnesota, it was a no-brainer that I would come and visit her.

Her blonde, classy, mature, nurturing daughter Sophia is her mini me.

“RJ, do you want help with your toys?” Sophia asked her little brother. He got settled with his toys. That girl impresses me.
“Sophie, is dance going well?”
“Yes! I got a solo!”
“I’m not surprised,” I said in earnest.
Kelly chimed in, “She’s really doing great!”

Breakfast was joyfully chaotic with Sophia’s little brother entertaining us. You have to embrace the good chaos.

My heart always breaks a little when I leave Minnesota. So many people there hold a piece of my heart. But when I return to the Land of Lincoln, I’m reminded why I have roots here.

Just a week after I got back, I had dinner with two of the sweetest human beings I know: my former chemistry tutor Cheryl and her husband, Ron.

Cheryl was by my side 18 years ago, patiently working through chemistry homework with me, explaining formulas and balancing equations. It wasn’t just tutoring—it was mentoring, and it was a friendship in the making.

Even now, Cheryl makes time to come out to Elmhurst every so often just to catch up. Dinner with them did not disappoint.

“Hannah, we have big news!” Ron said with a huge smile.
“Tell me. Tell me everything!” I leaned in, knowing it had to be good.
“Our daughter is engaged!” they both beamed.

I saw the pictures and remarked, “That’s absolute bliss!” And it was. The happiness in their faces was contagious, and I couldn’t help but feel so genuinely happy for their family.

Getting together with family and friends is a joy to me. This month was full of visits with beloved people—including my family. For the 4th of July, all 19 of us gathered at our cabin. The kids are so big, and I’m starting to see their personalities shine through. It’s truly a blessing.

Everyone in my life is incredible. Breaking bread together is as old as time, and every shared meal reminds me why: connection, joy, and peace.

With a Full Heart,

Hannah!

A Slice of my Memoir

 For those of you who don't know, I met a girl named, Katherine at the camp that I used to go to. She is my best friend. We text every day. I write about her in my memoir. Here's a little preview: 

 

The next day, we went on the Slip N’ Slide. It was placed on a grassy hill. It was a red tarp with a hose. When it was my turn, I was so excited! One counselor grabbed under my legs and one under my arm pits. Once I sat down on the tarp, I had a counselor sitting behind me and we slid down. Because the counselors were so young, they could just carry me up the hill. Katherine went next. She let out a cute sounding “wee” as she went down. It was really fun. The boys walked by us and had the “fun” idea of adding soap to the water.

            One guy counselor got an industrial sized bucket of soap and poured it down the tarp. While it was well intentioned, it made it extremely difficult because everything was slippery. Before the soap, one female counselor would spray water as we went down. It was fun because it made everything easy for counselors and campers. Easy for both parties means fun however, when it becomes hard, the fun stops. The thing is the soap got into our vaginas, so you literally had 15 girls feeling very uncomfortable.

            “Didn’t like that,” Katherine said. She would skip words like “I” or “the” because she struggled with full sentences. This didn’t reflect her cognitive ability. It just made her life easier.

            “It got up there,” I said. This was indicative of how quickly we bonded.

            “That guy was so stupid. He doesn’t have a hoo-ha,” another camper remarked.

            “Ladies, we get it. Let’s shower before lunch.” One of the head counselors said.

            I was annoyed because I would have rather been on the slide instead of showering soap off. That jerk! Once the showers were completed, we ate lunch.

            “It’s probably tater tot casserole,” Katherine said.

            “Is it good?”

            “Ehhh…”

            “So, it’s questionable.” I stated.

            Katherine nodded her head vigorously.

            I took one bite of the casserole and kindly requested cereal.

            “Lucky Charms, Cheerios, Wheaties…” Courtney was perusing the options for me.

.           “Lucky Charms.”

            No way Mom would let me have sugary cereal for lunch. This was so cool! There were so many kids who were wheelchair users and who used communication devices. Typically, I stuck out like a Starbucks coffee cup in a China cabinet in my high school cafeteria. Not this cafeteria. I fit in completely. Having Katherine by my side helped too.

That is about a page of the whole story. The stories of my memoir are all about you all. You make my life absolutely wonderful! I'm grateful for all of you. I am starting to post daily Instagram videos and I put some on YouTube so feel free to hop on there and check them out!

 

Nothing but Love,

Hannah!