Friday, November 30, 2012

Belated Thanksgiving Thoughts

It's still November and I want to use this blog entry to share some belated Thanksgiving thoughts.  I especially want to mention how grateful I am for the many blessings that the Good Lord has given me.

Yes, I'm a quadriplegic, and yes, I'm ventilator dependent, but I'm also blessed in many ways.  I'm thankful to my family because I'm able to live at home (and not in a nursing home).  I have no pain (some people and some quadriplegics in particular have a tremendous amount of pain).  Despite quadriplegia, I have meaningful things I can still do and have been blessed to be able to achieve quite a bit, and I have a good life, which I share some about in this six-minute "Meet Bill Miller" video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiVonbXUWcU

I have learned that we're all blessed in different ways, and that regardless of how tough a situation may seem, there's always someone in a tougher situation.  A good friend of mine, Rhonda Reese, is also a quadriplegic, but she's blessed to not be vent-dependent.  She too has also been blessed to be able to live at home throughout the duration of her paralysis, which has now been for over 21 years.  But she recently lost both of her parents, and may need to move to a nursing home.

We're going to setup an online donation page for Rhonda, to help keep her out of a nursing home for as long as possible.  And I'll be sharing more about Rhonda's situation on this blog.  But the point here is that we all have blessings that we should not take for granted.

Since becoming a quad, I've learned that good health is relative.  Almost everyone has some type of health issue, whether it's a bad knee, frequent headaches, or something more serious.  But if it's bearable and we're in decent shape otherwise, I'd call that relative good health.  Cherish your (relatively) good health and cherish your loved ones, for they are two of the most precious blessings we can have.

"There but for the grace of God go I."

May God bless us all -- and may we continually appreciate His blessings.

Sincerely,

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net