Thankful

Hi everybody.  Greetings from Texas again.  

How are things with my brother, Erik?  The happiest news I've had lately is that on 2 occasions I've gone into E's room to visit him and found him napping on his bed and NOT struggling with sleep apnea.  He was breathing peacefully.  I cannot tell you how glad I was to see that.  I don't know if this is happening all the time and what brought it about but thank you, Lord! 

See that key around Erik's neck?  Well, it goes to his room and it was given to me when Erik moved in.  I was unaware it fell off my keychain onto Erik's floor.  Well, Erik found it and latched on to it.  Then he kept losing it. (Erik doesn't keep track of many things well, except maybe sodas or his beloved blue pajamas.)  One day I found it stuck in a drawer.  Then it went missing again, for about a week.  Until today. The staff finally discovered it, don't know where.  I had looked all over his room for it.

 This picture is of Erik and his favorite furry friend.  I've been told he sometimes spends up to 45 minutes gently petting her.  What a blessing for both of them.

 A few weeks ago there was a big family party at Erik's home. They have them every month.  My hubby and I went and it was a blast. A musician was invited to come and entertain everyone.  He sings all the oldies and everyone loved it, especially you-know-who!  He kept smiling, clapping and singing.  The entertainer did an Elvis song (Hound Dog) and, if you know Erik, he was very happy.  He even got up and danced.

 They served cheesecake at this party and that's one of Erik's favorites too. He polished off his plate and before I knew it, he took my plate and finished it off too!   I'm so glad we got to attend this party with Erik.  He'd been a little grumpy day that day so it was a good ending.  And the fact that he was wearing his black wind pants backwards that evening just made me chuckle.

 Several of the residents at Erik's home have stopped me and told me things that have made my heart rejoice.  One lady said "Erik came and shook my hand this morning".  Another said "Erik comes and sits with me when I play solitaire".  One lady knows Erik loves to tease and she gives it right back to him.   Another woman told me Erik brought "his book" to her to share.  She liked it because it was about his previous group home.  I've seen Erik with some of these ladies.  He's soaking up their attention.  I saw him, surrounded by a group of them, actually point to his cheek and hold it up to get a kiss. That sly guy.  


Last weekend my son visited Erik with me and Erik was in the mood for fun.  He pointed to a corner in the room to get his attention over there all the while preparing to blast him with his tricks.  Look at that face of determination.

Hey Uncle Erik, you tricked me again!

I've grown very fond of Erik's teasing.  I know I mention it often but I'm just so grateful to have this interaction in our relationship since Erik is non-verbal.  It shows me he's in a good mood, gives us something to laugh about and brings us closer.  Haha, I wonder what he'll do today.