1. We began class with a discussion about moving forward with a positive, faith-filled attitude despite physical limitations. I shared a story of a young woman named Jennifer Gabrysh who recently had a diving injury and broke her neck to become paralyzed from the neck down. She has little control of her body. She is beautiful. According to our societal perceptions of beauty, this girl is beautiful. However, she now lays in a hospital bed, when she’s not in a wheel chair, and people come by to say hi and keep her company, they get their pictures taken with her, and it seems, from the pictures on her website, that things are going great. This will not always be the case. Eventually, her body’s muscle tone will deteriorate and her body will begin deforming because of the mobility, as much as physical therapists will try to counteract it. She is keeping a positive and faithful spirit about her, but her life is going to be extremely limited from this point forward. How do you stay positive when you are facing a lifetime knowing you will only ever have your mind, not your body, to control. It would take a pretty courageous person. 
2. We began reading a story about a man born in Ireland during the Depression. He was deprived of oxygen during birth and had Cerebral Palsy, but at the time it was undiagnosed or a disease that little was known about. He existed in his family’s home but as a dog or disabled child no one spoke of or paid much attention to. Somehow, though, he made a step forward to begin communicating, which eventually led to great writing skill, as he is the author of the story we are reading. It is a pretty deep topic, especially for a chilly, early Monday morning after a seriously eventful weekend, but the kids did great in participating in our discussion. 

Click here to Jennifer’s facebook page.